Aeon · Zola

Lore of the rings

Trees contain an archive – tales of planetary shifts, cosmic events, historical pivots – that we’re only just unlocking- by Valerie TrouetRead on Aeon

Valerie TrouetJul 10, 2026

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Aeon

How to offset your brain

From confirmation bias to loss aversion, everyone suffers from cognitive biases. Skilfully targeted mindfulness can help- by Stephanie DoraisRead on Aeon

Stephanie DoraisJul 9, 2026

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Aeon

Africa’s cultural landmarks: rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia

Most buildings rise from the bottom up, stone by stone. Not so these churches: carved from a single rock, top-to-bottom- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJul 9, 2026

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Aeon

Sangre violenta / sangre violeta

Confronted with the horrifying reality of gendered violence, radically different people unite in resistance and protest- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJul 8, 2026

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Aeon

‘The emperor is far away’

Ming Dynasty China left us copious texts, but these veil the lives of the vast majority of its people from our view- by Craig ClunasRead on Aeon

Craig ClunasJul 7, 2026

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Aeon

Skill nostalgia

Is all the beekeeping, baking and leatherwork just escapist fantasy or the start of a radically human approach to work?- by Joshua Habgood-CooteRead on Aeon

Joshua Habgood-CooteJul 6, 2026

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Aeon

Begone dull care

Let this exuberant melding of jazz and animation from 1949 blur your senses as abstract visuals interpret the music- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJul 6, 2026

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Aeon

Abyss

The testimonies of Ukraine’s war widows reveal the mortal risk of love and the possibility of dying while alive: a black pain- by Julie ResheRead on Aeon

Julie ResheJul 3, 2026

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Aeon

The anguish of choice

In the shattered aftermath of war, Sartre delivered a formidable lecture on freedom and meaning. Its urgency remains- by Skye C ClearyRead on Aeon

Skye C ClearyJul 2, 2026

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Aeon

Karl Hess: toward liberty

‘Society, in fact, is neighbourhoods’ – how Karl Hess transformed from a Republican speechwriter into a radical welder- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJul 2, 2026

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Aeon

Noguchi’s New York animations

Hand-painted animations bring to life Isamu Noguchi’s ideas for playgrounds that could integrate art with everyday life- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJul 1, 2026

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Aeon

Illegible benefits

The costs of transformative innovations are immediately clear: it’s the longterm gains that are hardest to understand- by Carlo CordascoRead on Aeon

Carlo CordascoJun 30, 2026

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Aeon

The measure of flourishing

Human prosperity depends on nature, but no global metric has captured this with precision. Enter the Nature Relationship Index- by Yadvinder MalhiRead on Aeon

Yadvinder MalhiJun 29, 2026

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Aeon

Timelapse of the Universe

When 13 billion years of the cosmos get condensed into 10 epic minutes, when in the timelapse do you think humans appear?- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJun 29, 2026

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Aeon

The violence specialists

Every society depends on violence workers, but what makes young men take a job that risks their lives and harms others?- by Raúl Zepeda GilRead on Aeon

Raúl Zepeda GilJun 26, 2026

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Aeon

Who are the fire-tamers?

From remote farmhouses to oncology clinics, a secret world of French healers works in parallel with conventional medicine- by Susanna CrossmanRead on Aeon

Susanna CrossmanJun 25, 2026

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Aeon

Reset: Hat

This portrait of a life reimagined is a meditation on identity, happiness and the balance between freedom and conformity- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJun 25, 2026

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Aeon

The memories of others

How a Japanese war photographer became one of the most insightful chroniclers of the Troubles in Northern Ireland- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJun 24, 2026

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Aeon

No one is self-made

The idea that success is deserved has great traction in the world. But Zhuangzi argues that it is a deeply flawed notion- by Christine Abigail L TanRead on Aeon

Christine Abigail L TanJun 22, 2026

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Aeon

And Granny would dance

Woven from memories of her childhood in Iran, an animator recalls her Granny’s story of loss, love and friendship- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJun 22, 2026

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Aeon

Trauma creep

From a broken life to a broken nail, ‘trauma’ has been bleached by overuse. But it names something real – and must be reclaimed- by Lily DunnRead on Aeon

Lily DunnJun 19, 2026

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Aeon

Words, words, words

Strong resistance to AI among writers is understandable. But it obscures what we share with the machines: language itself- by Martin PuchnerRead on Aeon

Martin PuchnerJun 18, 2026

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Aeon

Neanderthal 1

The 16 bones that would rewrite history – on the site in Germany where we began to understand Neanderthals, and ourselves- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJun 18, 2026

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Aeon

Female philosophers: Héloïse

Morality is rooted in love, not institutions: the enduring impact of Héloïse’s 12th-century romance with Abelard- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJun 17, 2026

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Aeon

What is this rock?

Not natural, not quite unnatural, the strange new rocks of the Anthropocene stretch the boundaries of geology- by John MacDonaldRead on Aeon

John MacDonaldJun 16, 2026

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Aeon

Therapy for billionaires

As my grandfather’s billions taught, wealth can be a poison. The rich must reckon with its costs to recover their humanity- by Alexa ClayRead on Aeon

Alexa ClayJun 15, 2026

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Aeon

Our neighbors, the peacocks

A portrait of the pristine suburb of Arcadia, where hundreds of feral peacocks are embraced by some, despised by others- by Aeon VideoWatch on Aeon

Aeon VideoJun 15, 2026

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Aeon

A philosophy of home

The household is a community, as much as the state, and ancient philosophy had much more to say about it than we think- by Sandrine BergèsRead on Aeon

Sandrine BergèsJun 12, 2026

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Aeon