ToK Essays Nov 2023

A conversation about abolitionism, moral progress, and the pitfalls of historical counterfactuals.

From the archives in 2011, Mike Heap examines why we feel remorse is so necessary to the rehabilitation of prisoners, especially if free will is an illusion

A toddler was sentenced to life imprisonment in North Korea after the child’s family was found in possession of a Bible, according to a new report by the US State Department.

Between 1996 and 2021, Valery Fabrikant has published nearly 60 scientific papers, and he's done it all from a prison cell.

Katherine Johnson was a pioneering NASA mathematician who helped land humans on the moon during the space race. Here, we take a look at her impressive life.

Composer Emily Howard in conversation with mathematician Marcus du Sautoy on their joint exploration of different forms of mathematical proof through the creation of music.

The ultimate value of the world can be discovered if you are sensitive to what is beautiful

No, emotions don’t happen TO you. Here’s what happens instead.

Far from being an abstract mathematical curiosity, knot theory has driven many findings in math and beyond.

A new Pew survey updates their data on American's trust in scientists. The "good news" is that overall, trust remains high, with 77% saying they trust scientists a great deal or a fair amount, and only 23% not too much or not at all. Actually, when you think about it these numbers are still pretty

Saying “Hail Darwin” may poke fun at creationists, but we should remember that as a human being, Darwin wasn’t without flaws – we can respect him, but shouldn’t worshi…

Ever since Archimedes, mathematicians have been fascinated by equations that involve a difference between squares. Now two mathematicians have proven how often these equations have solutions, concluding a decades-old quest.

Science is unquestionably the most powerful approach humanity has developed so far to the understanding of the natural world. There is little point in arguing about the spectacular successes of fun…

A statement jointly signed by a historic coalition of experts: “Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

Researcher and GRS Radioisotopes technician Jorge Rivera, from the University of Seville, has participated in an incredible discovery that is unique in Europe. After applying an optically-stimulated luminescence technique at the Center for Research, Technology and Innovation laboratories at the University of Seville (CITIUS) and at CENIEH to hominin footprints found at Matalascañas in 2020, Rivera helped to determine that the footprints are in fact 200,000 years older than previously suspected.

A pair of researchers, one with the University of Missouri at Saint Louis, the other at Johns Hopkins University, has found evidence of tattoos on the bodies of women who lived in Egypt thousands of years ago. In their paper published in The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, Marie-Lys Arnette and Anne Austin, describe the tattoos and outline their ideas regarding why the women had them.

A growing catalog of huge but dim galaxies such as Dragonfly 44 is forcing astronomers to invent new theories of galactic evolution.

The co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology tells Bill Whitaker social media companies are profiting off Americans' online anger.

A simple geometric idea has been used to power advances in information theory, cryptography and even blockchain technology.

In a probing new play from the Civilians, based on interviews from the book “Caught in the Pulpit: Leaving Belief Behind,” current and former members of the clergy grapple with the reality of losing their religion.