New magic mushroom makes users see tiny ‘gnome’ people — scientists have no idea how it’s doing that

Magic mushrooms? You have gnome idea. Move over psilocybin — there’s a new psychoactive agent on the scene. A study published ...
The Atlantic

Where Magic Meets Science

The science journalist Matt Kaplan starts and ends his book The Science of the Magical with quotes from the royal elf Galadriel from The Lord of the Rings. The one in the beginning: And some things ...
Gizmodo

Science Versus Magic — Is There a Difference in the World of Fiction?

One of the biggest debates among people who like scifi — aside from the Star Wars vs. Star Trek thing — is where to draw the line between science and magic. Some adhere to the idea that magic is ...
WHYY

Should we talk about science like it’s magic?

Bill Nye in his television show, "Bill Nye, The Science Guy." (AP Photo/Michael OKoniewski) Often we think about “Star Wars” movies as science fiction, but they really aren’t. Bill Nye the Science Guy ...
Forbes

Telling Stories About Magic In A World Of Science

In yesterday's post about the limits of physics, I noted that the ultimate problem is philosophical-- the "unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics" in Eugene Wigner's phrase. That is, physics, like ...
Medical Xpress

The science of magic: It's not all hocus pocus

Think of your favourite magic trick. Is it as grandiose as David Copperfield's Death Saw, or is it as simple as making a coin disappear in front of your very eyes? These two very different tricks have ...