Steven Johnson

The Brilliant Inventor Who Made Two of History's Biggest Mistakes

Thomas Midgley Jr. from Columbus invented both leaded gasoline and Freon. There may be no other single person in history who did as much damage to human health and the planet, all with the best of intentions.

When Dynamite Turned Terrorism Into an Everyday Threat

In early 20th-century America, political bombings became a constant menace — but then helped give rise to law enforcement as we know it.

Change Of Seasons

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A.I. Is Mastering Language. Should We Trust What It Says?

OpenAI’s GPT-3 and other neural nets can now write original prose with mind-boggling fluency — a development that could have profound implications for the future.

How Humanity Gave Itself an Extra Life

Between 1920 and 2020, the average human life span doubled. How did we do it? Science mattered — but so did activism.

The Human Brain Is a Time Traveler

Looking to the future has always defined humanity. Will A.I. become the best crystal ball of all?

Beyond the Bitcoin Bubble

Yes, it’s driven by greed — but the mania for cryptocurrency could wind up building something much more important than wealth.

Greetings, E.T. (Please Don’t Murder Us.)

A new initiative to beam messages into space may be our best shot yet at learning whether we’re alone in the universe. There’s just one problem: What if we’re not?

The Creative Apocalypse That Wasn't

In the digital economy, it was supposed to be impossible to make money by making art. Instead, creative careers are thriving — but in complicated and unexpected ways.

Why Inventors Misjudge How We’ll Abuse Their Creations

When it comes to tech and innovation, there's a flip side to farsightedness and a sense of clairvoyance: the blind spots that, in retrospect, seem glaringly obvious.

Own Your Own Words

Intellectuals can influence public debate by borrowing a few techniques from spammers and other online bottom-feeders.

TV Makes You Smarter

Steven Johnson article says that today's popular television programs have complexity that makes greater cognitive demands on viewers than shows had 30 years ago and that this phenomenon, which he calls Sleeper Curve, is enhancing mental development of young people, not retarding it, as television has often been accused of doing; says this applies not only to highbrow dramas like 24, The Sopranos and The West Wing, but also to reality shows like Joe Millionaire, Survivor and The Apprentice; drawings (L)