What A Tea Party With A Bonobo Taught Us About Imagination
Is the capacity to imagine unique to humans? Scientists thought so—but a pretend tea party with a bonobo named Kanzi suggests otherwise.
How Dating Apps Challenge Our Human Nature
“The Intimate Animal” explores how dating apps cause people to raise their expectations—and walk into first dates with preconceived notions.
Who Wants To Smell An Ancient Embalmed Mummy?
Chemists and perfumers are using new techniques to bring ancient scents back to life, from mummies to a 5,000-year-old incense burner.
Olympic Ski Mountaineering, And Mountain Goat Climbing Feats
The mountaineering history behind “skimo,” a new Winter Olympic event. Plus, research into a true alpine champion, the mountain goat.
We’re All Being Played By Metrics
A new book explores what we lose when we’re always keeping score—at work, in life, even within ourselves. Can games help set us free?
What’s Lost When We Trade Play For Metrics And Optimization
For C. Thi Nguyen, rock climbing brought joy and satisfaction—until he started chasing scores and focusing on “leveling up.”
Untangling The History Of Dog Domestication
A new study suggests dogs began to diversify about 11,000 years earlier than we thought. Plus, a long-running experiment to domesticate foxes.
A Science Historian Tackles Ghostwriting In Scientific Papers
A science historian looks to the past to understand our current moment, and how ghostwriting in scientific papers is harming public trust.
Secrets Of Ancient Concrete, And… Data Centers In Space?
What can we learn from a Pompeii construction site preserved in ash? Plus, tech companies look to build solar-powered data centers in space.
Mushroom Foragers Find Connection And Belonging Outdoors
Mushroom hunting is increasingly popular. A new wave of foraging groups by and for people of color could also help close the “nature gap.”