Many of history's greatest scientists, from Newton to Maxwell to Einstein, have devoted significant study to the behavior of light, and, as a result, most physicists thought there was little left to say on the subject. But in April 2016, Paul Eastham, a physicist at Trinity College in Dublin, published a new paper proving that a fundamental assumption scientists had made about light was wrong.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
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When blogger Jenny Lawson recently tweeted about an awkward exchange she had with a cashier at an airport, she couldn't have imagined the flood of responses she'd get from fans recounting their own mortifying moments. The tweet went viral and within a few days she'd received thousands of messages from fans recounting their own awkward stories. The whole affair was proof of something Jenny had long suspected -- that awkwardness can help bring people together.
Rupert Sheldrake may be the most famous scientific heretic in the modern world. On the 50th anniversary of Thomas Kuhn’s landmark book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions,” Sheldrake does his own paradigm busting. In this UNCUT interview, he tells Steve why he believes scientific dogmas are preventing real intellectual inquiry.
Novelist and journalist William Vollmann has written a seven volume study of the moral calculus of violence. Vollmann talks with Steve Paulson about when violence is justified and when it isn’t.
Scientists are combing the universe for signs of exoplanets -- planets that orbit a star other than our sun. They're finding them in record numbers. Most believe it's only a matter of time before they find an exoplanet that can -- and perhaps does -- suppport life. Sara Seager is a planetary scientist at M.I.T. and one of the pioneers of the field.
Warren MacDonald lost both of his legs in a climbing accident. But the lure of the back country was so strong that he learned to climb again using prosthetics.
Jessica Hopper is a rock critic with a secret. She hates music festivals. After more than a decade covering Lollapalooza, Bonaroo and all the rest, she finally called it quits.
Terry Tempest Williams adores Thoreau. She says his passion for social justice and his love of nature are intimately connected.
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