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Humans think — AI, not so much. Science explains why our brains aren't just fancy computers

New research is revealing how specialized neurons give our brains an edge artificial intelligence can only dream of

latest 3

Salon

Carlyn Zwarenstein

Fast fashion is getting pricier — and maybe that's a good thing

Instead of impulse buying on Shein and Temu, I'm rethinking my relationship with clothes

latest 4

Salon

Leslie Vooris

Why MAGA media is fixated on a Texas teen murder case

The racist exploitation of Austin Metcalf's killing shows how MAGA tears local communities apart

latest 10

Salon

Amanda Marcotte

Trump plays spoiler for his own MAGA Congress

Trump sinks to bottom of the polls in 100 days, spoiling congressional Republicans' only political capital

latest 0

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

A simple Supreme Court test unravels Trump’s entire tariff scheme

There is nothing rational about Trump’s tariffs

latest 10

Salon

David Coale

"Heinous loser": Pedro Pascal bashes JK Rowling over anti-trans bigotry

The "Last of Us" star called out Rowling's celebration of a UK ruling that could spell disaster for trans women

yesterday 20

Salon

Alex Galbraith

"Pope killer": Bowen Yang shocks "The View" with Vance comments

The "Saturday Night Live" star was commenting on his recent role as the vice president on the sketch series

yesterday 10

Salon

Alex Galbraith

Game show politics: Donald Trump's DOGE "dividends" checks buy time with MAGA

My phone rang at 4 AM. This was during the worst of the COVID pandemic, when most Americans with good sense were hiding from the poison air. I was...

yesterday 3

Salon

Chauncey Devega

A skeptic’s guide to loving tinned fish

I grew up in a seafood-loving household, so I’m no stranger when it comes to indulging in fish, shrimp, crab and anything else that comes fresh out...

yesterday 2

Salon

Joy Saha

The name of the grower behind a deadly E. coli lettuce outbreak has been disclosed

A federal court case has revealed the name of the grower behind a deadly 2024 E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, Food Safety News reported...

yesterday 2

Salon

Joy Saha

"Two beautiful poles”: President Trump turns the White House into a joke

At first I thought it was satire. On Earth Day, the Trump administration published a press release with the headline, “On Earth Day, we finally have...

yesterday 2

Salon

Brian Karem

Melbourne's sandwich renaissance has a New York City accent

Sangas, toasties or whatever moniker Melburnians use — sandwiches are finally having a moment in Australia’s food capital. Back in 2015, when I...

yesterday 2

Salon

Katie Lockhart

RFK Jr.'s quest for the cause of autism ignores what children truly need

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently promised to find the cause of autism in five short months. When asked about the...

yesterday 3

Salon

Megan Roberts

The FDA will phase out petroleum-based synthetic dyes used in Mountain Dew, Fruit Loops and more

The latest initiative is part of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ongoing efforts to “Make America Healthy Again"

yesterday 3

Salon

Joy Saha

"The Real Housewives" is officially reality TV's least exciting franchise

It seems like ancient history now, but once upon a time, there was a little backdoor pilot that dreamed of growing up to be a full-fledged reality...

yesterday 0

Salon

Coleman Spilde

A torrent of infectious diseases is erupting from melting ice. We shouldn't freak out just yet

You may feel that we all have enough to worry about, and thus have no need for the spectre of zombie-like reanimated bacteria or viruses in thawing...

yesterday 10

Salon

Carlyn Zwarenstein

“A 5-star rating for conflicts of interest”: Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick's finances raise red flags

The wealthy U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose previous firm Cantor Fitzgerald is deeply invested in real estate, cryptocurrency and...

yesterday 9

Salon

Daria Solovieva

"I’ll hook you to a f**king polygraph!": Hegseth's paranoia bubbles over as Pentagon leaks continue

A new report from the Wall Street Journal shows Pete Hegseth lashing out as the walls are closing in

yesterday 40

Salon

Alex Galbraith

Rubio makes Republicans' biggest dream come true — but kills America's soft power in the process

If there's one thing the Trump administration has in common with previous Republican presidencies it's a bone-deep hostility to the State...

previous day 10

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

Too late to opt-out: Supreme Court ultimately can't save the religious right's futile book bans

Can you treat someone with "love, kindness, and respect" while simultaneously insisting their identity is so poisonous that it cannot be...

previous day 10

Salon

Amanda Marcotte

Can Texas' abortion ban be fixed? Skeptics say an effort to "clarify" the law could make it worse

When Ashley Brandt and her husband learned she was pregnant with identical twin girls in 2022, she was ecstatic. But one twin's diagnosis with...

previous day 10

Salon

Tatyana Tandanpolie

Breathe in, breathe out: People are tripping out on breathwork — but it's not for everyone

When Brendan Leier lay down for his first guided breathwork session over Zoom, he settled into a breathing rhythm, keeping a fast pace with the...

previous day 30

Salon

Elizabeth Hlavinka

"Nothing to boast about!": Trump goes off on Zelenskyy over Crimea negotiations stalemate

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance expressed frustration over stalled negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on Wednesday. In a...

previous day 20

Salon

Alex Galbraith

"WWE in the West Wing": Musk, Bessent had screaming match in White House

Elon Musk might be mumbling and hiding his pupils any time he gets near a stage, but that doesn't mean he lacks energy in the Oval Office. A new...

previous day 9

Salon

Alex Galbraith

Pete Hegseth’s paranoia is undermining the Pentagon

Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is hemorrhaging senior officials faster than the Justice Department’s resignation tsunami last month, when seven federal...

previous day 30

Salon

Jesselyn Radack

Bird bias? New research reveals "drab" species are studied less

Every morning, at this time of year, a red-winged blackbird greets me as I walk down the street. He’s become a familiar sight and sound, and I...

previous day 20

Salon

John R. Platt

If Meghan really wants to win over her critics, she could take a lesson from the king

What does Meghan really want? It's a question I've been returning to at regular intervals over the last few years. I've wondered about it during...

previous day 2

Salon

Mary Elizabeth Williams

"Should have installed tampon machines": Hegseth bashes report of his new makeup room in Pentagon

Recent news reports have given Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plenty of reason to sweat under the bright lights, but he still doesn't want people...

previous day 8

Salon

Alex Galbraith

It didn’t start with Donald Trump

In 2003, the Macedonian police arrested Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen vacationing in their country. They handed the unfortunate man over to the...

tuesday 10

Salon

Rebecca Gordon

"It won't be that high": Trump, Bessent hint at walking back China tariffs

Donald Trump's trade war with China may well end before it could ever really get started.  The president shared that he's considering walking back...

tuesday 10

Salon

Alex Galbraith

"Demand accountability": Idaho woman seeks $5M in damages after being dragged from GOP town hall

An Idaho woman who was dragged from a Republican town hall in Coeur d'Alene in February plans to sue the county sheriff and private security firm...

tuesday 3

Salon

Alex Galbraith

"Day or two per week": Musk promises decreased time at DOGE as Tesla profits plummet

You don't become the richest man in the world without caring a little bit about your money. Elon Musk proved that on a Tesla earnings call on...

tuesday 3

Salon

Alex Galbraith

The success of J.K. Rowling's transphobic fight depends on the future of "Harry Potter"

Despite all the power her cultural influence and financial lobbying buy her, it’s comforting to know that J.K. Rowling is powerless to social...

tuesday 1

Salon

Coleman Spilde

In defense of frozen peas

Now that the weather is warmer and the sun is finally out for longer, I’ve been whipping up some of my favorite springtime meals. That includes...

tuesday 2

Salon

Joy Saha

"Turning the presidency into performance art": Sanctions expert on what Trump confuses about tariffs

With all its spectacle and chaos, Donald Trump’s shock and awe strategy is both domestic and global. Domestically, Trump and his agents are...

tuesday 30

Salon

Chauncey Devega

The inspiring end of "Andor" shows us how great rebellions begin

The second season of “Andor” is a ticking clock counting down to the Galactic Civil War that launched “Star Wars.” At 12 episodes, it leaves a...

tuesday 6

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

David Hogg wants Democrats to wake up: "We have to show how our party is going to fight back"

David Hogg, a March For Our Lives activist and vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, announced a plan to primary lackluster Democrats in...

tuesday 2

Salon

Russell Payne

Our cells carry their own sexual identity. That's science, not ideology

On Jan. 13, in response to President Trump's order for federal agencies to dismantle webpages that included "gender ideology extremism," the...

tuesday 40

Salon

Carlyn Zwarenstein

Signals of distress: Pete Hegseth's Pentagon is a mess of his own making

I know it may be impossible to accept, but it turns out that a weekend cable news host with a long record of personal misconduct may not actually...

21.04.2025 4

Salon

Heather Digby Parton

The art of resistance: Trump’s attack on humanities triggers a blowback movement

Three weeks ago, the Trump government ordered the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to cancel all the funding to the fifty State...

21.04.2025 10

Salon

Michèle Lamont

Too late for accountability

I’ve been involved in some of this century’s most controversial national security and human rights cases involving Americans fighting against...

21.04.2025 6

Salon

Jesselyn Radack

A bloody tragedy on "The Last of Us" is a familiar move for HBO

HBO’s strained and curious relationship with fathers dates back to 1999, when we witnessed Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) reconcile his dueling...

21.04.2025 1

Salon

Melanie Mcfarland

"We stand for truth": Harvard sues Trump admin over federal funding freeze

The nation's oldest university is up for a fight. Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration of President Donald Trump on Monday, alleging...

21.04.2025 4

Salon

Alex Galbraith

Pope Francis, Catholic Church's first Latin American pontiff, has died at 88

Pope Francis died Monday in Rome at the age of 88, just weeks after he was released from hospital following a respiratory tract infection that...

21.04.2025 2

Salon

Natalie Chandler

"My Dinner with Adolf": Larry David roasts Bill Maher's meeting with Trump in satirical NYT essay

Bill Maher has come in for tons of criticism since he opted to have dinner with President Donald Trump, but none of it was as biting as a recent...

21.04.2025 9

Salon

Alex Galbraith

"Becoming a distraction": White House looking to replace Hegseth at Pentagon, per reports

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth may soon have to walk the path he laid for legacy media outlets: packing up his office and leaving the Pentagon....

21.04.2025 8

Salon

Alex Galbraith

Elon Musk's baby mama drama matters

There is so much jaw-dropping weirdness in the Wall Street Journal report about Elon Musk's apparent baby-making fetish. Musk reached out to random...

21.04.2025 100

Salon

Amanda Marcotte

"Get the f**k out of my face": GOP Rep. Mace shouts at constituent who asked her about town halls

Town halls have not been going well for members of the GOP. So, we can see why the mere mention of speaking to constituents sets Rep. Nancy Mace's...

20.04.2025 60

Salon

Alex Galbraith