Unscrambling the Second Law of Thermodynamics
All these specific conditions (loud volume, correct support, a vowel that works) must be met in order to sing a high note.
Brendon Brewer
· 15 min read
Gossip Is a Social Skill—Not a Character Flaw
Gossip can actually be thought of not as a character flaw, but as a highly evolved social skill.
Frank T McAndrew
· 6 min read
Springtime for Demagogues
The problem isn’t that that is completely unwarranted, it might be, it might not be. The problem is that shielding us from the truth is utterly counter-productive.
David Paxton
· 10 min read
Heritability and why Parents (but not Parenting) Matter
Non-additive effects don’t breed true with the same degree of fidelity—in fact these effects bust up the clean transmission of traits from parents to children (to use a sports analogy, it’s a bit like a cornerback in football deflecting the quarterback’s perfect spiral aimed at the receiver).
Brian Boutwell, Razib Khan
· 13 min read
Business Journals Vow to Publish Studies That Prove Nothing
It will be important to see how many researchers and journals indeed opt to publish null-findings, and whether and how that affects their impact factor and ranking over time.
Ramon Wenzel
· 5 min read
Original Sin: The Sexual Motivation of Religious Extremists
This misguided reticence is a product of archaic cultural mores that make sex a thing of shame for women, but one of pride for men.
Janet L Factor
· 15 min read
The Kids Are All Right
Humans, like all organisms, are the product of evolution. And what evolution ‘cares’ about is genetic propagation: how many genes are passed from one generation to the next.
Bo Winegard and Ben Winegard
· 22 min read
Herd Mentality
Herd mentality – in all its forms, both ancient and modern – is probably the thing that frightens me most in the world.
Emma C Williams
· 5 min read
History and Memory in Syria
Sometimes it is better to write from an unconventional perspective; sometimes what is missing from the equation is a greater sense of historical understanding.
James Snell
· 5 min read
How to Find a Parenting Effect
Practically no one these days will fight you on the idea that genes and environments interact (GxE), and it is in these interactions, perhaps, that we can discover if parenting truly does impact children.
Brian Boutwell
· 17 min read
Schools proposing to audit pupils' characters should mind their own business
In education, where my own experience lies, a depressingly corporate tone is now the norm.
Emma C Williams
· 5 min read
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Dismiss Radical Feminism
Don’t throw the word ‘misogyny’ at every man with an obtuse opinion. Do so, and you will denude the word of all its meaning and all its power.
Timothy Cootes
· 8 min read
Why distance running is the perfect lab for studying sex differences in competitiveness
What are the psychological differences between women and men? What causes these differences, and are they shrinking over time? The dominant view – held by most scholars and policymakers – is that sex differences are slight and can be rather easily altered. Whether this view is true or not has implications for
Robert Deaner
· 7 min read
The Shame and the Disgrace of the Pro-Islamist Left
The dismal spectacle of radical queer activists, feminists, and sundry other progressives professing solidarity with Islamists is at once fascinating and enraging.
Jamie Palmer
· 7 min read
How a Rebellious Scientist Uncovered the Surprising Truth About Stereotypes
Studying the accuracy of stereotypes is risky business. For many, investigation into stereotypes is tantamount to endorsing bigotry.
Claire Lehmann
· 11 min read