‘His favourite book was by Jordan Peterson, which was a massive ick’: how books perform on dating apps

Mentions of reading in Tinder bios are up 29% in the last year. But is searching for a fellow fan of one’s favourite author really a shortcut to compatibility?

‘One of my Hinge prompts is: ‘What’s the best book you read this year?’ and I swipe left on anyone who says a book I don’t like,” says 29-year-old Ayo*. “Someone once replied with a book by Jordan Peterson, which was a massive ick.”

It’s a blunt approach to romance, but Ayo is far from alone. Books have long functioned as cultural shorthand for personality – signals of taste and worldview – but dating apps have accelerated and intensified that process. In an attention economy that rewards speed, these signifiers have to be legible at a glance.

Continue reading...

Astronomers Witness Rare Failed Supernova in Andromeda Galaxy

NASA’s NEOWISE infrared telescope has provided striking evidence that a massive star in the Andromeda galaxy collapsed directly into a black hole without exploding as a supernova. The star, M31-2014-DS1, faded dramatically in visible light while leaving a faint infrared glow from surrounding dust. Astronomers say this rare “failed supernova” offers one of the cl...