Building a scholarly community

Lab-created ‘SpudCell’ marks ‘stunning’ step toward building life from scratch

Lerna Ekmekcioglu named head of MIT's History Section

Scott Alexander on Parenthood

Pete Buttigieg’s Ordeal Is a Frightening New Form of Political Harassment

Where Kant and Rousseau theorized, George Forster sailed the world to learn what makes humans human

When The Machines Deserve Our Consideration

Three Essentials of a More Equal World Order

Here’s How Mosquitoes Survive the Deadly Viruses They Transmit

Synthetic Cells to Sell Synthetic Biology

Andrew Haigh Believes In Love

Open Thread

Inaugural Music Technology Research Showcase celebrates work of new graduate program’s initial students

Open Thread

The Fiscally Conservative Revolution

I’ll Tell You How The Sun Sets

Oscar Wilde foresaw machines freeing humanity for beauty and leisure. Greed has other plans

What Do You Do When You Lose Gigantic Megalodon Shark Vertebrae?

A National House in Disorder

Today in Supreme Court History: June 30, 2014

Eric Hobsbawm made the 20th century intelligible. But he never could fully explain his own communism