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Why Many of Us Have Problems Facing Death—and How to Get Through It
Responding to a population seeking practical knowledge and tools, the death literacy movement is filling a much-needed void by offering clarity, comfort, and confidence. Public domain image By Caren Martineau and Sarah Parker Ward Note by Caren Martineau: Having explored the implications of America’s aging demographic in my introductory article , I wanted to follow up with a piece that continues to provide information, clarity, and encouragement in support of personal and cul

The Left Chapter
Nov 2313 min read


The Super Predator: How Humans Became the Animal Kingdom’s Most Feared Hunters
Humanity’s evolution into a super predator has reshaped ecosystems and instilled a primal fear in much of the animal kingdom. Representational image - public domain By John Divinagracia Hunting is considered critical to human evolution by many researchers who believe that several characteristics that distinguish humans from our closest living relatives, the apes, may have partly resulted from our adaptation to hunting, including our large brain size. Over time, however, the

The Left Chapter
Nov 126 min read


How to Build a Closer Connection With the Living World Around You
Simple daily practices can help us slow down, notice, and build empathy with the more-than-human world—fostering both personal well-being and planetary care. Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) in Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn NY USA -- Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Bridget A. Lyons One morning, I was walking in a friend’s yard in Idaho and saw a monarch butterfly. I stopped to watch him flutter above a purple coneflower—one of his favorite sourc

The Left Chapter
Oct 188 min read


How Technology Shapes How We Move, Speak, and Think
From hands to feet, voice to vision, our digital tools extend, transform, and sometimes erase the human body. By Vanessa Chang The influential computer scientist Mark Weiser once wrote that “a good tool is an invisible tool. By invisible, I mean that the tool does not intrude on your consciousness; you focus on the task, not the tool.” By this definition, many of our digital tools seem to have succeeded completely; they liberate our bodies by becoming invisible to users. By c

The Left Chapter
Oct 1510 min read


Between Life and Death: What Near-Death Experiences Reveal About Consciousness
Near-death experiences blend science, spirituality, and the unknown, raising profound questions about what it means to be alive, what it...

The Left Chapter
Oct 115 min read


Reviving the Serengeti: How Maasai Women’s Dairy Initiatives Protect Wildlife and Communities
Facing habitat loss, climate change, and shifting livelihoods, Maasai women are leading a transformative program that links sustainable...

The Left Chapter
Sep 227 min read


When We Restore Forests, We Also Preserve Bird Habitats
Lands vital for climate resilience and the forestry industry are also critical habitats for declining bird species, offering a rare...

The Left Chapter
Sep 1110 min read


The Frontier Research of Michael Levin’s Biology Lab
Michael Levin delivering the Tufts University Parents and Family Weekend Keynote Address in October, 2019 -- image via video screenshot...

The Left Chapter
Jul 911 min read


Ventilation Shutdown Is One of the Cruelest Ways to Kill Animals
The least humane way of culling poultry and pigs has become increasingly common. Image via Otwarte Klatki, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia...

The Left Chapter
Jul 86 min read


How Academics Are Pushing Back on the For-Profit Academic Publishing Industry
These scholars are fighting the rampant exploitation and high article processing charges in traditional academic publishing. TIB/C....

The Left Chapter
Jun 244 min read


How Much of the Past Should We Bring Back to Life?
Mammuthus primigenius -- Smithsonian Institution, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons By Brenna R. Hassett There is an incredible amount of...

The Left Chapter
Jun 214 min read


How the Rights of Nature Movement Is Reshaping Law and Culture
From the sacred peaks of Aotearoa to the rivers of Colombia and the contested waters of Lake Erie, a global movement is emerging to grant...

The Left Chapter
Jun 18 min read


How to Help Wild Birds During Their Spring and Fall Migrations
Human-related causes leave birds susceptible to injury and death. By Jairus James During their spring migration, billions of birds fly...

The Left Chapter
May 711 min read


How Decision-Making Is Affected by Social Conformity
By Marjorie Hecht The rapid growth of digital technologies in the last quarter-century has multiplied the number and types of possible...

The Left Chapter
May 46 min read


Uroscopy: Medieval Medicine’s Obsession with Urine
For centuries, physicians used urine to diagnose disease, predict death, and even determine sexual history—analyzing its color,...

The Left Chapter
Apr 1911 min read


Restoring the Wild: How Reintroducing Bison Could Revive Britain’s Landscapes and Ecosystems
Reintroducing European bison to Britain, despite their absence from its history, could help restore ecological balance by fostering...

The Left Chapter
Apr 47 min read


Spontaneous Revolutions: Darwin’s Diagrams of Plant Movement
After weeks of watching young tendrils slowly corkscrew their way toward the sun, Charles Darwin invented a system for making botanic...
Michael Laxer
Feb 79 min read


Why We Evolved to Dream at Night and What Dreams Mean
We forget most of our dreams. So why do we have them? By Leslie Alan Horvitz No one knows why we dream. It stands to reason that dreams...
Michael Laxer
Jan 3124 min read


We Have Entered the Era of ‘Global Boiling’—Marine Wildlife, Ecosystems, and Economies Are Being Devastated
Marine heat waves are causing record-breaking ocean temperatures that kill animals and impact ocean-based industries. Henrik Dreisler, CC...
Michael Laxer
Jan 245 min read


Our Ability to Think in Terms of Numbers Is Universal, Abstract, and Independent From Language
Frederick L. Coolidge explains the link between numerosity and language. morebyless, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons By Marjorie Hecht...
Michael Laxer
Jan 245 min read
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