essayHistory of science
Injury and inhibition
The misunderstood story of Phineas Gage shows that we need a new way of understanding the experiences of brain injury survivors
Ben Platts-Mills
videoPersonality
A ‘little thief’ turned career criminal recounts a life on the wrong side of the law
5 minutes
videoConsciousness and altered states
‘I want me back’ – after a head injury, Nick struggles with his altered reality
7 minutes
videoVirtues and vices
Why Bennie tried to disappear, and what happened when he was found decades later
16 minutes
essayPersonality
The highly sensitive person
Those with this little-known trait think more deeply and feel more empathy. But they also deal with significant challenges
Elaine Aron
videoHome
How an artist transformed a dilapidated hunting lodge into a house made of dreams
8 minutes
videoAnimals and humans
The wild tale of a young animal keeper, an angry tiger and a torn circle net
10 minutes
videoArt
A puppeteer makes sense of an overwhelming world by shrinking it down to size
5 minutes
videoPersonality
A ‘dumpster archeologist’ reconstructs strangers’ stories via what they’ve discarded
14 minutes
videoBiography and memoir
The unique life philosophy of Abdi, born in Somalia, living in the Netherlands
29 minutes
videoRituals and celebrations
Meet the entrepreneur whose business is crafting perfect peak experiences
12 minutes
videoPersonality
Why cleaning up crime scenes requires a rare mix of grit and empathy
9 minutes
videoPersonality
Why one man spent 15 years in ‘self-imposed’ island exile
7 minutes
videoFamily life
Fifty years ago, a train collided with Jack and Betty’s car. Here’s how they remember it
9 minutes
essayPersonality
The myth of mirrored twins
What do the lives of twins tell us about heritability, selfhood and the age-old debate between nature and nurture?
Gavin Evans
videoLanguage and linguistics
A master palindromist spells out his 40-year ‘love affair with reversibility’
6 minutes
essayTeaching and learning
Learning styles don’t exist
A teaching approach that is based on students’ preferences sounds laudable. But this misunderstands how learning happens
Carl Hendrick
essayPersonality
Born that way
Confident or shy, our temperament is mostly baked-in from birth. But how that influences our lives is up for grabs
Gina Mireault
videoSubcultures
The cast of ‘misfit toys’ who keep life on an idyllic tourist island afloat
7 minutes
videoTechnology and the self
One woman prepares for the risky solitude of Georgia O’Keeffe’s American West
8 minutes
videoEthics
An animator wonders: can you ever depict someone without making them a caricature?
10 minutes
videoPersonality
Why a journeyman boxer finds contentment in the art of losing
6 minutes
videoPersonality
Wesley wants to solve the rooftop mystery – but does he have what it takes?
14 minutes
essayMood and emotion
When hope gets in the way
Hope is usually seen as a positive agent of change that spares us from pain. But it can also undermine healing and growth
Santiago Delboy