America’s epistemic challenges run deeper than social media.| asteriskmag.com
Asterisk Magazine covers science, emerging technologies, economics, politics, culture, global health, threats to human development and flourishing.| asteriskmag.com
There’s a lot to like about the Rationalist community, but they do have a certain tendency to spawn — shall we say — high demand groups. We sent a card-carrying Rat to investigate what’s really going on.| asteriskmag.com
Universities have existed for more than a thousand years — and for almost all of that time, they weren’t centers of research. What changed in 19th century Germany?| asteriskmag.com
Are we really living through a uniquely lonely moment in American history? When it comes to friendship, this isn’t the first time that authorities have cried wolf.| asteriskmag.com
A growing community centered on the Bay Area is rediscovering the jhanas, a meditation technique that practitioners claim could upend how we think about the brain — and transform our lives in the process.| asteriskmag.com
In the early 20th century, the United States diverted and dammed nearly every major river that runs through the West, ushering in an era of unparalleled dominion over water. Today, California once again struggles with water scarcity — but solar energy could change all that.| asteriskmag.com
Weeks after it was clear that Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, you could still make pennies on the dollar betting Joe Biden would win. Why doesn’t smart money drive out dumb money in election markets?| asteriskmag.com
The United States leads the world in airline safety. That’s because of the way we assign blame when accidents do happen.| asteriskmag.com
Colonoscopies are the first-line method for preventing colorectal cancer in America —and almost nowhere else. But do they work? We finally have a comprehensive trial, but it’s left gastroenterologists with more questions than answers.| asteriskmag.com
A conversation about what happens to the economy when intelligence becomes too cheap to meter.| asteriskmag.com
Wine commands wealth, prestige, and attention from aficionados. How much of what they admire is in their heads?| asteriskmag.com