Derek Beres
Derek Beres is a freelance writer. Based in Portland, Oregon, he has served in senior editorial positions at a number of tech companies and has years of experience in health, science, and music writing. He is the co-host of the Conspirituality podcast and co-author of Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracies Became a Health Threat.
In one of the best examples of free education this year, Pixar has released a six-part online course called ‘The Art of Storytelling’.
Our increased dependency on antibiotics creates more resistant bacteria. How will we outwit these bad actors?
In a time when many agencies and researchers are threatened, let’s remember how the scientific method originated.
Is there such a thing as boredom, or is it an all-encompassing term for a variety of root causes like apathy, frustration, or depression?
A California man is suing Apple for not enabling a lockout feature on iPhones. He’s not the only one.
Certain sounds, like chewing, drive misophonia sufferers mad. New research might have found a neural misfiring.
“If all that liberals can do in response is continue to lie about the causes of terrorism and lock arms with Islamists, we have some very rough times ahead,” writes Sam Harris.
Physician Danielle Ofri argues that honest conversation is the most powerful mechanism for healing.
Regardless of truth, the best storyteller wins: how else could a quarter of Americans, many struggling financially, ‘relate’ to a billionaire real estate mogul?
In eleven states the number of nonmedical exemptions are increasing.
According to Tali Sharot, our innate optimism bias is necessary, but needs to be taken in doses.
Does a shot of espresso before walking into an exam make a difference?
Dying is expensive, but it shouldn’t be so.
Joe Camel didn’t want you to know about the secret ingredient to his success.
A global risk report by the World Economic Forum lists populism and social division among the top five trends that will determine global markets in 2017 and beyond.
A new Yale-Harvard study categorizes gun violence as a social contagion and a public health epidemic. If nothing changes, over 33,000 people will die at the end of a gun this year in the United States.
In his new book, James Hamblin looks at how we treat our bodies, internally and externally.
Just like alcohol, nicotine and other narcotics, sugar tickles our dopamine receptors in just the right way, inspiring our brain’s reward system. How will this end for us?
100 million American suffer from chronic pain. Many need to look beyond opioids to manage it.
Psychologist Bruce Hood argues that superstitious thinking is a natural part of human cognition and should not be so quickly dismissed.
Beyond being healthier, walking offers numerous social and cognitive benefits as well.
A new study reports that 32,000 lives could be saved annually if every doctor in the U.S. was female. What can this teach medical institutions about best practices?
H.R. 1150 expressly protects non-theists from religious persecution around the world.
It seems difficult to explain why evangelical Christians swung their vote toward Donald J. Trump in the 2016 Presidential Election.
One of the lesser-discussed but potentially most disastrous appointments is in education: Betsy DeVos. Her anti-intellectual agenda would take root in the nation’s youngest minds, filtering down through descendant generations.
Given the FDA’s lack of oversight, the FTC is stepping in to regulate homeopathic products.
Taking pain relief at the first feelings of a headache may mask an underlying condition. Use long-term treatments designed for migraines, says the director of Yale’s Headache and Facial Pain Center.
A recent study in neurotheology states religious experiences might have helped our brain evolve.
Our special place on the planet becomes harder to stomach the more we destroy it.
“Memory is a poet,” Marie Howe once remarked, “not an historian.” When it comes to fake news, our minds can be easily and permanently misled.