Philosophy and Letters
David Damrosch
Considering literary ecology as an ecosystem that has evolved over two centuries, Damrosch examines its connection with ecology and evolutionary theory, going back to the origins of the disciplines of comparative philology and comparative literature.
History
Marco Ferrari
How many species of humans were there in prehistoric times? In tackling this question, Ferrari presents theories of human evolution, showing that we, Homo sapiens, are unique and alone – the last survivors of an evolutionary “bush” that once had a wealth of species.
Philosophy and Letters
Francesco Ranci
Can democratic societies resist authoritarian opposition without becoming authoritarian themselves? Ranci revisits Plato’s account of Socrates’ death against the backdrop of Athenian democracy and wonders about democracy’s fate in today’s globalized world.
Mathematics, physics, and technology
Senne Starckx
The momentous detection of gravitational waves (ripples in spacetime caused when two black holes merge) by laser interferometers and the subsequent finds of second-generation detectors have paved the way for the proposed third-generation Einstein Telescope.
Natural sciences
Marco Ferrari
Marco Ferrari presents Suzanne Simard’s work on plant societies and the Wood Wide Web in all its complexity, through the scientific debate on the subject, myths that have grown up around it, a comparison of other theories.
History of sciences and ideas
Francesco Ranci
In reviewing Balzan Prizewinners’ contributions to the history of science, Ranci highlights Lorraine Daston’s (2024 Balzan Prize, History of Modern and Contemporary Science) call for a collective effort to create and maintain “a new way to talk about science”.
History
Rezek presents his research on the biological and cultural evolution of Homo sapiens in northwestern Africa from 130,000 to 10,000 years ago, as revealed by excavations in two cave sites in Rabat-Temara in Morocco, Dar Es-Soltan 2 and Contrabandiers Cave.
Natural sciences
Senne Starckx
Eske Willerslev returns to his first research interest: ancient environmental DNA. In his words, «That’s where the new frontier lies in our field». The research not only tells something about the distant past, but it might also help steer our future.
Natural sciences
Marco Ferrari
Recent assumptions about the nature and physiology of plants could revolutionise our perspective on the world of plants. But orthodoxy is not easy to change. The first of this two-part article deals with plant neurobiology.
Social sciences
Marylin Strathern
During the COVID-19 pandemic, divergent as well as convergent narratives cried out for attention. Strathern discusses them through the anthropological response and its reception in the UK while questioning individual responsibility and the usefulness of “common humanity” as a universal concept.
History of sciences and ideas
In presenting the work of Jean-Jacques Hublin, 2023 Balzan Prize for the Evolution of Humankind: Paleoanthropology, Francesco Ranci traces a ‘genealogy’ of Balzan Prizewinners who have done research in or related to the field.
History of sciences and ideas
Paolo Rossi Monti
In discussing the work of the historian of science, with “La scienza e la sua storia” Paolo Rossi Monti provides an interesting overview of long-forgotten objects, theories, methodologies, formulations of problems, career paths. The essay comes with a profile of Paolo Rossi Monti where Nicolette Mout outlines his contribution to the history of science as […]