Surprising Science — March 25, 2014

Setting Sound Waves on Fire

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

This classic physics experiment is made thanks to some hot jazz. Literally hot jazz. Flammable gas is pumped through a Reuben’s tube, which is attached to a speaker. Watch what happens:

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.

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.”

The head of a man and a woman are shown side by side in a research study focused on ketamine and depression.

Neuropsych

A vaccine for depression

Ketamine’s remarkable effect bolsters a new theory of mental illness.

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.

Up Next

Surprising Science

Supersonic Jet Creates a “Cloud”

This supersonic jet, the F-14 Tomcat, can create a cloud. Check out this footage of the jet ripping through the sky, leaving a trail of vapor. What you’re witnessing are […]