@GregCaramenico
I write and review mostly on mind/neuroscience, law, and the history of ideas. Swimmer, attorney and aspiring pizzaiolo. Street food enthusiast.
www.gregcaramenico.com/bioFocused reader — 8 sources in 90 days
Rather long read but great mystery-solving and covers many of the key topics in historical linguistics. Also explains the toolkit with more fun examples than I've seen in one article or book before.
Pre-Greek: The lost language hidden within Ancient Greek
Around 1,000 Greek words can’t be traced to any Indo-European language. Where do they come from?
linguisticdiscovery.com
There's a widely read popular science book on the early years of this story, Ether Day, but I think this article is especially interesting (and succinct) on the importance of related drug classes (like neuromuscular blockers, IV agents) for making surgery practical in more therapeutic categories. Quick read.
The Origin of Anesthesia: Feuding Scientists, War, and Dart Poison | The Scientist
Through piecemeal advances involving dentists, adventurers, and Queen Victoria, anesthesia evolved from a crude, risky practice into a sophisticated specialty.
the-scientist.com
In economic analysis this might seem to be stating the obvious, but from an intellectual and institutional/political perspective understated, really: I'd add that funding is regulation, and public funding is not that much less constrained than private corporate funding (but is constrained in different, less intuitive ways).
Strings Attached: Science Regulation by Science Funders - Technology Law
Doni Bloomfield, How Science Grantmakers Govern (Mar. 25, 2026) (unpublished manuscript), available at SSRN (Mar. 13, 2026).Nicholson PriceWho regulates the physical and informational risks of scientific research? Who makes sure that researchers keep intensely personal data secret, or lock their dangerous chemicals away safely, or don’t haphazardly create superviruses that could kill us all? You could be forgiven for assuming it was, well, a regulator—OSHA or the CDC or some similar entity tha
cyber.jotwell.com
I think Solms' work points to some useful ideas that come from (and out of) Freudian theory, regardless of our stance toward Solms or Friston's ideas. A great point Solms makes (best elsewhere), is that the centrality of unconscious processes to conscious thought and feeling was not posited by many rival theories or scientific models, and this might be the most lasting scientific fact to be predicted by Freud's writings.
What if Freud Was Right?
A neuroscientist dares to argue that old-fashioned psychoanalysis holds the key to curing mental illness.
theatlantic.com
Interesting recap, but like doesn't really address whether Hobsbawn's persistent irrational Stalinism affected his historical / historiographical judgment. Hard to separate from wider negative influences of Marxian analysis I'd guess.
The Century of Eric Hobsbawm
Eric Hobsbawm’s enduring power lay in his ability to synthesize vast historical processes into compelling narratives that made the modern world legible. Yet, argues Traverso, the celebrated Marxist historian
theideasletter.org
Speculative but generative perception models (or research generally) comparatively underused
Watching the mind build a world: Lucid dreaming as a model for generative perception
Lucid dreaming offers a rare opportunity to observe and probe perception from within.
thetransmitter.org
This was reposted recently amid reviews of last year's biography (True Nature). Memories from a distant literary cold war.
3quarksdaily.com
Mel Brooks (re)appreciated by the engaging philosopher Jake Howland.
All hail, Mel Brooks
unherd.com
Reflections from an intellectual biography of Lamarck and an original take on Lamarck (and his sort-of comeback) in the contemporary moment
What Lamarck’s Giraffe Got Right
What Lamarck’s Giraffe Got Right: Jessica Riskin’s three greatest revelations while writing Power of Life
nautil.us
Coffee + aesthetic skill + engineering insight
How La Marzocco Perfected the Espresso Machine
Beloved by coffee enthusiasts, the century-old brand has built a philosophy based on timeless design, reliability, and watching baristas at work.
totei.com
Early anti-ascetism
Why Do We Torture Ourselves? Ice-baths, Fasting, and the Allure of Discomfort
YONAH LAVERY-YISRAELI | Like the modern skeptic, Rambam Rambam (more widely known as Maimonides) is wary of trends and is alive to the slipperiness of motivation. In his work Shemoneh Peraqim, he raises the spectres of misunderstanding and superficiality, and argues that there are, in fact, right and wrong reasons to engage in discomfort.
marginaliareviewofbooks.com
Seems relevant to multiple fields and also important innovation that I haven't read much about in science journalism.
the-scientist.com
Good news.
The surprisingly strong case for feeling great about your coffee habit
Your morning coffee is one of modern life’s underrated miracles.
vox.com
Not sure the aggregated studies mean anything, now anyway, but interesting from a preliminary perspective on learning
How AI Affects Your Brain According to the Studies: A (Very Big) Compilation
The entire literature clearly points to a single surprising finding
substack.com
Interesting analyses on neurotech from a significant contributor to neurolaw debates. I am not optimistic about the efficacy of some of the tech but its adoption in society is what is most at issue. Also good tutorial on law and AI.
The Brain Tech Revolution Won't Look Like Hollywood—It'll Look Like This
Forget mind control. Real neurotechnology breakthroughs are quieter. 3-minute memory tests and AI that decodes what you see.
nitafarahany.substack.com
Interesting in context of convergent / conparative evolution and also how similar vision mechanisms are across animal world.
Cephalopods, vision’s next frontier
For decades, scientists have been teased by the strange but inaccessible cephalopod visual system. Now, thanks to a technological breakthrough from a lab in Oregon, data are finally coming straight…
thetransmitter.org
