www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain

Why are facts often not enough to dispel false beliefs? If you know that a drug is a placebo, could it still work anyway? What can a personality test tell us about who we are? These and many other questions are explored on the award-winning podcast and radio show Hidden Brain. Through "science and storytelling," this intriguing program hosted by social science journalist Shankar Vedantam "reveals the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, and the biases that shape our choices." Episodes typically range from 30 to 60 minutes in length, and links to additional resources are frequently provided in the show notes. Instructors will also want to check out the show's Education section, where they will find study guides for six episodes (as of this write-up) designed for use with middle school, high school, and college students, with different guides provided for each level. An NPR production, Hidden Brain can be downloaded and streamed at the link above, and it is also available on multiple podcast platforms. [JDC]

NASA: VISIONS OF THE FUTURE

www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-future

Fans of astronomy and vintage advertisements are sure to enjoy Visions of the Future, a collection of 16 imaginative travel posters created for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). This poster series envisions other parts of our solar system (and beyond) as future travel destinations, advertised here in styles inspired by the iconic Works Project Administration national parks posters from the 1930s and '40s. While our planetary neighbors like Mars and Jupiter are featured, as is Earth itself, the series also encourages intrepid future travelers to vacation on moons such as Titan and Europa, as well as more distant places like the starless "rogue" planet PSO J318.5-22. The posters were painstakingly crafted by a team of nine artists, designers, and illustrators with input from JPL scientists and engineers, as well as from communication experts. Each poster can be downloaded for free as a PDF or a high-resolution TIFF file, both measuring 20 x 30 inches when printed, and clicking an individual poster reveals a short paragraph describing JPL's research on that location. [JDC]

LGBT MATERIALS IN THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

New York City is an important location in the history of LGBTQ activism, so it's not surprising that New York Public Library has a wealth of materials documenting the movement. LGBTQ Materials in the New York Public Library is a super-collection, composed of hundreds of documents, photographs, post cards, and more. Many of these items were originally archived by the International Gay Information Center (IGIC) and donated to the New York Public Library in 1988. Subsequently, other archives and collections were also added. Readers may want to begin with the About section, which gives an historical overview of New York City's activist groups from 1950s through the '90s and offers related resources for those looking to learn more. To browse the collection, readers can use the Navigation section, which features drop-down menus specific to particular groups and individuals within which users may view by material type. Some of the activists and organizations represented include Act UP New York, photographer Diana Davies, and artist Emilio Sanchez. Those interested in a more selective search can also use the Filters section to navigate by material topic, collection name, genre of media, and more. [DS][EL]