With the passing of Stephen Hawking on March 14th 2018, the world has lost one of its most brilliant minds, and most celebrated intellectuals. His invaluable contributions to both the frontiers of theoretical physics and popular science communication made him one of few science ‘rock-stars’ with a truly global audience. Read more...
David was born and raised in Cologne, Germany to a Russian/Jewish family. He studied physics at undergraduate and Master's level at the University of Sussex. He currently works in R&D at Micron Semiconductor Ltd. He mainly writes about science and the philosophy of science. If you want to get in contact, drop him an email at [email protected]
How and why did magic mushrooms evolve their magic abilities?
The question of how and why psychedelic mushrooms evolved to contain their active ingredient psilocybin has long intrigued scientists. Now, a groundbreaking study led by evolutionary fungal genomicist Jason Slot from Ohio State University promises to shed light on this puzzle, and open up the door for more research on the topic. Read more...
The science of friendship - New study sheds light on why people become friends
A new study suggests that brains of friends respond to real-world stimuli in a similar manner, confirming what many of us might have suspected all along.
The study, the first of its kind, sheds light on how and why friendships form, and the results can be used to better our understanding of how our minds influence and shape one another. Read more...
Breakthrough experiment pushes the boundaries of Quantum Biology
Physicists at Northwestern university have, for the first time in history, quantum entangled two biological systems.
This breakthrough could pave the way for utilising quantum effects to study biological systems, giving scientists a new set of tools with which to probe nature, and bringing us yet another small step closer to the realisation of quantum technologies. Read more...
New nanotechnology paves the way for a ‘quantum internet’
A scientific breakthrough in the field of quantum mechanics could lead to the creation of a new, untraceable internet.
A team of researchers from the University of Vienna, led by Ralf Riedinger, has successfully constructed a system capable of receiving as well as storing quantum information. Read more...
Human memory boosted beyond natural capabilities with a brain implant
For the first time in history, an implant has been shown to boost human cognition beyond its natural capabilities, signaling the start of the era of “memory prosthesis”. Dr. Dong Song, the leader of a biomedical engineering team at the University of Southern California, presented his team’s findings at a meeting of the Society of of Neuroscience in Washington, DC. Read more...
Thousands of Israeli and Palestinian women march for peace
Last week thousands of Israeli and Palestinian women marched through the desert as part of a campaign called “Journey to Peace”.
The main organiser, Women Wage Peace, whose members span ethnic and religious boundaries, aims to “pressure the Israeli government to prioritise the reaching of an agreement” with the Palestinian leadership. Read more...
What this ancient Babylonian tablet teaches us about the politics of discovery
Recent coverage of the Plimpton 322 has made inflated claims about the importance of its discovery - but does it hold up to scrutiny?
Artefact Plimpton 322 has been in the news lately - an ancient Babylonian clay tablet inscribed with numbers (now known as Pythagorean Triples) which has recently been hailed as a key unearthing in the existence of trigonometry. Read more...
Do the Great never die? History’s lesson on legacies
It is common to believe that our modern world is a product of the deeds of ‘Great’ men and women. But how does this thinking affect our behaviour, relationships, and how we deal with life and death?
In film and literature, this is usually expressed through a main protagonist, whose actions are nearly solely responsible for the plot’s advancement. Read more...
10 shockingly persistent misconceptions debunked by science
Easier access to information on the internet has become a double-edged sword. With so much misinformation around, it’s time to clear up a few things.
One would think that in the age of the internet, where most facts are just a quick Google search away, we would be less susceptible to believing and spreading fictitious information. Read more...