Guest Thinkers — December 21, 2010

New Column

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

It what is easily the most exciting Yemen-based news of the day (cue tumbleweed), I have a new column out about the dangers of comparing Yemen to Afghanistan/Somalia. It would have been better were it longer, or if was just a pithy, Wilde-esque statement.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Black and white image of a classic flying saucer-shaped object in the sky, tilting to one side with a faint cloudy backdrop.

Books

Science fiction, Project Blue Book, and the beginnings of the UFO craze

In this preview from “The Saucerian,” author Gabriel McKee explains how the combination of fantastical stories and obscure bureaucracy launched the “space age of the imagination.”

Charles bridge in prague, czech republic.

Neuropsych

An untold story of LSD psychotherapy in communist Czechoslovakia

Uncovering the story of Milan Hausner, the Sadská clinic, and LSD psychotherapy behind the Iron Curtain.

The Present

The plastic paradox: How plastics went from elephant saviors to eco-villains

Do the benefits of plastics outweigh the costs?

A black and white photo of albert einstein laughing.

Starts With A Bang

Einstein’s 7 rules for a better life

The most celebrated genius in human history didn’t just revolutionize physics, but taught many valuable lessons about living a better life.

An captivating image of a jellyfish gracefully floating in a dark abyss.

Life

Jellyfish surprise scientists by learning without a brain

Lab experiments showed Caribbean box jellyfish are quick studies of their environment.

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One thing your buddies at Waq al-Waq like to do is talk about the broad scope of Yemen, including its economy. I’m sure you’ve all heard that it is: not […]