[ weird things ] | science
# science

weaponized victimhood: the messy psychology of virtue signaling and injustice
# science

weaponized victimhood: the messy psychology of virtue signaling and injustice

Some of those who claim to be victims fighting against injustice may have much darker motives than they’ll admit, even to themselves…

the new wind power mantra: bigger is better
# science

the new wind power mantra: bigger is better

Offshore wind power’s new weapons in the race for greater energy market share are giant turbines that can power entire towns on their own.

are texting and social media really making us lonely and depressed?
# science

are texting and social media really making us lonely and depressed?

Plenty of pundits have quipped that social media and constant texting made us lonelier, more bitter, and less empathetic. A set of new studies says they may actually have a point.

if you turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel, will anyone buy it?
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if you turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel, will anyone buy it?

Chemists think they figured out the process of capturing the greenhouse gas to turn it into fuel for airplanes. But the big question is whether we’d actually want to do this.

the psychology of how terrible people get their way and how to stop them
# science

the psychology of how terrible people get their way and how to stop them

How do societies that try to educate kids to share, cooperate, and respect each other end up being bullied by toxic, shameless people to refuse to do any of the above?

do dogs hold the answer to the mysteries of social evolution?
# science

do dogs hold the answer to the mysteries of social evolution?

Scientists studying how communication and cooperation evolves are turning towards dogs to shed light on long-standing mysteries.

we’ll hit peak humanity soon, and we don’t know what happens next
# science

we’ll hit peak humanity soon, and we don’t know what happens next

It looks like our future is fewer humans, not more. And while that may be good for our long-term survival, it means rethinking our economic and political systems.

yes, the pandemic is making you more irritable
# science

yes, the pandemic is making you more irritable

It’s not just you. We’re all nearing our wits’ end this year, and that’s going to make the pandemic and what comes after it worse.

why we have to abandon the popular “lone genius” narrative of science
# science

why we have to abandon the popular “lone genius” narrative of science

Writers constantly tell us about mavericks whose genius overturned the status quo. Their stories aren’t just wrong, they’re dangerous.

the problem with theories of everything
# science

the problem with theories of everything

Stephen Wolfram joins a long line of theoreticians who believe they uncovered how the universe really works. He, like all of them, is almost certainly wrong.

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