Essay Hanoch Gutfreund on Einstein and the revelation of relativity March 12, 2020 Hanoch Gutfreund is professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he is also the academic director of the Albert Einstein Archives. This is the story about how Einstein鈥檚 General Theory of Relativity revolutionized his teaching, understanding, and career. Read More
Essay Katherine Freese on how relativity rejuvenated her career March 10, 2020 Katherine Freese is director of Nordita, the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics, in Stockholm, and author of The Cosmic Cocktail, which tells of the epic quest to solve one of the most compelling enigmas of modern science鈥攚hat is the universe made of? This is the story of how one of today鈥檚 foremost pioneers in the study of dark matter came back from the brink of burnout because of Relativity. Read More
Essay For the beauty of invisibility January 06, 2020 Human beings are naturally visual creatures. Our eyes, capable of counting single photons, have been optimized over evolutionary time to the very limits of the laws of physics. Read More
Interview Naomi Oreskes on Why Trust Science? November 13, 2019 Do doctors really know what they are talking about when they tell us vaccines are safe? Should we take climate experts at their word when they warn us about the perils of global warming? Why should we trust science when our own politicians don't? Read More
Interview Susan Mattern on The Slow Moon Climbs October 01, 2019 Are the ways we look at menopause all wrong? Historian Susan Mattern says yes, and聽The Slow Moon Climbs聽reveals just how wrong we have been. Read More
Essay Getting outside when day turns to night May 29, 2019 What鈥檚 the best way to commemorate a historic scientific experiment? Centenaries are popular, and one of the biggest is upcoming, the centenary of the 1919 eclipse observations that confirmed Einstein鈥檚 theory of general relativity. Read More
Interview Daniel Kennefick on No Shadow of a Doubt May 01, 2019 In 1919, British scientists led extraordinary expeditions to Brazil and Africa to test Albert Einstein鈥檚 revolutionary new theory of general relativity in what became the century鈥檚 most celebrated scientific experiment. The result ushered in a new era and made Einstein a global celebrity by confirming his dramatic prediction that the path of light rays would be bent by gravity. Read More
Interview William R. Newman on Newton the Alchemist November 07, 2018 When Isaac Newton鈥檚 alchemical papers surfaced at a Sotheby鈥檚 auction in 1936, the quantity and seeming incoherence of the manuscripts were shocking. Read More
Interview Theodore Porter on Genetics in the Madhouse February 13, 2018 In the early 1800s, a century before there was any concept of the gene, physicians in insane asylums began to record causes of madness in their admission books. Read More
