The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads tagged with “science”

Rethinking the Placebo Effect: How Our Minds Actually Affect Our Bodies
Rethinking the Placebo Effect: How Our Minds Actually Affect Our Bodies

The startling physiological effects of loneliness, optimism, and meditation.

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Leonardo da Vinci’s Life and Legacy, in a Vintage Pop-Up Book
Leonardo da Vinci’s Life and Legacy, in a Vintage Pop-Up Book

The legacy of the great artist, inventor, and scientist in illustrated “interactive” paper engineering that would’ve made Leonardo himself nod with delight.

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Animal Madness: How Deciphering Mental Illness in Our Fellow Beings Helps Us Become Better Versions of Ourselves
Animal Madness: How Deciphering Mental Illness in Our Fellow Beings Helps Us Become Better Versions of Ourselves

“To selflessly love another creature is to be open to loving other humans, who are animals as much as pandas, cows, or Shih Tzus.”

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Astronomy and the Art of Verse: How Galileo Influenced Shakespeare
Astronomy and the Art of Verse: How Galileo Influenced Shakespeare

A stanzaic vision for Jupiter’s moons and Saturn’s rings.

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Alan Lightman on Immortality and Our Touching Longing for Permanence in a Universe of Constant Change
Alan Lightman on Immortality and Our Touching Longing for Permanence in a Universe of Constant Change

A heartening perspective on mortality by way of the physics of the cosmos and the poetics of the night-blooming cereus cactus.

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A Brief History of Glass and How It Planted the Seed for the Innovation Gap Between the East and West
A Brief History of Glass and How It Planted the Seed for the Innovation Gap Between the East and West

“The material world is not just a display of our technology and culture, it is part of us. We invented it, we made it, and in turn it makes us who we are.”

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The Poetic Species: Legendary Sociobiologist E.O. Wilson in Conversation with Poet Laureate Robert Hass on Science and Poetry
The Poetic Species: Legendary Sociobiologist E.O. Wilson in Conversation with Poet Laureate Robert Hass on Science and Poetry

“The social drive shaped the uses of imagination. It made it possible for humans to share their invisible inner worlds with each other.”

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Amusingly Cryptic Warning Signs from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Autotuned
Amusingly Cryptic Warning Signs from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Autotuned

A serendipitous adventure in science communication.

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A Brief History of the Toilet
A Brief History of the Toilet

How the most appropriately named inventor in history saved humanity from a centuries-long crisis.

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Artist Matt Freedman’s Courageous Visual Diary of Cancer
Artist Matt Freedman’s Courageous Visual Diary of Cancer

A graphic chronicle emanating honesty and humor — our two greatest weapons in the face of helplessness.

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