Are you ignorant about the world?

"Sharks don't kill many people. As scary as shark attacks may be, they are extremely rare. But it is their gruesomeness combined with their rarity that is precisely why they get disproportionate attention in the media (as do other spectacular, violent events). Always remember that while the press thrives on drama, the news is not a full summary of the world; it's a tiny sample of information that fits specific needs."

Why Your Brain Hates Slowpokes

"Subjects—both human and other animals—often go for the now, even when it’s not optimal. One study showed that exposing people to 'the ultimate symbols of impatience culture'—fast-food symbols like McDonald’s golden arches—increases their reading speed and preference for time-saving products, and makes them more likely to opt for small rewards now over larger ones later."

Do animals have consciousness?

"'It’s the 21st Century. We can put people on the moon but we still don’t understand our own consciousness,' she said. 'I think we need to recognize that we're part of an evolutionary progression and it would be very bizarre for animals to not have forms of consciousness.'"

We were wrong to try to ban racism out of existence, says former equality chief

"Mr Phillips insists people should be free to use racial stereotypes, such as that many Jews are rich or that black people are more likely to be convicted for robbery, because they are true. 

Explaining the issue, he said: 'The dividing lines of race, religion and culture are probably the most dangerous flashpoints in Britain today, but they're also the ones we find hardest to talk about in public.'"

When Things Happen That You Can't Explain

"I’ve talked to hundreds of people who have had remarkable, unexpected experiences that startled them profoundly. Some see them as clear evidence of the supernatural and others do not. And there are those who come to a conclusive view of what these events mean, and those who hold them as evidence of the mystery of the human imagination itself."

Navigating the news - Or how to cut through media lies

"So the first thing anyone who wishes to get to the bottom of events needs to do is to be conscious of their own beliefs and world views. We take a lot of things for granted, because that is what we were inculcated with in our formative years, and these often don't hold up to scrutiny. To change one's view, to 'kill the sacred cows', is often an enormously painful, but essential, process, if one is to develop the faculty of analysing events in a dispassionate frame of mind. Only when we know our own vulnerabilities, our own mechanical beliefs, are we then able to accept viewpoints that might be contrary to what we held dear up to that point."

Is Your Smartphone Making You Stupid?

"'Our reliance on smartphones and other devices will likely only continue to rise,' said Barr. 'It’s important to understand how smartphones affect and relate to human psychology before these technologies are so fully ingrained that it’s hard to recall what life was like without them. We may already be at that point.'"