The Power of Language
At the pediatrician’s clinic, a nurse told Viorica Marian, who is a native speaker of Romanian, to use only English with her American-born daughter. Speaking another language would “confuse” the child and hurt her long-term,…
Science at Sundance 2023
Illustration by Islenia Mil for Science This year I had a chance two science-related films screened at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah -- two vastly different films, but both struck a chord. Poacher A…
The Darkness Manifesto
In the twilight, bats, which nest in the old church of Suntak in Sweden, fly around, hunting for insects. The twelfth century church’s façade is not lit up at night. So, as in the…
Agrippina -- sculpture from the British Museum
On The Scent
Early in the pandemic, which began in March 2020, London-based reporter Paolo Totaro, abruptly lost her sense of smell. With that, food too turned unappetizing – her favorite dark chocolate tasted like “unscented soap.” Trapped…
Lindy Elkins-Tanton Principal Investigator of the Psyche mission Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Journey of An Anti Hero
In the summer of 2022, a spacecraft will begin its 3.4-year journey towards Psyche, a huge metal-rich asteroid located between Mars and Jupiter. Most other asteroids – and there are around 1,500,000 of them…
Kendall Square and the Making of a Global Innovation Hub
If your travels take you to Boston, do take the T – the first subway system in the United States, built in 1897 – to get around town. Get down at the Kendall/MIT station…