Kara Miller
The idea of turning a knob to change a channel has gone the way of the dinosaurs. But today’s point-and-click comfort didn’t arrive overnight. We can thank Eugene Polley and his enormous Flash-Matic for getting the ball rolling in 1955. Read More...
Do we know our bodies’ true value? Northeastern's Kara Swanson says the massive gap between organ supply and demand makes it much higher than we might think. Read More...
We’ve all heard the age old complaint: hundreds of shows, but nothing to watch. Author and Professor of Media Jason Mittell explains why that disgruntled channel-flipping is becoming a thing of the past — and how today's television just keeps getting better. Read More...
If you think today’s travelers have reached the last frontier, think again. Arizona State Planetary Scientist Jim Bell explains how space startups will launch us into a new age of exploration. Read More...
1. After ATMs popped up on every street corner, the number of bank tellers actually increased. Author and economist James Bessen explains how technology changes the workforce - and why you shouldn’t be too worried about a robot stealing the corner office.
2. Certain types of stress actually increase your creativity. Teresa Amabile, professor at Harvard Business School, explains why pressure can be a good thing, and says that we can all learn something from the Apollo 13 missions.
3. Studies suggesting that beta-carotene prevents cancer were disproven in the 70s, yet the claim is still cited today. Stanford’s John Ioannidis gives us a peek into the crisis in scientific literature.
Fitness apps are all the rage. An explosion of new companies and products want to track your steps and count your calories with the aim of melting that excess blubber. There’s just one problem — most of these apps don’t work. In fact, there is good reason to believe they make us fatter. Read More...
Traffic isn't just bad for our moods — it's also hurting the planet. Daniel Gross delves into the underlying engineering behind traffic jams, and how cleaning them up will also reduce emissions. Read More...
A lax dress code; an open office; awesome cafeteria food. What can companies do to truly foster creativity among their workers? Harvard’s Teresa Amabile has done a landmark study to figure it out, and she’s uncovered some counterintuitive results. Read More...
1. It's Einstein's fault that you need your phone to know where the heck you are. At least, indirectly — GPS would never have been invented without the theory of relativity, explains Hiawatha Bray of the Boston Globe.
2. The quintessential genius of the 20th century had trouble getting a job teaching high school. Before he reached fame and success, Albert Einstein faced a whole lot of failure, according to biographer Walter Isaacson.
3. IQ tests have been used to support the case for eugenics, and to justify thousands of sterilizations. Clinical psychologist Elaine Castles tells the history of how we measure intelligence — and why it's not all it's cracked up to be.
We might put Albert Einstein up on a pedestal as the quintessential genius. But author David Shenk and psychologist Elaine Castles argue that the way we've defined intelligence is all wrong. Read More...
