Truth, Lies & Uncertainty
Searching for reality in unreal times
Volume 321, Issue 3
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Features
The Search for Truth in Physics
How close can physics bring us to a truly fundamental understanding of the world?
Is the Mathematical World Real?
Philosophers cannot agree on whether mathematical objects exist or are pure fictions
The Neuroscience of Reality
Reality is constructed by the brain, and no two brains are exactly alike
Deception in the Animal Kingdom
Homo sapiens is not the only species that lies
How Misinformation Spreads—and Why We Trust It
The most effective misinformation starts with seeds of truth
Corruption Is Contagious
Dishonesty begets dishonesty, rapidly spreading unethical behavior through a society
How to Defraud Democracy
A worst-case cyberwarfare scenario for the 2020 American presidential election
When Assessing Novel Risks, Facts Are Not Enough
How we make decisions in the face of incomplete knowledge and uncertainty
How to Get Better at Embracing Unknowns
How to interpret uncertainty in common forms of data visualization
The Search for Social Identity Leads to ‘Us’ versus ‘Them’
Uncertainty in the world threatens our sense of self. To cope, people embrace populism
Misinformation Has Created a New World Disorder
Our willingness to share content without thinking is exploited to spread disinformation
How Professional Truth Seekers Search for Answers
Nine experts describe how they sort signal from noise
Departments
Advances
Ancient, Pancake-Shaped Marine Animals Were on the Move
Perfect Crepes, by Way of Physics
Migrating Birds Provide Surprising Snacks for Sharks
Tiny Paintings Draw Color from Microscopic Cracks
Scientists Tripped People for Science
Frogs Make Their Homes in Elephant Footprints
In Case You Missed It
Arsenic-Eating Fern Hints at Cleanup Solutions
Mapping HIV Prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa
"Particle" Robots Work Together to Perform Tasks
Birds of a Feather Flap Faster to Stay Together
Policy
Science Communication 101
Readers Respond to the May 2019 Issue
Why Our Disabilities Make Us Better Scientists despite the Odds against Us
Behavior
Everyone Is an Agent in the New Information Warfare
Even If We Knew Everything That Can Be Known, We Wouldn't Know It All
Medicine
When Vitamin Pills Are Too Much of a Good Thing
Electronics
Apple's Amazing New Screen
Culture
The History of Opium, Facing Up to Quantum Mechanics and Other New Science Books
Computing
If You Want to Freak Out, Do a Web Search of Your Symptoms
Space & Physics
Lunar Geology in 1969; Heaven "Located" in 1869
Public Health