by Mott T Greene Introduction This is a book about the life and scientific work of Alfred Wegener, whose reputation today rests with his theory of continental displacements, better known as ‘continental drift’. Wegener proposed this theory in 1912 and developed it extensively for nearly… Read More »Alfred Wegener: science, exploration and the theory of continental drift
Over the past century, a powerful idea has taken root in the educational landscape. The concept of intelligence as something innate has been supplanted by the idea that intelligence is not fixed, and that, with the right training, we can be the authors of our… Read More »The growth mindset
A Rooftops covered with grass, vegetable gardens and lush foliage are now a common sight in many cities around the world. More and more private companies and city authorities are investing in green roofs, drawn to their wide-ranging benefits. Among the benefits are saving on… Read More »Green roofs
Picture this scene. It’s an English literature lesson in a UK school, and the teacher has just read an extract from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with a class of 15-year-olds. He’s given some of the students copies of No Fear Shakespeare, a kid-friendly translation of the original. For three students, even these… Read More »The case for mixed-ability classes
The successes and failures of the Doble brothers and their steam cars A When primitive automobiles first began to appear in the 1800s, their engines were based on steam power. Steam had already enjoyed a long and successful career in the railways, so it was… Read More »The steam car
Concrete is everywhere, but it’s bad for the planet, generating large amounts of carbon dioxide – alternatives are being developed A Concrete is the second most used substance in the global economy, after water – and one of the world’s biggest single sources of greenhouse… Read More »Materials to take us beyond concrete
Leonardo da Vinci’s ideal city was centuries ahead of its time The word ‘genius’ is universally associated with the name of Leonardo da Vinci. A true Renaissance man, he embodied scientific spirit, artistic talent and humanist sensibilities. Five hundred years have passed since Leonardo died… Read More »An ideal city
Powerful artificial intelligence (AI) needs to be reliably aligned with human values, but does this mean AI will eventually have to police those values? This has been the decade of AI, with one astonishing feat after another. A chess-playing AI that can defeat not only… Read More »Living with artificial intelligence
For centuries, historians and archaeologists have puzzled over the many mysteries of Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument that took an estimated 1,500 years to erect. Located on Salisbury Plain in southern England, it is comprised of roughly 100 massive upright stones placed in a circular layout.… Read More »Stonehenge
Satellites, rocket shards and collision debris are creating major traffic risks in orbit around the planet. Researchers are working to reduce these threats A Last year, commercial companies, military and civil departments and amateurs sent more than 400 satellites into orbit, over four times the… Read More »Conquering Earth’s space junk problem
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