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Aeon is pausing posts on X for now. Thank you for your continued support. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram @aeonmag, join us on Bluesky @aeon.co, and sign up to Aeon’s newsletter here:

What drives us to create zoos and natural history museums – is it a curiosity about the world, or a need to dominate it?

Psychology studies cast doubt on old assumptions about legal objectivity. Lawyers and laypeople alike should take notice

This documentary contemplates how humanity’s relationship with the natural world has evolved over the past two centuries, as well as where it might be headed in the future

‘Factors such as the defendant’s appearance, the weather or even unexpected sports events might influence how cases are decided.’ A lawyer’s view of irrelevant influences in the courtroom .

Often dismissed as the poor cousin of the sciences, chemistry has revealed natural laws that illuminate our Universe

Family lore smashes into reality in this clever, cutting short about a little girl’s take on her grandparents’ grand love

Today is international day of education, and we're sharing this Aeon essay from the archive which explores Rousseau’s radical vision of educational freedom and why it still eludes us #internationaldayofeducation

A girl upends her grandparents’ ‘love story’ in this hilarious animation.

‘It would be wrong to dismiss chemistry as the poor cousin of the sciences. The knowledge produced in chemistry is essential to form a complete and accurate picture of nature, of how it works and of our place in it.’ Why the ‘laws’ of chemistry matter

Why Brazil fell for Pentecostalism but not liberation theology. An Essay on prosperity versus liberation by the writer, Elle Hardy @ellehardy

An inventor traces the evolution of a single engineering idea, from Michael Faraday’s first motors to levitating trains

Eric Laithwaite was one of the inventors of the linear induction motor, an innovation that helped save the modern world. As this video from 1972 demonstrates, he was also an exceptional science communicator @imperialcollege @Ri_Science

At our upcoming Sophia Club New York event, we’re lucky to be joined by philosopher James Maffie and artist Emilio Rojas as we delve into the philosophy of the Mexica or Aztecs, and the still-living Nahua culture.

How Pentecostalism’s prosperity gospel replaced Catholic liberation theology in Latin American life @ellehardy

Take a trip to Luna Parc, New Jersey, a former hunting lodge, now part living museum, part work of art, and wholly individual

In today’s Guide, a clinical psychologist offers advice on how to compare yourself with others fairly and respond better