Some human social constructs like gender are viewed erroneously in an evolutionary context. Is it time for our understanding of a person’s self-identity to evolve? Prosanta Chakrabarty argues that we have historically pigeonholed the spectrum of sex into discrete categories that don’t actually fit reality. Read by Karl Miller.

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What evolutionary biology can and can't tell us about sex, gender, and sexuality

Could roboplants be the key to life on Mars? Dario Floreano and Nicola Nosengo discuss this new and growing trend in robotics that could help us colonise hostile planetary environments such as on Mars.

The plant-inspired robots that could colonize Mars  

Espionage: A brief history of covert communication methods

Secret communication is at the heart of espionage operations and essential for successful spy work. In this extract from Kristie Macrakis's book "Espionage: A Concise History", discover the ancient communication techniques still employed by agents today.

A brief history of secret communication methods, from invisible ink to tattooed heads

The list of restrictions for expectant and new mothers is endless, but are they all necessary? Jessica Clements and Kari Nixon discuss our hypervigilant, risk-averse culture has made mothers miserable.

The tyranny of science over mothers

Could we be on the cusp of discovering the "ultimate superfood"? Although the "meal in a pill" remains purely in science fiction, Zane Cerpina and Stahl Stenslie bring you the increasingly wild scientific studies behind the food of the future.

Superfoods of the future, from cockroach milk to DNA-personalized meals

From fortuitous circumstances to oversights, architect Paolo Belardi explores the various ways that inspire the extraordinary across the arts and sciences.

How new ideas arise

For as long as humans have existed, we have sought actionable advice. So, where did we get our recommendations from before influencers, Netflix and Tiktok?

Michael Schrage looks back on our remarkable technological past to break down five innovations which have shaped our influencer present.

History's great recommenders: from ancient times to tomorrow

Robots aren't set to take over in all fields... yet. 

Society's changing fast but, for literature, the writing process has remained unchanged for centuries. Cognitive psychologist and poet Keith Holyoak explores whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve the poetic authenticity of a human writer.

Can AI write authentic poetry?

Insight into the evolving field of neurolinguistics, where neuroscience and linguistics meet.

It is known that mathematical systems are helpful for understanding language, but language itself could also be seen as a system for computation. Giosuè Baggio reflects on this idea and argues that language is the "software" being run by the human "hardware" of the brain.

Finding language in the brain

How did American cities transform for modern transport?

To many urban Americans in the 1920s, the car and its driver were tyrants that deprived others of their freedom. Peter Norton explores the origins of the modern road and the fight between pedestrians, street railways and the car salesmen of the early 1900s.

When cities treated cars as dangerous intruders

New research on magical thinking challenges many traditional views of cognition.

The idea that you would believe something that you know to be impossible is only one of our mind's strange and counterintuitive properties. Gustav Kuhn reflects on why magical thinking is deeply ingrained in our daily thoughts and behaviours, and supernatural and scientific beliefs can happily coexist inside our minds.

The powerful role of magical beliefs in our everyday thinking

It's time to embrace the idea of living forever. 

Most people accept that death is a part of life, and a vast majority seem content with a natural lifespan. But for Ingemar Patrick Linden, dying is a gruesome prospect. Here he examines the works of great philosophers, including Plato and Marcus Aurelius, to discuss ideas about human mortality and why a rebellion against death is brewing. 

A philosopher's case against death

In praise of truly interdisciplinary thinking.

Do flesh-coloured prosthetics and 'invisible' hearing aids send out signals that impairment is something to hide? In this reflection on the challenges in designing objects that help disabled people, he reflects on the group's vast and mostly untapped potential for tech-based innovation.

The brilliant objects embodying the meeting of disability and design

Exploring the captivating, almost mythological, relationship between the organic and the inorganic.

Scientists have tried to understand the characteristics that a chemical system must possess to be considered living throughout history. In this excerpt from Laura Tripaldi's book "Parallel Minds: Discovering the Intelligence of Materials", we discover and study the value of such pursuit in a completely different light and why it continues to fascinate alchemists.

On the occult origins of chemistry and the stuff of life

Inputting personal information into a website is like taking a leap of faith. 

The internet was not designed with security in mind. Many breaches are due to attacks on known vulnerabilities in online systems, and a 2019 study showed that 95% could have been prevented. Through social engineering, a lack of resources, and cybersecurity economics, Michael Kende explains how we can reduce data breaches and increase digital trust.

How secure is our data, really?

Whatever the speed at which it appears to flow, time always passes. 

Since even before Homer wrote the Odyssey, humans have witnessed and documented the passing of time. But what does it mean? The way we experience time seems to depend mainly on mood. It feels like it's dragging on if you're bored, and if you're excited, it flies. Philosophy researcher Michael Marder explores this phenomenon as he explains how you can get into a temporal mindset and discover what it means to be a passenger of time.

Philosophy for passengers: reflections on 'passenger time'

How did the genre become so cinematic and thought-provoking?

Gone are the days of the classic shoot 'em-up. Instead, many of the gaming world’s most popular current games are heartfelt and philosophic epics that take their players on emotional journeys of self-discovery and learning. Influential game designer Richard Lemarchand reflects on his path to creating many of the favourite fictional worlds of video games and the importance and joy of playful storytelling in the industry.

My game story: reflections on design and storytelling

Discover the science behind conventional running wisdom.

There is more to running than just training your muscles and improving your stamina. It is also a mental sport, and maybe even more so than previously believed. Mariska van Sprundel explores how mental strength may be the thing that separates the winners from the rest of us.

“Measured over a longer period, the trainability of athletes is more or less the same. What really matters during competition is the extent to which their physiological systems are primed and ready to go, and how well those systems cooperate,” explains Hutter. “Whether an athlete can avail of their maximum physical potential at the crucial moment is partly a mental matter.”

Running and the science of mental toughness

Honesty is a core scientific virtue, but at what cost? 

According to physicist Richard Feynman in his famous 1974 commencement address, honesty is central to science, and complete transparency about previous unsuccessful studies is essential for progress. This may be true. However, as critics have argued, it's not feasible or economically viable in practice. 

Given that the goal of science is to satisfy our intellectual curiosity about the natural world, Robert T. Pennock explores the scientific mindset to argue that integrity is a more accurate word. After all, science cannot guarantee absolute truth, but it can provide a full and honest picture of the evidence available to promote trust in scientific conclusions. 

Scientific integrity and the ethics of 'utter honesty' 

Ancient skeletons, funerary practices, and DNA reveal layers of inequality in past societies.

It's an urgent global concern that consumes modern culture, but this social issue's full historical depth has only been realised. Ancient DNA biologist Carles Lalueza Fox explores how genomics indicated a deep history of inequality, going back many thousands of years. Novel DNA sequencing technologies revealed layers of inequality in past societies, displayed by migration patterns, social structures, and funerary practices. Here, Lalueza Fox shows that ancient skeletal DNA contains thousands of anonymous stories of inequality, bias, and suffering.