Society

A collage featuring the text "Forgotten Hardships," with images of distressed people, a graph with a declining trend, and various historical imagery in red and black tones.
Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
9 minutes of cruel history may cure the anti-progress delusion.
Jason Crawford
Global Development
A new vision for the advancement of humanity
The world needs a moral defense of progress based in humanism and agency.
Jason Crawford
A person holds up a cardboard sign with the message "psychedelics are not a crime" in a crowded room.
Drugs
Psychedelic drugs and the law: What’s next?
The push to legalize magic mushrooms, MDMA, LSD, and other hallucinogens is likely to heighten tensions between state and federal law.
Ben Seal | Knowable Magazine
An illustration of a dollar bill with a smiley face.
Mental Health
Why is the value of money for happiness increasing?
Jean Twenge
A piece of wood with words written on it.
AI
Vesuvius Challenge: Can AI decipher these mysterious ancient scrolls?
Tim Brinkhof
An aerial view of a sailboat peacefully sailing on a body of water, providing solitude and tranquility for individuals seeking mental health.
Mental Health
Solitude, without loneliness, can have mental health benefits
Thuy-vy Nguyen | Aeon
An MRI image of a brain highlighting productivity.
Employment
The centipede’s dilemma: Why overthinking is killing productivity
Jonny Thomson
A black and white drawing of two women, possibly twins, on a white background.
Healthcare
“The twin boom”: why twinning is on the rise
Jonny Thomson
A photo of albert einstein and a photo of his desk.
Psychology
An enormous study links intelligence and personality in surprising ways
Elizabeth Gilbert
Colorful smiley face stickers for iPhone 11 to capture attention.
Psychology
An ancient technique can improve your attention span
Kevin Dickinson
A woman working on a laptop during different life stages.
Aging
Life’s stages are changing – we need new terms and new ideas to describe them
Jeffrey Arnett
Psychology
What lies beneath our irrational decisions
Peter Dizikes | MIT News Office
Three moss-covered skulls evoke a strong fear of death against a somber black backdrop.
Death
Almost everyone fears death — but not in the same ways
Ross Pomeroy