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Ross Andersen

Senior Editor, The Atlantic

Ross Andersen is a senior editor at The Atlantic where he oversees the Science, Health and Technology sections. He was formerly the deputy editor of Aeon.

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Written by Ross Andersen

Illustration of a person in an orange snowsuit standing between night and day with a colourful, swirling sky, snowy mountains and a small building.

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Astronomy

In the beginning

Cosmology has been on a long, hot streak, racking up one imaginative and scientific triumph after another. Is it over?

Ross Andersen

Illustration of an astronaut in an orange spacesuit running on a red-orange alien planet with a blue trail beneath him.

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Cosmology

Exodus

Elon Musk argues that we must put a million people on Mars if we are to ensure that humanity has a future

Ross Andersen

Painting of three panels with religious art style, featuring Jesus with wine, a wine bottle and a child holding a pitcher with grapes.

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Food and drink

Sacrament

Wine is an elixir, a miracle-worker and shapeshifter – no wonder even the most secular of us hold it sacred still

Ross Andersen

A red chair in an orange room with a large window covered by orange blinds, creating a minimalist and warm atmosphere.

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Ethics

Hell on Earth

What happens to life sentences if our lifespan is radically extended? A philosopher talks about future punishment

Ross Andersen

Star trails forming circular patterns in a dark night sky with two silhouetted mountain peaks framing the bottom centre.

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Architecture

Embracing the void

The ancients had pyramids to tame the sky’s mystery. We have Star Axis, a masterpiece forty years in the making

Ross Andersen

Nick Bostrom standing inside a large, intricately designed building with arched supports and a dinosaur skeleton overhead.

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Computing and artificial intelligence

Omens

When we peer into the fog of the deep future what do we see – human extinction or a future among the stars?

Ross Andersen

Gnarled ancient trees with twisted roots on a snowy, rocky slope, under a cloudy blue sky. Sparse shrubs and brush are scattered around.

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Deep time

The vanishing groves

A chronicle of climates past and a portent of climates to come – the telling rings of the bristlecone pine

Ross Andersen

Edited by Ross Andersen

A Korean meal outdoors with sushi, fruit, boiled eggs, a whole chicken, vegetables, and a Korean flag.

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Family life

Korean Thanksgiving

‘Take a photo of the spread,’ my mother says. ‘This way you can remember what to arrange when I’m dead.’

Mary H K Choi

Illustration of a figure wearing glasses, illuminated by an open book with red and white pages, set against a dark background.

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Stories and literature

Future reading

Digital books stagnate in closed, dull systems, while printed books are shareable, lovely and enduring. What comes next?

Craig Mod

A dusty laptop on a shelf covered in cobwebs, surrounded by cleaning supplies and other items in a dark environment.

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Information and communication

Broken links

When no ancient chat or post is beyond the grasp of Google, what matters more: the right to forget, or to be remembered?

Alana Massey

Black and white photo of a person in fur clothing holding rope, standing in a snowy landscape with tents and sleds in the background.

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Palaeontology

Origins

Paleogenetics is helping to solve the great mystery of prehistory: how did humans spread out over the earth?

Jacob Mikanowski

A comic strip illustrating a person’s life from childhood to adulthood, showing various experiences including study, work and homelessness.

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Cities

Homes for the homeless

San Francisco’s homeless are harangued and despised while conservative Utah has a radically humane approach

Susie Cagle

A lighthouse with light beams visible at dusk, surrounded by buildings and a darkening sky with scattered clouds.

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Knowledge

When the truth hurts

The truth about health or personal relationships can entail pain and regret. Is it sometimes better to stay in the dark?

Jess Whittlestone

Aerial photo of an archaeological dig site with several excavators working in trenches and unearthing artefacts.

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Knowledge

Rock of ages

Archaeologists used to be obsessed with religion. Now they can’t be bothered with it. Is the field worse off?

Rose Eveleth

A detailed architectural drawing in black and white of a futuristic urban complex featuring high-rise buildings and underground facilities.

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Architecture

Desert utopia

It might be pleasing to dream of arcologies, mega-cities, and space colonies – but no one can design the perfect human community

Jared Keller

A painting of eight men examining skulls and bones on a table, with one of them in a white coat holding a tool by a skull.

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History

What lies beneath

From Piltdown to Mormon seer stones, prehistory has always beckoned the trickster, since bad science makes for good stories

Ted Scheinman

A girl swinging on a rope from a large tree in a sunny meadow filled with yellow flowers and green grass.

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Death

To heaven and back

Is the heaven tourism memoir spiritual kitsch for the superficial seeker, or an earnest attempt to wrestle with death?

Mya Frazier

Black and white photo of a young girl playing chess, reaching to move a piece on the board, books blurred in the background.

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Childhood and adolescence

Where’s Bobbi Fischer?

Little girls sign up to play chess in droves. So why are so few of the world’s top players women?

Hana Schank

A deep-sea hydrothermal vent emitting dark smoke-like substance with small white organisms attached to surrounding rocks.

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Biology

Earth’s aliens

Alien lifeforms might be living right under our noses, but how can we find them if we don’t know what we’re looking for?

Sarah Scoles