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On a wide range of contentious issues, academics and researchers publish work that pretends to offer objective evidence, but which on closer inspection turns out to be advocacy masquerading behind intellectualisms, scientific methodology, footnotes and citations, and erudite language. A recent example is a paper by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and colleagues arguing that genetically modified foods pose such a risk to life on Earth that agricultural biotechnology should be banned under a strict application of the Precautionary Principle.

Like L. Ron Hubbard knew, the veneer of celebrity casts such a bright light that the details are obscured. Perhaps that’s why we call them “stars.” The closer you get, the harder to observe the shadows being cast.

Scientists have found girls who consume more than one sugary drink a day start their periods more than two months earlier than those who consume fewer.

Some health advocates believe the public would eat healthier if they were informed just how much they’d have to exercise to work off a bowl of sugary cereal or a liter of cola.

On February 8, 1915, at Clune’s Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, D. W. Griffith’s Birth of a Nation premiered. The fledgling art form of film would never be the same, especially in America, which even half a century after the end of the Civil War struggled to come to terms with race. Now, a century after Birth of a Nation’s premier, America still struggles not only with race, but also with how race plays out on the silver screen. For good and ill, Birth of a Nation marks the beginning of the first 100 years of the American Cinema—epically beautiful, yet often racially ugly.

Should certain organizations be exempt from paying artists a minimum wage? This question becomes difficult to tackle when lines between ‘work’ and ‘play’ become blurred. At the same time, some of these institutions are able to get away with paying workers nothing.

What would happen if you pulled a tiny chunk out of a neutron star? “Try to imagine what it will be like to go to sleep and never wake up… […]

On Monday the price of gas was down to a national average of $2.19 per gallon, capping off a record 102 days of decline. The price of a domestic flight remains flat.

Workplace survival during a leadership change is an exercise in Social Darwinism (and sometimes involves more bootlicking than we’d like to admit).

OK, smartphone user (yes, we know that most of you, at this very moment, are now peering down onto a rectangular screen), have you ever wasted time on your phone? Of […]

Despite widespread belief in the myth that sugar causes hyperactivity, scientists have known for more than two decades that the link is all in the mind.

How providing people with evidence about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines can backfire.

The most powerful telescope in history will never see the farthest galaxy. “No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded […]

Some disturbing statistics were recently released by a travel website and, if their findings are true, most Americans are throwing away their vacation days.

“Unplugging digitally” was a top 3 New Year’s resolution this year as thousands seek to distance themselves from their devices. A new study suggests gadgetry isn’t as stress-inducing as we think. 

The story of our neck of the woods, on the most cosmic of all scales. “We live in a world that has narrowed into a neighborhood before it has broadened […]

Innovation expert Elliott Masie explains the goal of his MASIE Center think tank: to investigate the connections between technology, innovation, and learning. Part of this is understanding the instantaneous nature of commercial innovation.

And if so, how does Einstein’s relativity — both special and general — cope? “If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.” -Mario Andretti The end of the week means another dip […]

Economics and fiction both seek to describe and explain human nature. Measured against what makes fiction feel realistic, the tales of mainstream economists don’t ring true. Yet they govern us.

Psychologists and behavioral therapists have begun integrating cooking into their treatment strategies, extending the benefits of meal preparation far beyond satisfying hunger.

Maintaining a low-calorie diet may help you age more slowly, delaying the unsavory aspects of aging like dementia and Alzheimer’s. 

To keep you safe from harm, the British government has prepared 47 maps of areas around the world you should avoid.

A Chicago Tribune study suggests that the city’s red light camera system, intended to make roads safer, are causing more accidents resulting in injury than before.

Sherman Alexie, author of the award-winning novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, on Young Adult fiction: “A lot of people have no idea that right now Y.A. is the Garden of Eden of literature… One person asked me, ‘Wouldn’t you have rather won the National Book Award for an adult, serious work?’ I thought I’d been condescended to as an Indian — that was nothing compared to the condescension for writing Y.A.”

Confessions of an Outlaw: A Creativity Workshop, with Philippe Petit High-wire artist Philippe Petit, who four decades ago performed illegally between the World Trade Center towers, explains how his personal […]

All the stars in the night sky are bound in the Milky Way galaxy, just one of billions in the Universe. Here’s the story of where they come from. “The […]

Personal ownership of drones is set to skyrocket in 2015. Here’s what you need to know if you’re thinking of buying one this holiday season.

Reverse the Odds, a mobile game developed by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, invites users to find patterns in real tumor tissue in order to help scientists learn more about cancer. 

Exercises that call for people to blindfold themselves in order to experience what it’s like to be blind may hurt perceptions of those who are disabled rather that help those with sight understand.

The harmful effects of Tasers are real—not just to the body, but to the mind. At the heels of yearlong study, Lauren Kirchner from Pacific Standard has compiled her data that questions the use of Tasers as a “safer” alternative to a firearm.