Culture & Religion — February 25, 2014

Snowflake Formation Under a Microscope

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

The intricate design of snowflakes is captured in this breathtaking video. Russian filmmaker Vyacheslav Ivanov recorded the mesmerizing formation of some under a microscope. After watching this video, snowflakes will look like falling works of art.

Image credit: James P. Mann/Flickr

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

An image of a dark forest at night infused with the mysterious aura of the Bell Witch.

The Past

The baffling and terrifying mystery of the Bell Witch

Serving as the inspiration for the modern horror classic “The Blair Witch Project,” what does our fascination with this unsolvable mystery tell us about our modern psyche?

a man standing in front of a blackboard with writing on it.

Neuropsych

The man who tried to redeem the world with logic

Walter Pitts rose from the streets to MIT, but couldn’t escape himself.

a man sitting in a wheel chair next to a laptop.

High Culture

Stephen Hawking’s famous voice belonged to this pioneering MIT scientist

Dennis Klatt developed trailblazing text-to-speech systems before losing his own voice to cancer.

Starts With A Bang

Exclusive interview: answers to 20 questions from the James Webb Space Telescope team

Once science operations begin for James Webb, we’ll never look at the Universe the same way again. Here’s what everyone should know.

Starts With A Bang

It’s Never ‘Aliens’ Unless Your Claim Passes This One Scientific Test

Thou shalt not conclude “aliens” from insufficient data. When it comes to what’s out there in this Universe, perhaps the only thing that’s greater than our cosmic ignorance is the […]

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