Guest Thinkers — December 21, 2010

Waq al-waq meets CNN

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

For those with an interest – or possibly just want to critique me like I do to others – you can tune into CNN later this evening (say a little after 10 pm) to hear me talking about Yemen for a couple of minutes.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Two colorful cells with purple nuclei, green cell edges, and radiating filament structures against a black background.

Health

When muscles work out, they help neurons to grow

The findings suggest that biochemical and physical effects of exercise could help heal nerves.

Five modern philosophy books about the idea of justice on a pink background.

Thinking

5 books that shaped 21st-century philosophy

Philosophy isn’t stuck in the past. Here are five texts to connect you with its ongoing dialogue.

Comparison of early Mars with abundant water and a thicker atmosphere versus the dry and arid Mars of today, much like Venus, which also died in terms of its potential to support life.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when Venus and Mars both died?

In the early stages of our Solar System, there were three life-friendly planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. Only Earth thrived. Here’s why.

An abstract composite image depicting where life began with mountainous terrain, chemical structures, and a monochrome inset of a cloudy sky.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when life first sprang forth on Earth?

Although early Earth was a molten hellscape, once it cooled, life arose almost immediately. That original chain of life remains unbroken.

A digitally enhanced view of a crescent planet Earth with a galaxy in the background.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when planet Earth first formed?

The Earth that exists today wasn’t formed simultaneously with the Sun and the other planets. In some ways, we’re quite a latecomer.

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Battle of Marib Video

The new video AQAP posted on the Battle of Marib today – September 8 – is by far the most technologically impressive piece of propaganda I have seen it produce […]