History of Science, Physics & More
More great science writing from around the net
The final installment in our series of newsletters highlighting great science & technology writing from the past few years:
The Third Magic by Noah Smith - A meditation on history, science, and AI
On the Importance of Staring Directly Into the Sun by Adam Mastroianni - There’s something very weird about the timeline of scientific discoveries
If Not Darwin, Who? by Philip Ball - An alternative history of the great ideas of science
An Invitation to a Secret Society by Adam Mastroianni - Why you should be a lizard
The Meaning of It All by Richard P. Feynman - Thoughts of a citizen scientist
Machine Envy by Philip Ball - Giant instruments are giving us a sea of data. Can science find its way without any big ideas at the helm?
Beauty ≠ Truth by Philip Ball - Scientists prize elegant theories, but a taste for simplicity is a treacherous guide. And it doesn’t even look good
The Rise and Fall of Peer Review by Adam Mastroianni - Why the greatest scientific experiment in history failed, and why that’s a great thing
Why Inventors Misjudge How We’ll Abuse Their Creations by Steven Johnson - On possibilities that somehow escaped our field of vision but that, in retrospect, seem glaringly obvious
Quantum Common Sense by Philip Ball - Despite its confounding reputation, quantum mechanics both guides and helps explain human intuition
Does Time Really Flow? by Natalie Wolchover - The laws of physics imply that the passage of time is an illusion. To avoid this conclusion, we might have to rethink the reality of infinitely precise numbers.
What Is the Future of Fusion Energy? by Philip Ball - Nuclear fusion won’t arrive in time to fix climate change, but it could be essential for our future energy needs
Dismantling Sellafield by Samanth Subramanian - The epic task of shutting down a nuclear site
A Strange Fascination by Zack Savitsky - Studies of exotic materials called “strange metals” point to a whole new way to understand electricity
The Secret, Magical Life Of Lithium by Jacob Baynham - One of the oldest, scarcest elements in the universe has given us treatments for mental illness, ovenproof casserole dishes and electric cars. But how much do we really know about lithium?
Click through for more great science & tech writing from aound the net. Let us know what we missed!
Really apreciate curated collections like this. The Adam Mastroianni pieces on peer review and staring into the sun are some of my favorites, they challenge a lot of assumtions about how science progresses. Philip Ball's work on strange metals and quantum mechanics is also consistently thoughprovoking. Great selection overall.