Learning Science Writer
Ingrid Larsen
Ingrid writes about how people actually retain knowledge, spacing, retrieval, and why most 'learning' apps optimize for something else.
Last updated: August 2026
Articles by Ingrid Larsen
Geopolitics · 9 min read
What Is a Sphere of Influence? The Concept That Quietly Shapes Maps
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Two Sigma Problem: Why Tutoring Works So Well
Geopolitics · 8 min read
Why Is Switzerland Neutral? Geography, History and the Logic of Staying Out
Geopolitics · 8 min read
How Salt Shaped Trade Routes and Empires
Geopolitics · 7 min read
Why Do Tiny Countries Still Exist? Microstates Explained
Learning Science · 7 min read
Deliberate Practice Explained: Why 10,000 Hours Is Not the Whole Story
Learning Science · 7 min read
What Is Metacognition? How Thinking About Your Thinking Makes You Learn Faster
Geopolitics · 7 min read
Why Do Countries Build Brand New Capital Cities?
Geopolitics · 7 min read
Why Do Time Zones Zigzag? The Geography Behind the Clock Lines
Learning Science · 7 min read
Levels of Processing: Why Deep Beats Shallow When You Learn
Geopolitics · 8 min read
Why Fresh Water Shapes Geopolitics: Rivers, Dams and Aquifers
Learning Science · 8 min read
Transfer of Learning Explained: Why Skills Do Not Always Travel
Geopolitics · 8 min read
The Gold Standard Explained: How Gold Ruled Global Money
Geopolitics · 9 min read
How Ocean Currents Shaped World Trade
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Self-Reference Effect: Why You Remember What Relates to You
Geopolitics · 9 min read
Who Owns Antarctica? The Treaty That Froze a Continent's Borders
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Production Effect: Why Saying It Out Loud Helps You Remember
Learning Science · 9 min read
Handwriting vs Typing Notes: Which Helps You Remember More?
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Von Restorff Effect: Why Your Brain Remembers the Odd One Out
Learning Science · 9 min read
The Hypercorrection Effect: Why Confident Mistakes Are Easier to Fix
Learning Science · 8 min read
Context-Dependent Memory: Why Where You Learn Changes What You Remember
Geopolitics · 10 min read
Who Owns the Sea? Territorial Waters and Exclusive Economic Zones Explained
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Pretesting Effect: Why Guessing Before You Learn Boosts Memory
Learning Science · 7 min read
The Curse of Knowledge: Why Experts Explain Things Badly
Geopolitics · 8 min read
Why Everyone Suddenly Cares About the Arctic: Polar Shipping Routes Explained
Learning Science · 7 min read
The Learning Styles Myth: What the Research Actually Shows
Learning Science · 8 min read
Chunking Explained: How Your Brain Turns Details Into Expertise
Learning Science · 8 min read
Does Sleep Really Help You Learn? Memory Consolidation Explained
Learning Science · 9 min read
The Memory Palace, Explained: How to Remember Almost Anything
Learning Science · 8 min read
Elaborative Interrogation: Why Asking Why Helps You Remember
Learning Science · 7 min read
The Protege Effect: Why Teaching Someone Else Is the Fastest Way to Learn
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Generation Effect: Why Guessing Before You Learn Helps You Remember
Geopolitics · 8 min read
Why Deserts Make Natural Borders: From the Sahara to the Gobi
Learning Science · 7 min read
Dual Coding Explained: Why Pictures Help You Remember More
Geopolitics · 7 min read
How the Shipping Container Shrank the World
Learning Science · 7 min read
The Serial Position Effect: Why You Remember Firsts and Lasts
Geopolitics · 7 min read
How Does the Internet Cross the Ocean? Undersea Cables Explained
Geopolitics · 9 min read
The Strait of Hormuz Explained: Why One Narrow Waterway Carries So Much of the World's Oil
Geopolitics · 9 min read
Why Port Cities Rule the World: Harbors, Trade, and Power Explained
Geopolitics · 8 min read
What Is a Reserve Currency? Why the World Trades in Someone Else's Money
Geopolitics · 8 min read
Rare Earths Explained: Why 17 Obscure Metals Shape Global Trade
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Feynman Technique Explained: Learn Anything by Teaching It
Geopolitics · 8 min read
Why the World's Food Comes From So Few Places: Breadbaskets Explained
Geopolitics · 8 min read
Why Being Landlocked Is So Expensive: Geography's Quiet Tax on Trade
Learning Science · 8 min read
Interleaving: Why Mixing Topics Beats Mastering One at a Time
Geopolitics · 9 min read
Ports, Straits and Pipelines: How to Read a Geopolitical Map
Geopolitics · 9 min read
Semiconductors: The New Oil? A Calm Guide to the Chip Map
Knowledge Nuggets · 10 min read
The Economics of Everyday Things: 9 Prices That Make No Sense Until They Do
Learning Science · 8 min read
The Illusion of Knowing: Why Highlighting Feels Great and Does Nothing
Learning Science · 8 min read
Cognitive Load: Why Shorter Lessons Teach More
Learning Science · 9 min read
Spaced Repetition, Explained Like a Museum Tour
Geopolitics · 10 min read
Why Geography Still Decides More Than Politicians Do
Comparisons · 10 min read
Imprint vs Headway vs MindSnap: Which Learning App Fits How You Learn?
Learning Science · 10 min read
Micro-Learning vs. Book Summaries: What Actually Sticks?
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