Words of Wisdom — March 11, 2014

Carl Sagan on Science and Technology

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.” – Carl Sagan

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.

Composition of the dark energy prominence universe showing percentages of dark energy, dark matter, and visible matter.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when dark energy rose to prominence?

Early on, only matter and radiation were important for the expanding Universe. After a few billion years, dark energy changed everything.

The Present

The plastic paradox: How plastics went from elephant saviors to eco-villains

Do the benefits of plastics outweigh the costs?

A man's back with a man's head in front of a colorful background.

Health

Psychoactive drug helps veterans with traumatic brain injury

One dose of ibogaine was shown to dramatically reduce depression and PTSD.

A forest overlaid with an image of a city

13.8

Biology or technology: Which moves more information per second?

The answer is set to change in the year 2113, a recent estimate suggests.

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Starts With A Bang

Messier Monday: A Spiral Sliver Headed Our Way: M98

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