This post was originally published in “Download the Universe,” a multi-author blog about science ebooks edited by Carl Zimmer.

The Demise of Guys: Why Boys Are Struggling and What We Can Do About It. By Philip Zimbardo and Nikita Duncan. Published by TED Books.

Reviewed by Carl Zimmer

June 1, 2012

Continue reading “I Point To TED Talks and I Point to Kim Kardashian. That Is All.”

National Geographic, May 31, 2012

Link

The hand is where the mind meets the world. We humans use our hands to build fires and sew quilts, to steer airplanes, to write, dig, remove tumors, pull a rabbit out of a hat. The human brain, with its open-ended creativity, may be the thing that makes our species unique. But without hands, all the grand ideas we concoct would come to nothing but a very long to-do list.

The reason we can use our hands for so many things is their extraordinary anatomy. Underneath the skin, hands are an exquisite integration of tissues.

Continue reading “The Common Hand”

It’s hard to believe that the World Science Festival is now in its fifth year. What started out feeling like an experiment is now a New York institution. I’m looking forward to participating yet again, and hope you’ll be able to join me.

On Friday I’ll be moderating an event called “Illuminating Resilience.” Four experts will discuss how people withstand life’s hardest shocks, and manage to bounce back.

Continue reading “World Science Festival: Resilience and Books This Weekend”