Reading

A new look at the cluster offers evidence of a dramatic space crash

The post Celebrate the New Year With This Cosmic Champagne Cluster appeared first on Nautilus.

Our most-read article of 2025.

(Originally published Juily 17, 2025.)

“In recent months, a curious fixation has emerged in corners of academia: the em dash. More specifically, the apparent moral panic around how it is spaced. A dash with no spaces on either side? That must be AI-generated writing. Case closed.”
— Joseph Mellors, Inside Higher Ed

As I mentioned recently, I’m leaving my job at Open Earth Foundation to focus full time on the Social Web at SWF. One of the steps that I took before I left was writing out LinkedIn recommendations for everyone in my tech department at OEF, and many of my peers and others in the organisation. … Continue reading Writing Recommendations Early →

Before alleging fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community, right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley built a following with anti-immigrant clips.

The post Right-Wing YouTuber Behind Viral Minnesota Fraud Video Has Long Anti-Immigrant History appeared first on The Intercept.

Are Israel and the Trump admin planning to revive the dystopian Gaza Humanitarian Foundation scheme that spawned famine and death under cover of humanitarian aid? In its bid to continue the genocide in Gaza, Israel has banned 37 international aid organizations from entering the decimated, militarily occupied coastal enclave. This leaves only five humanitarian groups still able to operate inside Gaza. At the same time, one of the US mercenary firms responsible for securing the notorious Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites which were […]

The post As Israel bans aid orgs in Gaza, notorious mercenary firm seeks “Targeter” first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post As Israel bans aid orgs in Gaza, notorious mercenary firm seeks “Targeter” appeared first on The Grayzone.

Let’s keep this brief. In 2025 the US: Gave up trying to win the Ukraine war; Turned NATO from a vassal protection scheme into a vassal looting scheme; Slashed scientific spending massively; Lost a trade war to China; Doubled down on the AI Bubble, in a race it will lose; Was humiliated by China’s rare-Earth […]

At the juncture of Roy Bhaskar’s refounding of critical realism philosophy of science, postmodernism had spread like a virus across academia with its seductive attack on grand theories or “metanarratives.” Neoliberal policies took advantage of the subsequently lowered intellectual immune systems and “identity politics” squabbling to impose its anti-working class “meta” economic model upon global […]

Our 2nd most-read article of 2025.

It’s so easy to label people these days. From the way folks have been talking, you’d think everyone falls into two buckets: those who voted against the mayor who promised to blow up the city and those who voted for the mayor who promised to blow up the city. And now that the mayor, whom I voted for, is blowing up the city, as he promised, I’m one of many people who are being unfairly blamed for something I didn’t want. Okay? I didn’t want the mayor to blow up the city like he mentioned many times; I just wanted him to fix the old bowling alley like he promised in passing once. Anyone saying I’m partially responsible for the explosions is just a sign that they have no argument.

Erin Doherty (The Crown, Adolescence, A Thousand Blows) addressed the rumors that she's being considered for the next Doctor on Doctor Who.

. Schwarzfahrer — a razor-sharp, timeless, and unforgettable 12-minute masterpiece. Great storytelling doesn’t need length, just depth.

This was the year that was not the year This was the year that was not the year I repaired the bathroom tap and emptied out the kitchen drawer of a lifetime’s worth of crap.  This was the year that was not the yearin which I launched a new career. A West End hit eluded me as did Time Person…

In the early hours of 29 January 1996, three peace activists cut through the perimeter fence of the Warton Aerodrome of British Aerospace (now bae Systems) in North West England. They proceeded to gain access to military hangar 358, and meticulously damaged the radar and targeting systems, cockpit, nose cone, and metal panels on a […]

As the year comes to an end, this is a opportune moment to celebrate some of the most notable books in Economic Sociology and Political Economy. The following studies are distinguished by their empirical originality and theoretical significance, and stand out as meticulously researched, intellectually thought-provoking, and beautifully written works.The Society for the Advancement of […]

Visual evidence of our planet’s curvature is relatively recent

The post The Photos That Shaped Our Understanding of Earth’s Shape appeared first on Nautilus.

A burned-out parent is a less emotionally real parent

The post The Emotional Cost of Parental Burnout appeared first on Nautilus.

In January 2026, I will begin working full time in my role as Director at the Social Web Foundation. I am looking forward to the challenge of growing this young non-profit and fulfilling our mission to make a bigger, better Fediverse. As a refresher: I have been working in the area of federated social networks … Continue reading Working full time on the Social Web →

Doctor Who Showrunner Russell T. Davies will be making a special appearance during the upcoming season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK vs The World.

These feathery gas detectors became beloved pets in the dark depths

The post When Canaries Actually Worked in Coal Mines appeared first on Nautilus.

It has a surprising cerebral signature

The post Here’s What’s Happening in the Brain When You’re Improvising appeared first on Nautilus.

Our 3rd most-read article of 2025.

Originally published May 9, 2025.

Julie Owens, who bravely tugged on a tankini in mid-January in order to chaperone her twins to an indoor water park. After nearly swallowing a wet Band-Aid in the wave pool, Owens—in a show of tremendous valor—merely dry heaved thrice.

Hannah Robertson, who not only took her eleven-year-old to Sephora but also bought the pubescent child a sixty-five-dollar jade roller and a twenty-five-dollar toner, all without once rolling her eyes or mentioning the patriarchy.

The December 24 drone strike in Venezuela is the latest in a long tradition of CIA interventions in Latin America — which often lead to destabilization and blowback.

The post CIA Was Behind Venezuela Drone Strike, Source Says appeared first on The Intercept.

Engineers had been trying to solve this problem for 40 years

The post This Robot is Tinier than a Grain of Salt appeared first on Nautilus.