What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Task’

Photo/Supplied
Short Url
Updated 03 August 2025
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘On Task’

  • In “On Task,” cognitive neuroscientist David Badre presents the first authoritative introduction to the neuroscience of cognitive control—the remarkable ways that our brains devise sophisticated actions to achieve our goals

Author: DAVID BADRE

Why is it hard to text and drive at the same time? How do you resist eating that extra piece of cake?  Why can your child expertly fix the computer and yet still forget to put on a coat ? In “On Task,” cognitive neuroscientist David Badre presents the first authoritative introduction to the neuroscience of cognitive control—the remarkable ways that our brains devise sophisticated actions to achieve our goals. 

We barely notice this routine part of our lives. Yet, cognitive control, also known as executive function, is an astonishing phenomenon that has a profound impact on our well-being.

 


What We Are Reading Today: ‘Gold from Newton’s Apple Tree’ by Nabil Ali

Updated 08 February 2026
Follow

What We Are Reading Today: ‘Gold from Newton’s Apple Tree’ by Nabil Ali

Flowering currant, ivy, Portuguese laurel, and woad might all have grown in a medieval garden, but it would have taken special expertise to extract and create rich blue and purple pigments from them. 

Humans have been extracting dyes and inks from natural materials for millennia, and the practice was firmly established during the medieval era, recorded in manuscripts that survive today.

“Gold from Newton’s Apple Tree” brings together recipes for making natural colors according to season, method, and ingredients.