The Present

From olde English dogs, to immoral women, to weak men, to irritating women, to its prideful reclaiming, to ownership over a woman (there’s a theme here), the word “b*tch” has a long and fascinating history, and it’s all stored in the archives of the Merriam-Webster lexicography department.

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery, or a breach of intellectual property? That depends which continent you’re on, says Gish Jen.

A team of researchers analyzed 1,280 suicide notes written between 2000 and 2009 to seek a new prevention strategy. 

Elon Musk’s new company will use “neural lace” technology to link human brains with machines.

What if we build from the sky down? NYC architects release designs for a skyscraper that would hang from an asteroid and travel between hemispheres.

In the summer of 1969, America did the extraordinary. Let’s do it again.

Billionaire George Soros, the subject of countless conservative conspiracy theories, funds the opposition to President Trump’s agenda.

Scientology is the true religion of America’s capitalist soul. “To me,” says Louis Theroux, “Scientology is selling spiritual hamburgers.”

For the last two years the volume has risen on populist voices, culminating in a victory for President Trump. The day after his election, this is how “rude” New Yorkers treated one Muslim-American woman.

Paris, France is just too real for some tourists to handle. This results in Japanese tourists getting sick, and seeking therapy because of unmet expectations. 

What did Nikola Tesla or Bertrand Russell think of fewer working hours? Can a good life only come from work — and if so how much of it, and what kind?

A new study explains why and how people choose to avoid information and when that strategy could be beneficial.

America’s most popular conspiracy theories and the science behind them.

Political correctness can go the f*ck to sleep, says Adam Mansbach. The term has been co-opted by so many social factions that it’s more of a hindrance to the cause of respect than a help.

A new study suggests always-improving video games are keeping young men without college educations unemployed or out of the workforce entirely.

Don’t work with children or animals? Sir David Attenborough laughs in the face of danger.

If you want to get from A to B more safely, be a little more choosy at the cab rank. 

There’s an app that detects manterruptions—but we round up the research to find out which groups of people are really doing the most interrupting.

Limiting speech doesn’t change the nature of hate, says Josh Lieb. Thoughts can be hateful and stupid—but should they be criminal?rn

Astrophysicist and science educator Neil deGrasse Tyson reveals if he’d run for President and what he would do if elected.

People in the East and West really do think differently, especially when it comes to self-identity. Depending where you live, it’s either associative or distinctive thinking that shapes your sense of self.

How do you build a podcast empire? Scott Aukerman explains the pedantic, unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work that went into founding the brilliant Earwolf Podcast Network.

The Middle Ages see a resurgence of interest among the alt-right and some conservative thinkers.

“My theory is true, if I do say so myself.” SPOT stands for “Spontaneous Preference For Own Theories,” and it’s a newly identified cognitive bias.

Americans understands very well what feels wrong – and there’s a piece of U.S. economic policy that the establishment and educated elites haven’t been fully honest about, says Pia Malaney.rn

Sponsored by the Hertz Foundation

Director Ezra Edelman just won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ‘O.J. Simpson: Made in America’. By deconstructing one scene, he gives insight into how truth and art must co-exist in documentary filmmaking.

A new report shows the marijuana industry is poised to have a major economic impact.

A college course on how to recognize “bullshit” addresses fake news, memes, clickbaiting and misleading advertising. 

What if the vision wasn’t just to have politicians who are science literate, but actual scientists running the joint – would it be any better than it is now?