Surprising Science — July 29, 2014

Modern-Looking Photos of Walt Whitman, Charlie Chaplin, Mark Twain

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Historical icons look as though they’re still alive and working today in these incredible colorized old photographs, brought to the Internet’s attention by Open Culture.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

An AI-generated illustration of a man sitting at a desk, accompanied by thought-provoking poetry.

Thinking

Can AI write authentic poetry?

Cognitive psychologist and poet Keith Holyoak explores whether artificial intelligence could ever achieve poetic authenticity.

A model of the Colossus depicting the grandeur of ancient Rome.

The Past

This virtual 3D model lets you wander the streets of ancient Rome

Archaeologist Bernard Frischer spent decades uploading the ruins of the Eternal City to the cloud. Here’s what it looks like.

The cover of the book envisions a sustainable future.

The Present

Sustainability is humanity’s North Star — and it is within our reach

Environmental progress is happening quickly but we must keep pushing for change.

A group of people look at a display of Neanderthal artifacts.

The Past

Neanderthals: More knowable now than ever

They have held our fascination ever since we first identified their remains.

Starts With A Bang

How much energy does the Sun produce?

Figuring out the answer involved a prism, a pail of water, and a 50 year effort by the most famous father-son astronomer duo ever.

Up Next

Words of Wisdom

Geoffrey Fletcher on Imagination

“If humanity is being swallowed by a modern primitivism, imagination might be the thing that saves us all.” – Geoffrey Fletcher