metaphor

We can “read” genes with ease now, but still can’t say what most of them “mean.” To show why we need clearer “causology” and fitter metaphors, let’s scrutinize cars and their parts like we do bodies and genes.

Ice finally met fire on last night’s episode of Game of Thrones, and their first conversation proved a perfect case study in the distance between power and reality.

Hitler appeared to have been highly sensitive to disgust, and research shows this trait is linked to numerous dimensions of ideology.

A new study from Cornell University shows how metaphors influence our ability to be impressed by genius and uncovers a gender hook – it seems we prefer to conceive of male genius as an exciting idea explosion, and female genius as a long, hard labor of hard work. 

Science’s signature moves share something with good poetry. Good metaphor-making can make geniuses of both kinds. But bad metaphors can mislead whole fields.