In the context of some recent reads on psychedelic drugs, Laura Miller looks at Michael Pollan’s new book, How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence. In it, Pollan says that drugs such as psilocybin and LSD got a bad rap after some […]
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Posted inNonfiction
Technology Is as Biased as Its Makers
From exploding Ford Pintos to racist algorithms, all harmful technologies are a product of unethical design. Yet, like car companies in the ’70s, today’s tech companies would rather blame the user.
Posted inBooks, Fiction, Profiles & Interviews, Story, Writing
‘I’ve Always Been Either Praised or Accused of Ambition’: An Interview with Barbara Kingsolver
Barbara Kingsolver takes a rigorous, scientific approach to her novels’ subjects — but, as a woman writer, her authority is often challenged.
Posted inNonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes, Science & Nature
The Myth of the Stanford Prison Experiment
Despite its unscientific methods, the Stanford Prison Experiment continues to influence the way we understand human behavior.
Posted inStory
‘If an Animal Talks, I’m Sold’: An Interview with Ann and Jeff Vandermeer
Ann and Jeff Vandermeer discuss talking animals, the weird/fantasy divide, and the ‘rate of fey’ as an organizing principle in their new anthology of classic fantasy.
Posted inNonfiction
The Curious Tale of the Salish Sea Feet
To date, 21 disembodied feet have washed up on the shores of Seattle’s Salish Sea. What at first looked like the work of a serial killer turned out to be something even more unsettling: A message from the ocean about who we are.
Posted inBooks, Essays & Criticism, History, Science & Nature, Story
The Weather and the Wall
Climate change and the border wall are more connected than you might think.
Posted inBooks, Highlight, Nonfiction, Quotes
Why Psilocybin and LSD Don’t Deserve Their Bad Rap
A survey of recent reads says that psychedelic drugs like psilocybin and LSD are not only enjoying a renaissance — they might actually be helpful to humans.
Posted inNonfiction
The Brazilian Healer and the Patron Saint of Impossible Causes
Leigh Hopkins faces the hidden truth about the world’s most famous spiritual surgeon and the irresistible desire to find ‘the cure.’
Posted inBusiness & Tech, Essays & Criticism, Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Story, Technology
We’re Not Ready for Mars
Elon Musk can’t wait to send humans to the Moon and Mars. But before we land ourselves on other worlds, we need to remember how we’ve treated our own.
