56806621
submission
gallifreyan99 writes:
Scientists have spent decades trying to understand and fix social problems like violence and alcoholism, usually focusing on the poor and disadvantaged. But now a small band of researchers is claiming that biology plays a vitally important role—because trauma can change you at a genetic level that gets passed on to kids, grandkids, and perhaps even beyond. Astonishing story.
56641757
submission
blastboy writes:
“It’s just a tool.” I'd heard this many times before. It contains a modicum of truth, but buries technology’s impacts on our lives, which are never neutral. Often, I asked the person who said it if they thought nuclear weapons were “just a tool.” Humans have always fought, but few would say it doesn’t matter if we fight with sticks, knives, guns, or nuclear weapons." Great essay on Snowden, technology and the problem with how we think of surveillance.
56609781
submission
superboj writes:
Snowden's revelations about the NSA have us all talking about big data and Big Brother. But this great piece tying together online spying, political repression and the Turkish rebellion argues that we need new metaphors—because our surveillance nightmare is more frightening, and more subtle, than we realize.
