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The Paradox of the Proof

On August 31, 2012, Japanese mathematician Shinichi Mochizuki posted four papers on the Internet. The titles were inscrutable. The volume was daunting: 512 pages in total. The claim was audacious: he…
LENGTH: 13 minutes (3484 words)

Nate Silver: it's the numbers, stupid

Nate Silver: 'It's numbers with their imperfections versus bullshit.' Photograph: Mike McGregor for the Observer Nate Silver is a new kind of political superstar. One who actually knows what he's…
PUBLISHED: Nov. 17, 2012
LENGTH: 10 minutes (2568 words)

Biology and ideology: The anatomy of politics

OLIVER MUNDAY A popular political advertisement from early this summer begins with US President Barack Obama addressing a crowd of moon-eyed supporters. Suddenly, the screen goes dark to a crescendo…
PUBLISHED: Oct. 24, 2012
LENGTH: 9 minutes (2314 words)

Daniel Kahneman: How cognitive illusions blind us to reason

Many decades ago, I spent what seemed like a great deal of time under a scorching sun, watching groups of sweaty soldiers as they solved a problem. I was doing my national service in the…
PUBLISHED: Oct. 30, 2011
LENGTH: 12 minutes (3013 words)

America's serious crime rate is plunging, but why?

Police investigate a crime scene in Washington DC. Serious crime across America has fallen to a 48-year low. Photograph: Jean Louis Atlan/Sygma/Corbis On one of the…
PUBLISHED: Aug. 21, 2011
LENGTH: 6 minutes (1566 words)
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