Seed’s Daily Zeitgeist: 7/28/2008 § SEEDMAGAZINE.COM

Seed’s Daily Zeitgeist: 7/28/2008

Five issues, insights, and observations shaping our perspective, from the editors of Seed.

The Science of Satire
What studies of cognition have to say about the recent New Yorker cover.
Texas to Tel Aviv
Unlikely heroes push a green energy agenda, says Thomas Friedman of The New York Times.
The Innumeracy of Intellectuals
Is there an academic double standard for faculty?
YouTube’s star lecturer dies at 47
You may have seen this before, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t find an hour and watch it again.
What philosophy of science and “postmodernism” have in common
What exactly is the goal of science, again?

Seed

Originally published July 28, 2008

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I Tried Almost Everything Else

John Rinn, snowboarder, skateboarder, and “genomic origamist,” on why we should dumpster-dive in our genomes and the inspiration of a middle-distance runner.
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Going, Going, Gone

The second most common element in the universe is increasingly rare on Earth—except, for now, in America.
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Earth-like Planets Aren’t Rare

Renowned planetary scientist James Kasting on the odds of finding another Earth-like planet and the power of science fiction.