Aeon

“Imaginary friends, it is thought, are part of the same family — they help children to find a sense of themselves, and accompany them through crucial years of development and adjustment as they become their own individual beings, separate from their mother. They are by definition temporary: there to serve a purpose, and then discarded.”

“Why is English spelling so weird and unpredictable? Don’t blame the mix of languages; look to quirks of timing and technology.”

“Curious about aspects of the world that most adults take for granted, children demonstrate a seemingly instinctive capacity to ponder the most basic elements of life and society.”

“Whether collecting, storing or hoarding, we’ve always had our issues with stuff – not least deciding what’s worth having.”

An operation to remove a brain cyst changed Matthew’s identity.

“Americans have always had issues raising their children as citizens instead of tiny, mighty monarchs.”

“Even the Anthropocene is nature at work transforming itself.”

Is losing weight a matter of psychology, not physiology?

“You gave us more life, but you didn’t attend to the issues that make life worth living.” Are survivors of life-threatening illness suffering from a form of PTSD?

A chimpanzee called Clint instigated a significant line of research into how chimpanzees use gestures to manipulate people.