Why ‘little red dots’ pose a big mystery about the Universe | Aeon Essays Peering into the origins of our Universe, astronomers found something that shouldn’t be there: what are those little red dots?

Peering into the origins of our Universe, astronomers found something that shouldn’t be there: what are those little red dots? An Essay by Jenny Greene

Why did disabled people support eugenics in the 1930s? | Aeon Essays In the story of eugenics, disabled people are often depicted as passive victims. But for some it seemed an opportunity

In the story of eugenics, disabled people are often depicted as passive victims. But for some it seemed an opportunity. An Essay by @coreenanne.bsky.social & Alex Aylward

Reindeer politics – why some Sámi struggle for recognition | Aeon Videos This short documentary asks what it means to be Sámi today, following decades-long state-mandated assimilation attempts

The Sámi people of northern Europe have long been associated with reindeer herding – but today, fewer than 10% still practise it. In ‘I Am Sámi’, Niklas Sarri, a Sámi artisan in Sweden, challenges a system that ties cultural recognition to an increasingly unrepresentative way of life

The mysticism of Nietzsche’s doctrine of the eternal return | Aeon Essays The mystical insight came to Nietzsche like a lightning flash: time eternally recurs – and life must be lived accordingly

The mystical insight came to Nietzsche like a lightning flash: time eternally recurs – and life must be lived accordingly. An Essay by Mark Higgins

You know what consciousness is: you live in soul land | Aeon Essays Humans weren’t given souls by God or genes. We made them ourselves with language – turning sentience into something sacred

The theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey has coined the term ‘soul niche’ as a neat encapsulation of his argument, laid out with precision and style in this new Essay: we evolved to have souls. What’s more, they are part of what makes our species so remarkably successful

From Celtic village to world capital: how Paris became Paris | Aeon Videos The evolution of Paris across millennia – from Celtic fishing village to world capital – in three animated minutes

This riveting rapid history lesson visualises the evolution of Paris from its origins as a Celtic fishing village on a small island in the Seine River, to the year 2025 where it is a global capital of culture

Why ‘little red dots’ pose a big mystery about the Universe | Aeon Essays Peering into the origins of our Universe, astronomers found something that shouldn’t be there: what are those little red dots?

Peering into the origins of our Universe, astronomers found something that shouldn’t be there: what are those little red dots? In this essay, an astrophysicist reflects on what it’s like to be at the frontiers of discovery, facing observations that scientists cannot explain

A propulsive ode to ‘the forgotten parents of film’ | Aeon Videos Take a kaleidoscopic journey through the early history of film, inspired by an enduring fascination with motion and form

Through a transfixing audiovisual experience, this short presents a tribute to ‘the forgotten parents of film’, resulting in a whirlwind visual history that emphasises the kinetic power of moving images

Art lessons from the 1970s for survival in an ecologically blighted world | Aeon Essays The Harrisons’ eco-art told stories about the apocalypse, pointing to a future where we’d all have to be survival artists

The Harrisons created artworks that functioned both as early warnings for environmental catastrophe and as suggestions for surviving calamitous times. For World Art Day, revisit this fascinating essay which reveals the vital role that artists play in battling uncertain futures

The mysticism of Nietzsche’s doctrine of the eternal return | Aeon Essays The mystical insight came to Nietzsche like a lightning flash: time eternally recurs – and life must be lived accordingly

‘God is dead.’ Given this is perhaps Friedrich Nietzsche’s most well-known pronouncement, it may feel odd to see him described as a ‘mystic’. But, as the philosopher Mark Higgins argues in this Essay, Nietzsche’s concept of eternal recurrence is in fact a profoundly mystical insight

Is the cosmos unravelling? — Hoxton Hall, April 21 | Sophia Club How tiny fluctuations in the quantum world may determine the fate of reality as we know it

Don’t miss our event in London on Tuesday 21 April, where we'll explore the mysteries of the cosmos with @proftonypadilla.bsky.social alongside captivating performances by acclaimed musician Oliver Coates. Tickets from £5 here: sophiaclub.co/event/is-the...

Why did disabled people support eugenics in the 1930s? | Aeon Essays In the story of eugenics, disabled people are often depicted as passive victims. But for some it seemed an opportunity

It is surprising how so few of the many histories of eugenics centre the voices of disabled people. Uncovering these perspectives contradicts all previous narratives of eugenics in interwar Britain

Why did elite professionals start calling their firms "sweatshops"? And who reaped the rewards of all that work?

Read this excerpt from my new book, Yuppies, to find out.

What made law into a ‘white-collar sweatshop’ in the 1980s | Aeon Essays How did law firms and other professional workplaces become places of such crushing and soulless work?

How did law firms and other professional workplaces become places of such crushing and soulless work? An Essay by @dygottlieb.bsky.social

We long misjudged animal consciousness. Could AI be next? | Aeon Videos Why it’s difficult and perhaps even morally perilous to rule out the possibility of AI consciousness

Jonathan Birch, professor of philosophy at @lseblogs.bsky.social, argues that, while the ‘friendly assistant’ that LLMs serve up is certainly not aware, it’s difficult – and perhaps morally perilous – to write off the possibility of an ‘alien form of consciousness’ somewhere within these systems

Could AI replace human art experts in attributing paintings? | Aeon Essays The art expert is the fulcrum of all value and significance in the museum and auction world. Could AI supplant them?

Which of these paintings was created by Carvaggio? The very nature of art attribution debates means there are no definitive answers. In this Essay, the art historian Noah Charney explores how the introduction of AI tools is changing these debates – and why uncertainty will always remain

Take a mind-bending ride through the cosmos at light speed | Aeon Videos A mind-bending trip into the cosmos aboard a speculative (yet theoretically possible) spacecraft near the speed of light

Fancy a 15-minute trip through space? In this mind-bending video by the visual artist and educator Alessandro Roussel, viewers are taken on a voyage from Earth on a spacecraft approaching the speed of light, exploring how the laws of the Universe would play out on such a journey

What made law into a ‘white-collar sweatshop’ in the 1980s | Aeon Essays How did law firms and other professional workplaces become places of such crushing and soulless work?

‘The sleep deprivation, the treatment by senior bankers, the mental and physical stress … I’ve been through foster care and this is arguably worse.’ How did law firms and other professional workplaces become places of such crushing and soulless work? @dygottlieb.bsky.social

A vivid portrait of Montana built from call-in radio clips | Aeon Videos From poetry to politics, this radio show asked listeners to speak their minds. Decades later, their words still resonate

This documentary by Marshall Granger presents audio from a Yellowstone Public Radio where residents could call in and discuss anything on their mind. The result makes for a gentle yet captivating portrait of Montana from 1997 to 2007

Is the cosmos unravelling? — Hoxton Hall, April 21 | Sophia Club How tiny fluctuations in the quantum world may determine the fate of reality as we know it

London! Join us at the Sophia Club on 21 April where we will traverse the twisted hearts of black holes and the mysteries of our Universe, alongside theoretical physicist and scientific storyteller @proftonypadilla.bsky.social. Get your tickets now! buff.ly/DtYsdbV

Virtual medicine and the ethics of presence and absence | Aeon Essays For over a century telemedicine has promised healthcare for all. But will it ever replace seeing a human being in person?

For #WorldHealthDay, we’re revisiting this Aeon essay tracing telemedicine from the 19th-century telephone to today’s video consultations and asking the question: Will virtual medicine ever replace seeing a human being in person?

Robert Musil gives confidence to the no-self minority like me | Aeon Essays Our culture valorises the big, coherent self: reading Robert Musil helps me embrace the beauty of my no-self existence

Many people experience identity crises, especially during life upheavals. But what about people for whom no sense of self isn’t a crisis, but normal? The scholar Mette Leonard Høeg is one such person. Once believing herself alone, the works of Robert Musil made her feel more connected

Antibiotic resistance in India has consequences everywhere | Aeon Essays Easy access to desperately needed drugs has made India the global accelerant of our antimicrobial resistance crisis

What once seemed like the perfect answer to bacterial infection is now revealing its limits in the form of antimicrobial resistance: a consequence of antibiotic overuse. This striking Essay shows that this is not purely a biomedical problem, but a global socio-economic crisis

How might humanitarian journalism be done better? | Aeon Essays Humanitarian journalism is a moral calling to document human suffering. But in practice, it’s an ethically murky undertaking

Humanitarian journalism is a moral calling to document human suffering. But in practice, it’s an ethically murky undertaking. An Essay by Cathy Otten

Frank Lloyd Wright as a mirror of the American condition | Aeon Essays Frank Lloyd Wright exalted the individual and made ordinary life beautiful. But his life was marked by scandal and grief

Frank Lloyd Wright exalted the individual and made ordinary life beautiful. But his life was marked by scandal and grief. An Essay by Andrew Deming

In search of truth (and fun) at Princeton University, 1973 | Aeon Videos When Princeton University asked two directors to produce a marketing video, it became a work of art – and a time capsule

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 1974, ‘A Search for Answers’ immerses viewers in campus life at @princeton.edu, focusing on the pursuit of knowledge in all its forms and making a compelling case for the university and a liberal arts education as the best framework

The underground bankers who reshape the flow of global money | Aeon Essays A centuries-old network of secret codes and shadowy brokers continues to outpace financial systems controlled by the state

A centuries-old network of secret codes and shadowy brokers continues to outpace financial systems controlled by the state. An Essay by Miles Kellerman

How might humanitarian journalism be done better? | Aeon Essays Humanitarian journalism is a moral calling to document human suffering. But in practice, it’s an ethically murky undertaking

From Manchester to Mosul, humanitarian journalism has long promised that documenting pain might compel action. But as crises proliferate and political responses falter, that promise feels increasingly hollow. How might humanitarian journalism be done better?

What a plant’s decision-making reveals about intelligence | Aeon Videos Plant roots don’t have a nervous system, yet can produce sophisticated responses. What does that say about intelligence?

When there’s a drought, how do plants – given their stationary nature – go about finding water for their roots? This short documentary from the Science Communication Lab shows how the biologist José R Dinneny goes about unraveling the mysteries of these underground systems

‘Bags here are rarely innocent’ – how filmmakers work around censorship in Iran | Aeon Videos Men and women can’t touch in Iranian cinema, so filmmakers creatively work around the ban by using props as a go-between

Irani Bag by Maryam Tafakory buff.ly/GmcXhRy