Author: Marquis Vannah

In his most recent book, Consciousness: Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist, Christof Koch wrote that he has known only one genius: Francis Crick, co-discoverer of the structure of the DNA molecule. “In a lifetime of teaching, working and debating with some of the smartest people on the planet, I’ve encountered brilliance and high achievement, but […]

Last week, researchers using the Planck spacecraft to study the skies announced that the polarization of light spotted by the BICEP2 experiment could be entirely explained by dust swirling around the Milky Way. This news was a bucket of cold water on the theories of many cosmologists: It meant that BICEP2 might not have been […]

Competition in Cambrian seas helped cause an explosion in diversity.

Sacred beliefs likely arose out of prehistoric bonding and rituals.

Contrary to popular belief, peace and quiet is all about the noise in your head.

The primatologist and neurologist talks turbulence—teens, stress, and the information age.

The Antennae Galaxies are in a state of “starburst,” when the gas from the two colliding galaxies crashes together to produce huge numbers of new stars.ESA/Hubble & NASA According to the basic approximation, stars are formed by a stately, gradual process that belies the power it eventually unleashes. Within a great gas cloud, gravity slowly […]

A Cambridge economist discusses wealth, health, and disaster.

What happens to our bodies when the bonds of love are breached.

The eminent oceanographer Walter Munk reflects on science and war.