What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Mirror and the Mind: A History of Self-Recognition in the Human Sciences’ 

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Updated 20 November 2022
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Mirror and the Mind: A History of Self-Recognition in the Human Sciences’ 

Author: Katja Guenther

Since the late 18th century, scientists have placed subjects — humans, infants, animals, and robots — in front of mirrors in order to look for signs of self-recognition.

Mirrors served as the possible means for answering the question: What makes us human?

In “The Mirror and the Mind,” Katja Guenther traces the history of the mirror self-recognition test, exploring how researchers from a range of disciplines — psychoanalysis, psychiatry, developmental and animal psychology, cybernetics, anthropology and neuroscience — came to read the peculiar behaviors elicited by mirrors. 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘How the Universe Got Its Spots’

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Updated 02 January 2026
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What We Are Reading Today: ‘How the Universe Got Its Spots’

  • Nimbly explaining geometry, topology, chaos, and string theory, Levin shows how the pattern of hot and cold spots left over from the big bang may one day reveal the size of the cosmos

Author: JANNA LEVIN 

Is the universe infinite or just really big? With this question, cosmologist Janna Levin announces the central theme of this book, which established her as one of the most direct, unorthodox, and creative voices in contemporary science.

As Levin sets out to determine how big “really big” may be, she offers a rare intimate look at the daily life of an innovative physicist, complete with jet lag and the tensions between personal relationships and the extreme demands of scientific exploration.

Nimbly explaining geometry, topology, chaos, and string theory, Levin shows how the pattern of hot and cold spots left over from the big bang may one day reveal the size of the cosmos.