Aeon

The Golden Quarter

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The Origin of Laughter, Smiles and Tears

Why do laughter, smiles and tears look so similar? Perhaps because they all evolved from a single root

Poor Teeth

If you have a mouthful of teeth shaped by a childhood in poverty, don’t go knocking on the door of American privilege

Not Nothing

The death of a fly is utterly insignificant – or it’s a catastrophe. How much should we worry about what we squash?

Where Do Children’s Earliest Memories Go?

Our first three years are usually a blur and we don’t remember much before age seven. What are we hiding from ourselves?

Endless Love

We no longer expect passion to last a lifetime, but some couples do stay in love to the end. What’s their secret?

Cyborg Dreams

Gadgets are the first thing we touch in the morning and the last thing we stroke at night. Are we their slaves?

Creepypasta

With a flood of dark memes and viral horror stories, the internet is mapping the contours of modern fear

The Wait of the World

Ditching the leap second would mean decoupling clock time from the Earth’s rotation – from day and night itself

Die, Selfish Gene, Die

For decades, the selfish gene metaphor let us view evolution with new clarity. Is it now blinding us?

The Obesity Era

As the American people got fatter, so did marmosets, vervet monkeys and mice. The problem may be bigger than any of us

The Reality Show

Schizophrenics used to see demons and spirits. Now they talk about actors and hidden cameras – and make a lot of sense

The American Cloud

The cosy coastal world of pretend farmers’ markets bears no resemblance to the actual back end of America

The Science of Love

We each carry an intricate machinery of love, calibrating and attuning our moods and bodies to one another

Teenage Kicks

No wonder adolescents jump off cliffs and fall in crazy love – they are constantly stifled by school and society alike

The Vegan Carnivore?

It’s made in a lab, no factory farms and no killing, but it’s still meat. Looks like we’ll need a whole new food ethics

The Attention Economy

Omens

Does Life Have a Purpose?

The End of Night