More than just letting us stand on hind legs and move around the environment, the book draws on various neuroscientific principles to argue that walking is inextricably linked to several of aspects of the human condition that have made us who we are, like creativity. … Continue readingPerfect Motion
Disarmingly open about her own history of addiction, Never Enough is full of stories about Grisel’s decade or addiction, risky behaviour and wasted years. Tales of her first drink at 13, or feeling nothing at a beloved grandfather’s funeral because she was hopped up on Quaaludes are heart-wrenching. … Continue readingNever Enough
I’ve gotten huge amounts of support from academics. There’s a small fringe of academics who dislike things I write and who are personally jealous that someone whose training was in gall-bladder physiology comes and writes about history in Australia. But if you’re going to be an author writing for the public you’ve got to develop a thick skin. … Continue readingJared Diamond Writes About Upheaval, But is ‘Cautiously Optimistic’
The Handmaid’s Tale author Margaret Atwood has been the target of many brickbats in her time thanks to never fully accepting the term ‘science fiction’ about her work. Some would say the criticism is deserved – particularly after the author herself told the BBC science fiction was about ‘talking squids in outer space’. … Continue readingAin’t No Respect
You might take any research related to cancer that uses superlatives (Breakthrough! Revolution!) with a huge pinch of salt. We’ve seen evening news soundbites cherry picking very inexact research for maximum impact for decades, all while just as many friends, colleagues and family members die of cancer as ever. … Continue readingThe Breakthrough
I’ve always been fascinated by cultural history, by the idea that we don’t have to think the way we’re told and we can look back to see what led us to make those assumptions or conventional wisdom. … Continue readingWho’s (Still) Afraid of Naomi Wolf?
Did you know Daimler and Benz, whose names would combine to form one of the longest-standing car manufacturing partnerships in history, not only never met but were competitive rivals? … Continue readingThe Harnessing of Power
It’s written with a lot of personality and is often laugh out loud funny, but the uniquely lovely message at it’s heart is that we’ve endured aeons of poor design, agony and death only to rise above it and make our world according to our vision, while a perfect organism would sit quietly and achieve little. … Continue readingHuman Errors
Cline considers the internet, video games, cinema and television to be wonderful things that can enrich our lives, and neither the book nor the film are about unplugging completely but striking a balance between reality and fantasy. “If there’s any message in the novel and the movie I think it’s that escapism is essential, but the real world is the only place where you can find true happiness.” … Continue readingReady Author One
Like cancer, it’s not even a single disease. The bizarre Posterior Cortical Atrophy, also known as ‘visual Alzheimer’s’, leaves the person’s memory and sense of self mostly intact, instead causing hallucinations, the sudden loss of the ability to read, recognise faces and familiar environments. One sufferer even saw everything compltely upside down. … Continue readingIn Pursuit of Memory
