Science & Technology

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

Hunger-Time
Alma Igra illustrates how, through the scrupulous caloric management of Gaza, Israel and the international community have weaponized food.
Alma IgraJun 16, 2024
Bella Baxter and the Machine: On Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Things” and Julie Wosk’s “Artificial Women”
Marion Thain analyzes Yorgos Lanthimos’s film “Poor Things” in the context of Julie Wosk’s new book “Artificial Women: Sex Dolls, Robot Caregivers, and More Facsimile Females.”
Marion ThainJun 10, 2024
The Prehistory of Men and Babies: On Sarah Blaffer Hrdy’s “Father Time”
Claudia Casper reviews Sarah Blaffer Hrdy’s “Father Time: A Natural History of Men and Babies.”
Claudia CasperJun 4, 2024
- Gender & Sexuality
- Science & Technology
Keeping Humans in the Loop: On Hilke Schellmann’s “The Algorithm”
Evan Selinger reviews Hilke Schellmann’s “The Algorithm: How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, and Fired and Why We Need to Fight Back Now.”
Evan SelingerMay 31, 2024
- Nonfiction
- Science & Technology
How to Raise Your Artificial Intelligence: A Conversation with Alison Gopnik and Melanie Mitchell
Julien Crockett interviews Alison Gopnik and Melanie Mitchell about complexity and learning in AI systems, and our roles as caregivers.
Julien CrockettMay 31, 2024
- Science & Technology
Out of the Mouth of Bots: Child Genius and Generative Machines
In an excerpt from LARB Quarterly no. 41, “Truth,” Emily Wells and Aaron Bornstein scrutinize a pair of child geniuses.
Aaron Bornstein, Emily WellsMay 26, 2024
Ozempic: Reshaping Desire Since 2023
Ozempic is a drug against addiction. Is it also a drug for … virtue? wonders political scientist Krzysztof Pelc.
Krzysztof PelcMay 26, 2024
Why “Hallucination”? Examining the History, and Stakes, of How We Label AI’s Undesirable Output
Joshua Pearson examines the history of the term “hallucination” in the development and promotion of AI technology.
Joshua PearsonMay 18, 2024
How Anecdotes Sell Drugs: On the 30th Anniversary Edition of Peter Kramer’s “Listening to Prozac”
Andrew Scull critiques the cultural influence of Peter Kramer’s 1993 book “Listening to Prozac.”
Andrew ScullMay 16, 2024
- Nonfiction
- Science & Technology
Dirty Digits and “Pleasant Landscapes”: On Jason A. Heppler’s “Silicon Valley and the Environmental Inequalities of High-Tech Urbanism”
After reading Jason A. Heppler’s “Silicon Valley and the Environmental Inequalities of High-Tech Urbanism,” Patrick McCray decides that Silicon Valley should really be called Arsenic Valley.
W. Patrick McCrayApr 23, 2024
“D Is for Despair” Didn’t Sound So Good: A Conversation Between Bill McKibben and Elizabeth Kolbert
For Earth Day, Bill McKibben speaks with Elizabeth Kolbert about climate change and her new book “H Is for Hope: Climate Change from A to Z.”
Bill McKibbenApr 22, 2024
What Scientists Can’t See: On Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser, and Evan Thompson’s “The Blind Spot”
Robert P. Crease reviews Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser, and Evan Thompson’s “The Blind Spot: Why Science Cannot Ignore Human Experience.”
Robert P. CreaseApr 20, 2024
- Philosophy & Religion
- Science & Technology