Why we need to stop making conversations ‘political’
What sets a political conversation apart from a regular one is that people don’t care about what’s true in a political conversation. Facts are brushed aside, science is doubted, and all that’s left is tribal conflict. When we turn topics into political ones, all it does is give us less and Read More...
How psychotherapy, not pills, can effectively treat patients with chronic pain
There are 100 million Americans who suffer from chronic pain, and many of them have no diagnosed physical cause. What many don’t realize, however, is that chronic pain can be caused by psychological issues. By taking part in psychotherapy, research shows those with chronic pain can create changes Read More...
20 years in orbit: The best photos ever shot by the International Space Station
Beyond being absolutely vital for some of the most important scientific discoveries of the past two decades, the International Space Station has also proven to be a fantastic platform for photography. As the ISS gets set to celebrate its 20th anniversary, here are some of the best images snapped Read More...
A startup is stacking concrete blocks with cranes in order to store energy
Electrical grids only function when electricity is being generated in the same amounts as it is consumed. About 96 percent of the world’s energy-storage capacity comes in the form of one technology: pumped hydro, which uses water and dams to generate energy on demand. A startup from Switzerland Read More...
This political theorist believes crypto-voting can purify democracy
According to political theorist Santiago Siri, we’ve traded in the original liberating potential of the Internet for sterile corporate serfdom. Our time spent online retweeting and upvoting and clicking on emojis serves mainly to help unaccountable corporations like Facebook, Google, and Twitter Read More...
Stop driving, start cycling: Why biking is the healthiest way to get around
By making your bike your main mode of transportation in the city, you can benefit yourself and your city greatly. Other than the fact that avoiding the usage of the car reduces emissions, a new study suggests that cycling is also the healthiest way to get around cities. Another study recently found Read More...
How to effectively get people to embrace change
Researchers commonly thought that the best way to get people to embrace change was making that envisioned change seem more appealing than the present situation. But according to new research, successfully convincing someone to embrace change means emphasizing what will remain the same. By placing Read More...
Why there’s an ethical obligation to treat individual animals in suffering
When calls are made to save animals such as the polar bear, we usually mean the polar bear species. Such advocacy is, of course, respectable, but there’s also a case to be made about helping individual animals in suffering. If it's us who are causing the global warming phenomenon that is Read More...
This is the real cost of universal basic income (Spoiler: It’s less than you think)
The deceptively simple solution to ridding of poverty and lessening inequality is universal basic income (UBI). Just transfer enough money to everyone, every month, to guarantee a basic livelihood. The policy is universal and unconditional (you get it no matter who you are or what you do.) The only Read More...
Improve your quality of sleep by putting one of these plants in your bedroom
We all know that plants provide the vital oxygen we need to live, without which we would only survive for a few minutes. But did you know that putting plants in your home or office can improve the air quality of your personal space Furthermore, certain plants can be more beneficial than others at Read More...