Surprising Science — April 10, 2014

Meet the Friendliest “Neighborhoods” Beyond Earth

As Stephen Hawking warned, we better move from Earth or face extinction. Where should we go shopping? Hank Green, the host of the SciShow, acts as our real-estate agent of the cosmos as he helps us tour the friendliest “neighborhoods” beyond Earth. Renovations required. So bring your 3D house printer!

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

▸

7 min

—

with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Surprising Science

Why Do Cats Knead?

Wild adult cats don’t knead, but tamed (spoiled) adult house cats love to dig into an owner’s skin. The painful activity is often referred to as “making biscuits,” likely because […]