On NPR’s All Things Considered, Prof. Thomas Levenson speaks about his book on the 50-year search for a non-existent planet, an example, he explains, of how science really works. “It takes a great leap of the imagination to get from what you really know you know to the wacky thing that turns out to be more true.”
Prof. Thomas Levenson writes for The Boston Globe about the MRI Prof. Rebecca Saxe’s created of herself and her infant son. “Art does many things, but certainly one of them is to give us images that confront us with shards of the strange experience of being human,” writes Levenson. “Science, an artful craft, can do the same — as it does here.”
Matthew Price of The Boston Globe reviews “The Hunt for Vulcan” by Prof. Thomas Levenson, which chronicles the history of the search for the non-existent planet Vulcan. “The key question, as Levenson puts it, is ‘what happens when a prediction fails to find its match in nature?’” writes Price.
Prof. Thomas Levenson speaks with Boston Globe reporter Amy Sutherland ahead of the publication of his new book, “The Hunt for Vulcan” about the books he likes to read and what makes for good science writing. “Science writing should convey information, but in a literary form,” Levenson explains.
Carolina Morena writes for The Huffington Post about Prof. Junot Díaz's appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” where he discussed the importance of reading books by people from different backgrounds. "You look at this country and you look at this world and you need to understand it in complex ways," said Díaz.
Boston Globe reporter Jeremy Goodwin reviews “Einstein’s Dreams,” a play adapted from Prof. Alan Lightman’s 1993 novel. “The conceit behind Lightman’s deeply imaginative source material is that it presents a journal of Einstein’s nocturnal musings as he developed his theories of general and special relativity,” writes Goodwin.
Prof. Marcia Bartusiak writes for The Washington Post about Eileen Pollack’s book, “The Only Woman in the Room,” which examines the obstacles facing women in science. Bartusiak writes that, “Pollack draws attention to this important and vexing problem with a personal narrative, beautifully written and full of important insights on the changes needed to make those barriers crumble.”
Prof. Thomas Levenson writes for The Boston Globe about sexism in science. “Sadly and infuriatingly, the habits of mind that once almost entirely barred women from the lab remain, less potent, perhaps, but still at work,” writes Levenson.
Comparative Media Studies research affiliate Sam Ford writes for The Boston Globe about former Daily Show host Jon Stewart’s recent professional wrestling appearances. “I’m guessing Stewart finds something refreshing about a world where the performance comes with a wink and where fans are invited to be in on the con,” writes Ford.
Prof. Alan Lightman writes for The New York Times about the disillusionment he felt when he went to visit his childhood home and found that it had been taken down. “I try to put back the house where it was, the kitchen, the bedrooms, the closets, my father practicing his guitar, my mother dressing in front of her long mirror,” Lightman writes.
MIT Lecturer B.D. Colen speaks with Boston Magazine reporter Chris Sweeney about his new photography exhibit, “Alone, Together,” which looks at how people riding the MBTA attempt to find some privacy. Colen explains that the idea behind the exhibit “isn’t to invade people’s privacy. You’re in public, and I’m just documenting how people behave under these circumstances.”
Professor Junot Díaz will be honored as one of this year’s We Are Boston Award recipients for embracing “diversity and immigrant heritage,” writes Jennifer Usovicz for The Boston Globe. “Boston is beautiful precisely because of our immigrant communities,” says Díaz. “Our energy and sacrifice is the dynamo that drives the city forward.”
In an article for The New York Times Magazine, Prof. Junot Díaz writes about how being attacked when he was in the seventh grade impacted him psychologically. “Before that attack, I had felt fear plenty of times — which poor immigrant kid hasn’t? — but after my beating, I became afraid. And at any age, that is a dismal place to be,” writes Díaz.
The Economist reviews Prof. Marcia Bartusiak’s new book, “Black Hole: How an Idea Abandoned by Newtonians, Hated by Einstein and Gambled on by Hawking Became Loved.” “Ms Bartusiak weaves scientific concepts to create a portrait of the scientific institution itself, showing how its norms and personalities served to shape the path taken by the idea.”
In an article for The Boston Globe, Prof. Thomas Levenson writes about the dispute over the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) in Hawaii. “The dispute has been framed as the latest skirmish in the long-running campaign pitting science against religion. That’s a mistake,” Levenson writes.