What’s the Magic Word?
What’s the magic word? Is it “please”? “Abracadabra”? Wingardium leviosa”? Why are humans drawn to incantations and affirmations?
2025 Update: Quantifying Consolidation in the Scholarly Journals Market
Catching up with the ongoing consolidation of the journals market — what has happened in the two years since this was last examined? And how does the market look if you add in a large number of relatively newly launched journals?
The AI Slop Overload Does Not Taste Good
AI-generated recipes are taking over the internet. How do they taste?
Translating D’oh!
Wait, Homer Simpson doesn’t say “D’oh!” in different countries?
The Best Optical Illusions of 2024
A good crop of optical illusions win the 2024 contest from the Neural Correlate Society.
Happy 4th of July — Surf’s Up!
Celebrating American Independence Day with a truly great American art form.
Picnic Awareness: Lightning and Watermelons Do Not Mix
A public service announcement about the dangers of picnics in thunderstorms.
The Devil is in the Details, Specifically, Titivillus, the “Medieval Demon of Typos”
Have you been visited by Titivillus, the demon of typographical errors?
Is Grammar an Inherent Product of the Human Brain?
A long-running academic controversy — do humans share a universal grammar that stems from the structure and evolution of the human brain?
Greetings from SSP 2025 in Baltimore
Some thoughts midway through the SSP 2025 Annual Meeting.
Off for the US Holiday — Wishing You A Constructive Summer
We are off for the Memorial Day holiday, traditionally marking the beginning of summer.
Language Evolves, or rather, Constantly Cooks New Ways to Pass the Vibe Check
A millennial linguist dares to speak to a gen-alpha audience in their native tongue.
Welcoming a New Chef in the Kitchen, Randy Townsend
Today, Randy Townsend officially joins us as a regular contributor in The Scholarly Kitchen.
Ask The Chefs — The NIH Steps on the Open Access Accelerator
The NIH has answered the lingering questions about the future of the Nelson Memo. Not only is it still in effect, it’s being accelerated by six months. We asked the Chefs for their thoughts.
The Scholarly Kitchen Hires a Sous Chef
Join us in welcoming Lettie Conrad as the new Deputy Editor at The Scholarly Kitchen.