ChatGPT and the movie ‘Her’ are just the latest example of the ‘sci‑fi feedback loop’
Science fiction and technological innovation feed off each other in an ongoing back-and-forth that can play out over decades.
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H.G. Wells vs. George Orwell: Their debate whether science is humanity’s best hope continues today
There’s no shortage of problems facing humanity. Science’s role in how to tackle them has long been debated – including memorably by two of the 20th century’s greatest literary figures.
Even before Hiroshima, people knew the atomic bomb
News of the Hiroshima bombing spread quickly to the US public but, thanks to science fiction writers, atomic bombs were discussed more before the war began than during it.
What the ‘Lyme wars’ can teach us about COVID‑19 and how to find common ground in the school reopening debate
Lyme’s controversy offers four lessons on how parents, school districts, elected officials and scientists can find a path forward in the 2021-2022 school year.
The Iraq War has cost the US nearly $2 trillion
The Pentagon has spent more than $800 billion on military operations in Iraq. But that doesn’t include money needed to care for veterans, rebuild the country or pay interest on war debt.
Understanding paranormal beliefs and conspiracy theories isn’t just about misinformation – this course unpacks the history
Though paranormal theories are at odds with modern science, adherents have often tried to prove their beliefs with sciencelike methods.
A brief history of the US‑Israel ‘special relationship’ shows how connections have shifted since long before the 1948 founding of the Jewish state
A historian of the Middle East examines the decades-old ‘special relationship’ between Israel and the US.
Florence Nightingale overcame the limits set on proper Victorian women – and brought modern science and statistics to nursing
Among her 5 decades of accomplishments, Nightingale founded the world’s first nursing school and advocated health care for all.
Guardians of the Galaxy and the fall of the classic hero
A beautiful assassin. A superstrong thug. A star-lost child of the ‘80s. A sentient tree. A gun-toting raccoon. Meet the morally gray protagonists of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, the film that raked…
Marie Curie and her X‑ray vehicles’ contribution to World War I battlefield medicine
During World War I, Marie Curie left her lab behind, inventing a mobile X-ray unit that could travel to the battlefront and training 150 women to operate these ‘Little Curies.’