The Best of Salon
20+ most popular Salon articles, as voted by our community.
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A brain injury removed my ability to perceive time. Here's what it's like in a world without…
The brain’s perception of time is abstract. Here's what happens when it gets seriously distorted
Jonas Salk, the man who cured polio, would have been baffled by modern anti-vaxxers, experts say
Many people once lined up joyously to receive vaccines. What changed?
Why does sleep become more elusive as we age? It has to do with shifts in "sleep…
Insomnia and fatigue can worsen with time, but it doesn't have to be complicated to find decent rest
Salon on Environment
Why “greening” cities can make gentrification worse — and often doesn’t help the environment either
Urban renewal under the guise of “going green” isn’t working — for the environment, or for residents
Salon on Food
When cooking became cut-throat: A brief history of the culinary competition
Our collective hunger for cooking as sport is an enduring mainstay, from Medieval Baghdad to modern cable TV
Salon on Health
Live long and flounder: An aging expert on the looming crisis of our longer lifespans
A new book, "The Measure of Our Age," explores the growing problem of our graying nation
Here's what experts say about the rewards — and risks — of intermittent fasting
Salon spoke to doctors about the surprising health benefits that can accompany intermittent fasting
Salon on Nature
The first observations of octopus brain waves revealed how alien their minds truly are
Scientists implanted electrodes into an octopus' head for the first time. The bizarre signals only raised more questions
Pigeons seem to dream of flying: A new study unlocks tantalizing secrets about the minds of birds
German scientists discover birds, like humans, experience REM sleep, which is the sleep stage associated with the most vivid dreams
Salon on Psychedelics
Psychedelic startups are betting on synthetic versions of "magic" mushrooms as the future
You can't patent naturally-occurring molecules like psilocybin. That's led to a rush to find a trippy synthetic "blend" as a profitable alternative
In defiance of federal drug law, mushroom dispensaries are popping up across North America
Psychedelic shops are openly selling mind-altering fungi in a growing number of cities. Is this just the beginning?
Salon on Science
Astrophysics and stale beer: What life is like working at the South Pole
Those who live at the South Pole approach the ice with a sense of awe that borders on religious conviction
The scientist who discovered sperm was so grossed out he hoped his findings would be repressed
Antonie Philips van Leeuwenhoek, the father of microbiology, was horrified at the appearance of sperm under the microscope
Salon on Trump
Folks, the wait was worth it: Donald Trump is going to prison
Trump can't come back from this: He will never be president again, and may well die in prison. The future awaits
The GOP elite wants to brand Trump a loser — the humiliating release of his tax returns…
Not only did Trump's candidates lose big in 2022, but he couldn't even make money selling White House influence.
Salon on Wealth
As wealth inequality spirals out of control, many Americans can no longer afford to drive
The increasing inaccessibility of cars to the non-wealthy is having detrimental effects on the nation's social fabric
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How to cultivate creativity as an adult, according to an expert
Shared by 849, including Ines Bieler, Stephanie A Kowalski, Katja Evertz
«optimism and creativity often go hand in hand, but also that the status quo or ruminating on the status quo can often lead to a type of pessimism»
The brain is actually a fiction writer: How our minds create a sense of self from fragments
In "The Self Delusion," author Gregory Berns explains why our self-perception is a "sort of fiction"
«there are also some universal ground rules to the ways we construct these narratives. One we can all relate to is, for the most part, that episodic aspect of it»
Humanity's most distant spacecraft is sending back weird signals from beyond our solar system
Scientists are baffled at the odd telemetry data being relayed by Voyager 1, which was launched in 1977
Why America is going backward: Being the richest nation in history isn't enough
America is the greatest economic and military power in world history — and our quality of life is garbage. But why?
Influencer culture is everywhere — even in academia
Though academics may wring our hands about influencer culture, social media promotion is now a necessary evil
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