The Marginalian
The Marginalian

Reads tagged with “science”

How a Dog Actually “Sees” the World Through Smell
How a Dog Actually “Sees” the World Through Smell

“The world of scents is at least as rich as the world of sight.”

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The Island of Knowledge: How to Live with Mystery in a Culture Obsessed with Certainty and Definitive Answers
The Island of Knowledge: How to Live with Mystery in a Culture Obsessed with Certainty and Definitive Answers

“We strive toward knowledge, always more knowledge, but must understand that we are, and will remain, surrounded by mystery.”

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The Paradox of Intellectual Promiscuity: Stephen Jay Gould on What Nabokov’s Butterfly Studies Reveal About the Unity of Creativity
The Paradox of Intellectual Promiscuity: Stephen Jay Gould on What Nabokov’s Butterfly Studies Reveal About the Unity of Creativity

“There is no science without fancy, and no art without facts.”

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Why Not to Put a Raincoat on Your Dog: A Cognitive Scientist Explains the Canine Umwelt
Why Not to Put a Raincoat on Your Dog: A Cognitive Scientist Explains the Canine Umwelt

“If we want to understand the life of any animal, we need to know what things are meaningful to it.”

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A Graphic Cosmogony: Artists Imagine How the Universe Was Born
A Graphic Cosmogony: Artists Imagine How the Universe Was Born

From the lyrical to the ludicrous, uncommon takes on how our world came to be.

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Bertrand Russell on Immortality, Why Religion Exists, and What “The Good Life” Really Means
Bertrand Russell on Immortality, Why Religion Exists, and What “The Good Life” Really Means

“There are forces making for happiness, and forces making for misery. We do not know which will prevail, but to act wisely we must be aware of both.”

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Astrophysicist Janna Levin on Free Will and Whether the Universe Is Infinite or Finite, in Letters to Her Mother
Astrophysicist Janna Levin on Free Will and Whether the Universe Is Infinite or Finite, in Letters to Her Mother

“The simpler the insight, the more profound the conclusion.”

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How Jane Goodall Turned Her Childhood Dream into Reality: A Sweet Illustrated Story of Purpose and Deep Determination
How Jane Goodall Turned Her Childhood Dream into Reality: A Sweet Illustrated Story of Purpose and Deep Determination

A heartening testament to the power of undivided intention.

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Why Bees Build Perfect Hexagons
Why Bees Build Perfect Hexagons

The space-economics of honey and wax.

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Parents Talk to Their Kids About How Babies Are Made
Parents Talk to Their Kids About How Babies Are Made

Impossibly charming revelations about the biological realities behind the birds and the bees.

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