Science & Technology

"The nineteenth century believed in science but the twentieth century does not." — Gertrude Stein

“When I Was Alive”: William T. Vollmann’s Climate Letter to the Future
“Vollmann is less interested in how we imagine the future than in how the future imagines us.” Ted Hamilton on William Vollmann's "Carbon Ideologies."
Ted HamiltonJun 22, 2018
A Love Letter to Wild Bees
Mark L. Winston reviews Thor Hanson's "Buzz: The Nature and Necessity of Bees."
Mark L. WinstonJun 19, 2018
- Science & Technology
The Cow Whisperer
“The Secret Life of Cows” is a collection of anecdotes dedicated to the proposition that cows are individuals and should be treated as such.
Mark EssigJun 16, 2018
Down and Out in Silicon Valley
Justin Tyler Clark reads the funny, frightening "Live Work Work Work Die."
Justin Tyler ClarkJun 11, 2018
“Let’s Strengthen Our Community”: Lucy Jones on the Big SoCal Shakeout
A prominent seismologist on how SoCal can prepare for the next big one.
Matt TinocoJun 10, 2018
- History
- Science & Technology
Dystopian Bodies: Barbara Ehrenreich Attacks the Epidemic of Wellness
As Ehrenreich finds, not only is the science of wellness dubious, but its systems of self-control (like dieting) also reify class and gender hierarchies.
Niko MaragosJun 7, 2018
- Politics
- Science & Technology
Not Raging Against the Dying of the Light
A sharp critique of the anti-aging industry from a keen observer of American flim-flam.
Wendy ParisJun 7, 2018
- Politics
- Science & Technology
The Art and Activism of the Anthropocene, Part II: A Conversation with Jeff VanderMeer, Zaria Forman, and Gleb Raygorodetsky
Amy Brady of “Guernica” magazine presents the second conversation in the series “The Art and Activism of the Anthropocene.”
Amy BradyJun 6, 2018
Weird Ways of Seeing: Patrick Nagatani’s Nuclear Vision
Twenty-seven years after its publication, Patrick Nagatani’s “Nuclear Enchantment” still sees the lurking violence of the American nuclear project.
Jeffrey MoroJun 2, 2018
Against Ecological Triage
"'The Plant Messiah' aims to ignite a movement." Jeremy B. Yoder on Carlos Magdalena's new book.
Jeremy B. YoderMay 25, 2018
- Science & Technology
William S. Burroughs and the Biosphere, 1974–1997
Kathelin Gray tells the strange tale of William S. Burroughs and the Biosphere.
Kathelin GrayMay 20, 2018
The Ashtray Has Landed: The Case of Morris v. Kuhn
Much of "The Ashtray" is witty, ebullient, and generous. Errol Morris shares his wide range of interests, and his enthusiasm for philosophy is infectious.
Philip KitcherMay 18, 2018