The vast empire over which human reason once ruled has been made a fiefdom by current neurological research. The brain is as vulnerable to outside influence as any other organ.
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In a previous post about debating on Twitter, I wrote that I conduct most debates these days through the Socratic method. I find this more effective than arguing by assertion, […]
A clever experiment designed by Harvard researchers suggests that we mostly imagine, and recall, positive visions of the future. Though negative forecasts occasionally help us correct our course.
In Carl Sagan’s The Demon-Haunted World, there’s a chapter titled “Maxwell and the Nerds” about James Clerk Maxwell, the Scottish physicist who discovered the four equations that govern electricity and […]
New research suggests that everyone–even atheists–exhibit better self-control when they are thinking about spiritual or religious matters. But why does everyone seem to obey God?
By hosting an interdisciplinary public conversation over the relationship between neuroscience and artistic endeavors, Nobel laureate Eric Kandel seeks a fuller understanding of human behavior.
Accusations have come forward that Mitt Romney was a high-school bully, behavior consistent with his pranksterish past. But what makes some kids pick on others in the first place?
On the one day that we think the most about mothers, grandmothers, godmothers, and all other motherly types, it seems appropriate to ask what is the greatest Mother’s Day portrait […]
Switching between the different hours of your work and social life can cause you to put on weight, says new research. What if working hours were more accommodating to our social lives?
Since the industrialization of agriculture and the more recent trend toward genetically modified foods, we have lost an astounding 93% of the diversity in our food seeds.
A new outdoor gym in the English city of Hull encourages people to exercise by showing them a tangible return: Enough electricity to light the outdoor space and power their phones.
For a mental health break, this weekend I wanted to write about something extremely cool: 3D printing, an emerging technological trend that’s been covered by, among others, the Telegraph, the […]
Few academics decided to study Yemen because of terrorism or al-Qaeda. It was Yemen’s other, richer side that attracted us.
Philistines are people who have something to be embarrassed about but nevertheless do not feel embarrassed. In common usage a philistine ought to feel embarrassed primarily because he lacks “culture”: […]
A new approach to cancer treatment involves extracting a patient’s bone marrow and then infecting it with a virus which carries a genetic immunity to certain chemotherapy drugs.
An expert committee has recommended that a drug trade-named Truvada be offered daily to gay men and people living with infected partners to prevent them from catching HIV.
Warren W. Littlefield embarked on a journey of rediscovery 13 years after he was fired as the President of Entertainment at NBC. With the help of friends like Jerry Seinfeld, Kelsey […]
How can small businesses flourish in today’s disruptive age? Bestelling author Vijay Vaitheeswaran has three concise tips that make it easier for upstarts to take on the giants.
Upon awakening this morning, and for no discernable reason, my first thought focused on religion, and why there is more disdain among the religious, of religions that are not their […]
What is the Big Idea? Social media has been inspiring change in the way business leaders interact with their customer base. And for good reasons. Companies that adopt social technologies […]
What constitutes a job has changed but government statistics on the matter have not. A reassessment is needed to support the young people who will keep tomorrow’s economy going.
Remember the scene in “The Social Network” when Mark Zuckerberg’s friend and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is pushed out of the company and physically escorted out of the building? Some […]
Shakespeare was a ruthless thief. Some of his first plays – the three parts of Henry VI – were so similar to Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine the Great thatmany eighteenth-century scholars […]
Here are seven technologies, from apps to standalone devices, that can aid us in getting a better night’s sleep.
New research suggests that a misunderstanding between givers and receivers of gifts accounts for the taboo against regifting. Givers should encourage receivers to do as they wish.
What could be better than starting your morning, visiting your online haunts, and being confronted, bleary-eyed, with a picture of a blonde woman in a catsuit having her breast suckled […]
As we’ve noted, there are very few and very restricted reasons to prevent a rational person from harming herself. After all, we’ve come to accept adults drinking, smoking, and mountain-climbing […]
You heard it here first. NO NEW BUILDINGS. The future of architecture hangs in the balance–a balance of energy and environmental constraints that will profoundly alter the way humans interact with their environment. For […]
The Mind/Body Split in American Acting (and culture) On the whole, and with a few notable exceptions, Hollywood expects its great actors to play themselves in every role. We want […]
Over 200 powerful women gathered in New York City last week to discuss the idea of adding more women to corporate boards, an idea that seems to be gaining traction. […]