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Science

Essays and videos exploring physics, evolution, cosmology and other frontiers in science
Phenomena: magnitudes | Aeon
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Biology

The astonishing resonances between patterns in nature, microscopic and cosmic

5 minutes

Cities that grow themselves | Aeon
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Cities

Cities that grow themselves

They are spreading like branching plants across the globe. Should we rein cities in or embrace their biomorphic potential?

Josh Berson

Living orbs of light | Aeon
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Biology

Living orbs of light

Solving the mystery of how and why fireflies flash in time can illuminate the physics of complex systems

Orit Peleg

Nature’s playbook | Aeon
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Ecology and environmental sciences

Nature’s playbook

From termite queens to the carbon cycle, nature knows how to avoid network collapse. Human designers should pay heed

Ruth DeFries

What pastoralists know | Aeon
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Anthropology

What pastoralists know

Pastoralists are experts in managing extreme variability. In a volatile world economy, bankers should learn how they do it

Ian Scoones

All stars | Aeon
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Complexity

All stars

Is a great team more than the sum of its players? Complexity science reveals the role of strategy, synergy, swarming and more

Jessica Flack & Cade Massey

Uncertain times | Aeon
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Complexity

Uncertain times

The pandemic is an unprecedented opportunity – seeing human society as a complex system opens a better future for us all

Jessica Flack & Melanie Mitchell

Catastrophes and calms | Aeon
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Evolution

Catastrophes and calms

Evolution is extraordinarily creative in the wake of a cataclysm. How does life keep steadily ticking over in between?

Renée A Duckworth

From chaos to free will | Aeon
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Physics

From chaos to free will

A crude understanding of physics sees determinism at work in the Universe. Luckily, molecular uncertainty ensures this isn’t so

George Ellis

At the limits of thought | Aeon
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The future

At the limits of thought

Science today stands at a crossroads: will its progress be driven by human minds or by the machines that we’ve created?

David C Krakauer

Collaborators in creation | Aeon
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Technology and the self

Collaborators in creation

Our world is a system, in which physical and social technologies co-evolve. How can we shape a process we don’t control?

Doyne Farmer, Fotini Markopoulou, Eric Beinhocker & Steen Rasmussen

Life ≠ alive | Aeon
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Biology

Life ≠ alive

A cat is alive, a sofa is not: that much we know. But a sofa is also part of life. Information theory tells us why

Michael Lachmann & Sara Walker

How do you teach a car that a snowman won’t walk across the road? | Aeon
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Computing and artificial intelligence

How do you teach a car that a snowman won’t walk across the road?

Melanie Mitchell

The blind spot | Aeon
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Philosophy of science

The blind spot

It’s tempting to think science gives a God’s-eye view of reality. But we forget the place of human experience at our peril

Adam Frank, Marcelo Gleiser & Evan Thompson

When science hits a limit, learn to ask different questions | Aeon
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Complexity

When science hits a limit, learn to ask different questions

Chris Kempes & Van Savage

What would it take to build a tower as high as outer space? | Aeon
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Engineering

What would it take to build a tower as high as outer space?

Sean Sun & Dan Popescu

Black holes are simpler than forests and science has its limits | Aeon
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Philosophy of science

Black holes are simpler than forests and science has its limits

Martin Rees

The mathematics of mind-time | Aeon
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Consciousness and altered states

The mathematics of mind-time

The special trick of consciousness is being able to project action and time into a range of possible futures

Karl Friston

The addiction habit | Aeon
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Addiction

The addiction habit

Addiction changes the brain but it’s not a disease that can be cured with medicine. In fact, it’s learned – like a habit

Marc Lewis