A few weeks ago, rumors started swirling that the United Nations was going to nominate Mazlan Othman, a celebrated Malayasian astrophysicist, to be the UN’s first Space Ambassador.
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The news of the aftermath from the Merapi eruption continues to be grim. The pyroclastic flows have killed at least 33 people (including the “Keeper of Merapi”, who has caused a stir […]
Last night President Obama appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, receiving mixed reviews from commentators as the President sought to speak directly to an important Democratic base of […]
So, maybe I spoke too soon when I mentioned in passing how quiet the fall has been in the world of volcanic eruptions. In less than a week since I […]
“Pig manure can pave our streets—and a path to cleaner energy.” The Atlantic reports on a new machine that converts excrement into bio-oil and liquid fertilizer.
“The time taken to ‘fall in love’ clocks in at about one-fifth of a second, not the six months of romantic dinners and sharing secrets some might expect.”
The prolific and award-winning Canadian writer designs superhero costumes for alter-egos of two of her readers—as well as a chilling enemy ‘the Paniac’.
“Leaked photos purporting to show a Sony Ericsson handset combined with a PlayStation Portable games console have appeared online.” The Telegraph reports.
“My team at the U.K. Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge has come up with the ultimate test of intelligence,” says Adrian Owen.
If you are a startup looking for investors, stay as close to home as possible. Forbes’ Maureen Farrell says fundraising rounds will be shorter and less frequent if you do.
“Policy doesn’t swing very wildly when government changes hands.” The Economist’s Iowa correspondent says midterm elections are more about coalitions than zero-sum games.
The prolonged debate over net neutrality threatens to retard development of strong U.S. broadband lines while countries like Japan and South Korea plow ahead.
“Having at least one female sibling makes us happier and less prone to depression, especially if our parents were divorced. This effect seems to persist into adulthood.”
“A new advance in recording and interpreting brain activity will open the door to machines that could record and play back your dreams,” say U.C.L.A. neurology researchers.
The decision by Iraq’s high tribunal to pass a death sentence on Tariq Aziz, once the international face of dictator Saddam Hussein’s regime, over “the persecution of Islamic parties”, has the feel of […]
Maybe it was a good thing that I was headed out of town the day Juan Williams got whacked by the NPR head honchos. Because it probably wouldn’t have taken […]
While recent advances in software and technology have made remarkable progress in humanoid robotics, one area consistently lagging in comparison to human ability has been the sensitivity of touch. Now, […]
The jungle has often been a metaphor for the breakdown of morality. Think “Heart of Darkness” or “Aguirre: Wrath of God.” And now we have a true story to add […]
College-educated women are gaining on their husbands in terms of both education and income. This should increase their power in the home.
The physicist scoffed at the idea of quantum entanglement, calling it “spooky action at a distance. And while it has in fact been proven to exist, this entanglement can’t be used to transmit any usable information.
How do you create a communication campaign that reaches every single person in the nation? More specifically, in a world of information disparities and fragmented attention, how do you create […]
Quick post (Department commitments now), but in an attempt to get comments working again, I’ve opened this new thread. I’ll inquire about the problem with the comments – my guess […]
While coal has long supplied energy to the Navajo tribe in Arizona, new inspiration and political will is calling for renewable energy to build the society’s future.
“Researchers find they can alleviate depression in mice by boosting a protein in one part of the brain.” Technology Review on how gene therapy could be used in humans.
In 1916, Dr. T. Kenard Thomson proposed increasing N.Y.C.’s property value by creating a land bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn and building an island off the Jersey shore.
France’s new Internet piracy police has been scouring the Web for illegal downloaders of films and music, sending warning emails to suspected intellectual property thieves.
Does wine taste better in certain phases of the moon? Catherine Nixey examines a 20th century theory that says earth’s satellite affects the taste of the vintage.
“The Bible exhorts us to love our neighbors. But what about our colleagues? Do we really need to love the people we work with?” Dr. Paul Zak on why love is essential in the workplace.
New research suggests that people are more comfortable with being dishonest on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook than when speaking face-to-face.
“The west still rules—but this will change in the coming decades; indeed, geography may cease to matter.” Ian Morris says the rate of global change is accelerating.