You Are a Receiver
Six world-renowned scientists explain the history of the universe and reflect on how this knowledge affects their perspective of the universe and our place in it.
The United States and Britain are two countries “divided by a common language”, George Bernard Shaw allegedly quipped. This statement, amusingly paradoxical on the face of it, might be more accurate than it seems. On “War of words: The language paradox explained”, evolutionary biologist Mark Pagel argues that languages proliferate to differentiate competing groups. If…
An unprecedented project that will attempt to unravel the ways our biological clocks tick is underway by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. No one really knows the details of how our body clocks work. But when the rhythms get messed up, the results can be horrendous. Accidents, loss of productivity, disease, including…
Quantum computers are still years away, but a trio of theorists has already figured out at least one talent they may have. According to the theorists, including one from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), physicists might one day use quantum computers to study the inner workings of the universe in ways that…
For linguists, Light Warlpiri provides a unique opportunity to study the creation of a new language — one that doesn’t fit the usual linguistic categories of “dialect,” “pidgin” or “creole.” But more generally, the recognition of a new language is a good reminder that language is a constantly evolving cultural creation. Like biological species, languages…
Just outside of Jerusalem, archaeologists have discovered a cache of vessels and figurines inside a 2,750-year-old temple that could provide a rare window into religious rituals of the period, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced. The finds were uncovered at Tel Motza, an archaeological site being excavated ahead of the expansion of Highway 1, the main…