Guest Thinkers — February 16, 2011

Change Week: Don’t forget!

Scott McLeod

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

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.

A close up image of a group of pink bacteria on a black background.

Neuropsych

The growing link between microbes, mood, and mental health

Research suggests that to maintain a healthy brain, we should tend our gut microbiome.

An artist's rendering of two **changed** planets in space.

Starts With A Bang

7 ways the Earth has changed from ancient to modern times

Our cosmic home, planet Earth, has been through a lot over the past 4.5 billion years. Here are some of its most spectacular changes

Aphantasia limits the ability to visualize a statue of a man in the mind's eye.

Neuropsych

My brain doesn’t picture things. What’s wrong with me?

I also can’t conjure sounds, smells, or any other kind of sensory stimulation inside my head. This is called “aphantasia.”

A close up of a fish's eye, revealing its intriguing anatomy.

Neuropsych

Do spiders dream? What about cuttlefish? Bearded dragons?

Researchers are finding signs of multiple phases of sleep all over the animal kingdom. The ‘active’ sleep phases look very much like REM.

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