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March 21, 2025
In a new book, author John Green traces how tuberculosis has impacted culture, geography, and even fashion over the centuries. Plus, certain words are overrepresented in text written by AI language models. A study investigates why models trained on conventional writing develop such preferences. And, when dwarf lemurs hibernate, their chromosomes do something odd.
Could A Lack Of Empathy Explain Cruelty?
Simon Baron-Cohen explains the consequences of decreased empathy.
Technology’s Odd Couple Teams Up For Science
Musician will.i.am and inventor Dean Kamen are working together to get kids interested in robotics.
Creating Reservoirs Under Roads and Parking Lots
Porous pavement allows water to pass down to the water table, rather than run off into storm drains.
The Origin Of The Word ‘Robot’
‘Robot’ was the brainchild of the Czech playwright Karel Čapek, who introduced it in a 1920 play.
Connecting Science and Art
Cormac McCarthy, Werner Herzog, and Lawrence Krauss discuss science as inspiration for art.
Can Dogs Smell Cancer?
A new study says a dog did better than conventional tests in identifying patients with cancer.
Oliver Sacks and ‘The Mind’s Eye’
Neurologist Oliver Sacks talks with Ira about vision, the brain, and how the two can work together—or can work against each other.
Dean Kamen
He’s invented everything from an insulin pump to the Segway Transporter. He started the FIRST Robotics competitions for students. And now, he has his own television show.
The Once and Future Car
This week, news emerged of a self-driving car being researched by Google. We’ll look back at other ‘cars of the future’ and what happened—or didn’t happen—to them.