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Control Freaks
Arjun S. Byju employs Emily C. Bloom’s “I Cannot Control Everything Forever: A Memoir of Motherhood, Science, and Art” to investigate how tools of empowerment set us up for disappointment.
Science & Technology
"The nineteenth century believed in science but the twentieth century does not." — Gertrude Stein
The Microchip Titans
Mason Wong reviews three books related to US-China tech industries and global competition.
Does One Size Fit All?
In the 10th essay in the Legacies of Eugenics series, Jay S. Kaufman shows how the science of human body size is suffused with cultural assumptions.
If Anything Can Happen, It Certainly Will
Matthew Cobb reports from the Spirit of Asilomar, an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary biotechnology conference.
The Enemy of Aggression
Zach Gibson revisits Michel Serres’s “Hermes” series by way of Randolph Burks’s new translation.
The Thing You’ve Been Saying Your Whole Life
Julie Sedivy reviews Michael Erard’s “Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words.”
Nature Red (40) in Tooth and Claw
Alison Laurence reviews “Jurassic World Rebirth” in the context of de-extinction developments.
One Microbe, One Vote?
Carl Abbott dives into Joan Slonczewski’s “Minds in Transit.”
The Case for Pragmatic Progress
Michela Massimi reflects on Philip Kitcher’s vision for the future in “The Rich and the Poor.”
Onto the Grayness
Dashiel Carrera speaks with Christian Bök about his ongoing poetry project, “The Xenotext.”
Mindless Machines, Mindless Myths
Erik J. Larson thinks about “Mindless: The Human Condition in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” which traces Robert Skidelsky’s philosophical reckoning with AI, automation, and the illusion of progress.
“Abundance” Is Not the Answer
Christopher F. Jones disagrees with large portions of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s “Abundance”—in particular, the notion that we can “build” ourselves out of our national problems using technology.
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