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Mathematics
Beyond causality
In order to bridge the yawning gulf between the humanities and the sciences we must turn to an unexpected field: mathematics
Gordon Gillespie
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Space exploration
How the Moon became a place
For most of history, the Moon was regarded as a mysterious and powerful object. Then scientists made it into a destination
Danny Robb
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Thinkers and theories
So many unmarried men
For Mary Midgley, the Western philosophical tradition is shaped by the fact that its greatest practitioners were bachelors
Ellie Robson
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Poverty and development
Poverty is not permanent
By understanding the pernicious myths surrounding poverty, we can make progress towards a lofty goal: dignity for all
Anirudh Krishna & Dirk Philipsen
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Public health
A very American fear
Moral panics about erotica have coursed through the country’s history. Why do so many Americans think of porn as harm?
Rebecca L Davis
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History of science
The birth of naturalism
The modern era is often seen as the triumph of science over supernaturalism. But what really happened is far more interesting
Peter Harrison
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Nations and empires
Passion and Palestine
More than any other conflict, Israel/Palestine has provoked extraordinarily fervent emotion throughout the world. Why?
Derek Jonathan Penslar
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Public health
Hearts and brains
Humans always end up with clogged arteries, right? That’s not what the lives of the Tsimane in the Amazon basin tell us
Ben Daitz
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Stories and literature
The listening gift
It is the dark matter of conversation, the white space around a poem. For Rilke, listening is receiving the divine
Faith Lawrence
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Biology
In praise of subspecies
To lump or to split? Deciding whether an animal is a species or subspecies profoundly influences our conservation priorities
Richard Smyth
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Politics and government
The end of neoliberalism?
The case of Mexico shows that, despite a proliferating discourse that it is over, neoliberalism is as relentless as ever
Inés Escobar González
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Chemistry
Chemical laws
Often dismissed as the poor cousin of the sciences, chemistry has revealed natural laws that illuminate our Universe
Vanessa A Seifert