# politics
Unless we tackle the cultural and mental health issues fueling populist train wrecks across the West, any political victory against them will only be temporary.
# longform
Science fiction imagines humans subservient to rows of servers humming in a data centers after losing a world war. In reality, the machines didn't have to fire a single shot…
# space
Neutron stars' thunder is usually stolen by black holes, but these bizarre objects living on the edge of physics create plenty of fascinating phenomena all on their own.
# tech
We're told that digital security is a cat and mouse game between computer geniuses, but the reality is a lot less impressive and sadder than we're led to believe.
# tech
Rather than connecting the world and fostering meaningful dialogue, social media is encouraging conspiracies, scams, dangerous hoaxes, and even genocide.
# space
Water usually means life. But could too much water snuff out life before it has a chance to evolve?
# tech
Social media is changing the world for the worse, which has some people wondering if it's time to start regulating it. But regulation could be a much worse cure than the disease.
# space
Today, nothing can replace terrestrial mining. But if make the necessary long-term investments, our reward will be nearly infinite cheap resources, and a cleaner, healthier Earth.
# space
Science fiction taught us that humanity's next destination in space should be Mars, but science disagrees.
# tech
Turns out artificial intelligence needs a nap every once in a while to stay accurate, and that may tell us something fundamental about our own minds.
# tech
China is aiming for AI supremacy to automate and export totalitarianism. This effort is bound to backfire, but not for the reason you may think.
# science
It looks like our future is fewer humans, not more. And while that may be good for our long-term survival, it means rethinking our economic and political systems.
# science
It's not just you. We're all nearing our wits' end this year, and that's going to make the pandemic and what comes after it worse.
# space
Astronauts get a very rare and unique perspective on our planet, one in which our world isn't just a steppingstone to the stars, but a fragile home to be protected.
# oddities
Older, conservative Americans have become engrossed in conspiracy theories and fear-mongering propaganda. Now, they're paying the price as their families start to cut ties.
