The tale of the doctor who defied Death | Iseult Gillespie
A husband and wife were in despair. The woman had just given birth to their 13th child, and the growing family was quickly running out of food and money. Wandering into the woods, the father encounter...
12 Mar 20205min
The meaning of life according to Simone de Beauvoir | Iseult Gillespie
At the age of 21, Simone de Beauvoir became the youngest person to take the philosophy exams at France's most esteemed university. But as soon as she mastered the rules of philosophy, she wanted to br...
10 Mar 20204min
What's a squillo, and why do opera singers need it? | Ming Luke
An orchestra fills an opera house with music, but a singer's voice soars above the instruments. Its melody rings out across thousands of patrons— all without any assistance from a microphone. How is i...
9 Mar 20204min
The Tower of Epiphany | Think Like A Coder, Ep 7 | Alex Rosenthal
This is episode 7 of our animated series "Think Like A Coder." This 10-episode narrative follows a girl, Ethic, and her robot companion, Hedge, as they attempt to save the world. The two embark on a q...
27 Feb 20207min
Why do people fear the wrong things? | Gerd Gigerenzer
A new drug reduces the risk of heart attacks by 40%. Shark attacks are up by a factor of two. Drinking a liter of soda per day doubles your chance of developing cancer. These are all examples of a com...
25 Feb 20204min
Vultures: The acid-puking, plague-busting heroes of the ecosystem | Kenny Coogan
In the African grasslands, a gazelle suffering from tuberculosis takes its last breath. The animal's corpse threatens to infect the water, but for the vulture, this isn't a problem: it's a feast. With...
24 Feb 20204min
The secret messages of Viking runestones | Jesse Byock
With their navigational skills and advanced longships, the Vikings sustained their seafaring for over 300 years. But for all their might, they left few monuments. Instead, fragments of stone, bark and...
20 Feb 20204min
How do blood transfusions work? | Bill Schutt
In 1881, doctor William Halsted rushed to help his sister Minnie, who was hemorrhaging after childbirth. He quickly inserted a needle into his arm, withdrew his own blood, and transferred it to her. A...
20 Feb 20204min
