You probably don’t need a dictionary to define the word “human.”  This concept is (theoretically) a simple catch-all for all human beings, regardless of characteristics like age, race, or gender. In many applications—such as concerning “human rights”—it is important that this concept include everyone. In... click to read more

People with different political beliefs are often said to ‘see’ different realities. For example, in the United States, conservatives and liberals are sharply divided about the threat of COVID-19 and the extent to which the pandemic is under control. Why are there such stark differences... click to read more

For at least 10,000 years, approximately 90% of humans have preferred using the right hand over the left. The question of why about one in ten people are left-handed has fascinated scientists for centuries, but no clear answer has yet emerged. We already knew that genetic... click to read more

Few traits are as uniquely human as complex spoken language. Language, therefore, has interested evolutionary biologists and neuroscientists seeking to understand what makes us, and in particular our brains, distinct from other animals. The first major genetic break in deciphering the underlying biological architecture of... click to read more

The bowhead whale is above all, a whale of superlatives. It is the only large whale to live year-round in the Arctic, its "bowed head" allows it to push up through half a meter of ice, it can live up to 200 years and it... click to read more