Archive - Res Obscura

When the Sackler Brothers studied LSD

One of the stranger episodes from the 1950s golden age of psychedelic therapy, and what it tells us about the history of technology

Jan 29 •

The leading AI models are now good historians

... in specific domains. Three case studies with GPT-4o, o1, and Claude Sonnet 3.5, and what they mean

Jan 22 •

2,000-year-old wine and the uncanny immediacy of the past

Why artifacts like the Carmona Wine Urn, the Pazyryk Rug, and the Sword of Goujian are so important

Jan 15 •

December 2024

Why did clothing become boring?

An investigation into when, how, and why everyone started dressing the same — and what it was like when they didn't

Dec 4, 2024 •

October 2024

A very deep history of Halloween

Or, how far back can historical analysis take us?

Oct 29, 2024 •

What did we lose when we stopped writing letters?

Oct 23, 2024 •

On 17th century "cocaine"

A new analysis of mummified brains pushes back the timeline for the globalization of coca

Oct 9, 2024 •

June 2024

Centuries of Childhood

The history of childhood is one of multiplicity — so why do we tell parents such simplistic stories about it?

Jun 11, 2024 •

May 2024

LLM-based educational games will be a big deal

For the first time, digital games can make qualitative assessments of learning. Here's what that might look like.

May 14, 2024 •

April 2024

Why etymologies matter

How tracing words can illuminate history

Apr 30, 2024 •

March 2024

"He spoke of computers with some awe"

Margaret Mead, John von Neumann, and the prehistory of AI

Mar 19, 2024 •

February 2024

How well can AI imitate an early modern doctor?

Arcadio Huang is ill in 1710s Paris. Can GPT-4 and Gemini find a cure?

Feb 16, 2024 •

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