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Title cover for "Feeling Unreal: Depersonalization and the Loss of the Self, second edition" by Daphne Simeon and Jeffrey Abugel, published by Oxford University Press

Understanding Depersonalization and Derealization Disorder [infographic]

Depersonalization is the third most common psychiatric symptom, yet clinicians and lay people still know little about its presentation and treatment. While it can indeed be a symptom accompanying other mental illnesses, it is also a full-blown disorder itself, recognized by every major diagnostic manual.

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The Oxford Comment podcast

Infrastructure, public policy, and the Anthropocene [podcast]

On today’s episode of The Oxford Comment, we discuss the state of human infrastructure in the Anthropocene with a particular focus on how research can best be used to inform public policy.   First, we welcomed Patrick Harris, co-editor-in-chief of the new transdisciplinary journal, Oxford Open Infrastructure and Health, to speak about the aims and […]

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Science in the time of war: voices from Ukraine

On 23 February 2022, I drove back to Michigan after giving a talk at the University of Kentucky on genome diversity in Ukraine. My niece Zlata Bilanin, a recent college graduate from Ukraine, was with me. She was calling her friends in Kyiv, worried. A single question was on everyone’s mind: will there be a […]

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Title cover of "Gravity: From Falling Apples to Supermassive Black Holes" by Nicholas Mee, published by Oxford University Press

Tuning in to the cosmic symphony: restarting LIGO

In 2015 history was made when LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) detected the first ever gravitational wave signal. This was an incredible technological achievement and the beginning of a completely new way of investigating the cosmos. The restart of LIGO and the global gravitational wave research network launches a new phase of deep space exploration.

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Title cover of "The Rise and Fall of Animal Experimentation" by Richard J. Miller, published by Oxford University Press

Animal pharm is closing its doors

Until the middle of the twentieth century, human beings had no defense against deadly microbial diseases. Bubonic plague, cholera, tuberculosis, and syphilis; waves of infectious diseases regularly swept across the globe killing millions of people. But then, suddenly, everything changed.  In 1935, the Bayer drug company in Germany was experimenting with the pharmaceutical properties of […]

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Title cover of "A Suspicious Science: The Use of Psychology" by Rami Gabriel, published by Oxford University Press

Making psychology a reflexive human science

It’s up to cognitive psychology to figure out a way to explain how the mind works that takes into account its purpose and surroundings. The best approach would be to combine scientific and philosophical ideas, while also considering history and culture.

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Photo of piglets suckling milk from sow as title cover of Animal Frontiers journal, published by Oxford University Press

The rise of dairy consumption [infographic]

Explore milk consumption by humans and lactase tolerance with a look at the domestication of milk producing mammals over the past 10,000 years and milk consumption across different cultures leading to some adults no longer having the ability to digest lactose.

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From Dr Google to ChatGPT: are the tides turning in how cancer patients access information?

The discussions surrounding ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art natural language processing AI, are hard to miss. With its capabilities to draft articles, engage in written conversations, and provide complex coding solutions, ChatGPT holds great potential to revolutionize how people seek health information. In November 2022, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT, first powered by GPT-3.5 architecture; it is now even […]

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