Our picks of the week from around the web include the end of food as we know it, the quest for immortality, and the legal realities of the TV show Orphan Black.
Steven Pinker’s History of Thought
Colleen Walsh | Harvard Gazette | May 6, 2014
An interesting and often delightful interview with the scientist Steven Pinker. On the growth of psychology: “Cognitive science, which links psychology to linguistics, theoretical computer science, and philosophy of mind, has helped explain intelligence in terms of information, computation, and feedback. This interaction has made psychology more intellectually satisfying. It’s no longer just one phenomenon after another.”
Darwin’s Unexploded Bomb
Ed West | Spectator | 6 May 2014
Human evolution has been "recent, abundant, and regional," with groups diverging significantly from one another over the past 50,000 years, and especially in the last 10,000 years. Late 20th-century science often viewed race as a cultural concept without biological basis. However, as we learn more about genetics, we might discover that races and civilizations differ not only by culture but also by genes.
Objects of Desire
Philip Ball | Homunculus | 5 May 2014
Why were old scientific instruments so beautiful, while modern ones are just functional? Partly because the most beautiful old instruments are the ones that were preserved. They were crafted by skilled artisans who added their own artistic touch. These instruments were used for demonstrations to noble patrons, so they needed to look impressive. "Elegance was a key attribute of the courtly natural philosopher."
The End of Food
Lizzie Widdicombe | New Yorker | 5 May 2014
Bay Area tech enthusiasts have created a food substitute called Soylent. It contains 35 blended nutrients to keep your body fully fueled for $50 a month, allowing you to treat traditional food as an occasional treat. The target market is "cubicle workers craving efficiency." Soylent has the texture of sludge, the feel of pancake mix, and just enough flavoring to cover the taste of raw vitamins. Note: "In the first week, you might experience some gas."
Thoroughbreds are running as fast as they can
Roger Pielke | FiveThirtyEight | 3 May 2014
Human runners keep breaking speed records, but racehorses seem to have reached their peak. The Kentucky Derby has been won in about two minutes and two seconds every year since 1949. Secretariat's 1973 record might never be broken. Why? It could be because American racehorses come from a very small and unchanging gene pool; 95% of them descend from a single 18th-century horse. Is there a case for genetic engineering?
So you want to live forever
Charlotte Allen | Weekly Standard | 2 May 2014
Exploring the modern pursuit of immortality with the help of genetics and computing. Aubrey de Grey, described as "an extremely spry Methuselah," believes today's children could live to 1,000 if they take proper care of their bodies. Ray Kurzweil predicts a future where humans and robots merge, and until then, he takes 250 pills a day. Although we haven't eliminated death, efforts to significantly delay it are enhancing our understanding of aging and disease.