The mysterious Jonathan Franzen is unraveled in an imagined conversation between himself, Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf. The author’s new book ‘Freedom’ is the talk of the town.
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While we consider the ability to ignore distraction crucial to a productive life, recent research shows that creativity is aided by the intervention of seemingly irrelevant occurrences.
The past few years have yielded a promising array of designs inspired by biomimicry, radically diverse in domain and application but unified by a common tangent of brilliant simplicity and […]
What’s going on chemically in your brain as you feel the pierce of cupid’s arrow? Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher explains the cocktail of neurotransmitters that cause you to fall in (and out of) love.
“But ultimately, the world of high finance, [Stone] said, is just a backdrop for a film ‘about trust, love, greed betrayal.’” This is from Andrew Ross Sorkin’s Dealbook column in […]
Psychiatrist Norman Doidge, author of “The Brain That Changes Itself,” discusses how neuroplasticity can be hijacked by an addition to pornography.
We’ve had a lot of success with the Q&A series here on Eruptions, so why not keep it up. Earlier in the summer, I briefly mentioned an article that was picked […]
Craigslist Canada is under pressure from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to take down the erotic section of their Web site following a decision by the U.S. site to remove […]
American politicians and lawmakers are deeply conflicted about human enhancement technologies (medical interventions that extend the capabilities of the human body). Stem cell research doesn’t qualify as enhancement; rather it is […]
Almost two years ago global brewing powerhouse InBev bought U.S.-based Anheuser-Busch for a staggering $52 billion, creating AB InBev, which now controls about a quarter of the world’s beer market. […]
My mailbox is overflowing with questions from viewers who have watched “Sci Fi Science.” It would take too long to answer all of them, but let me answer a few […]
Batwoman is gay. Originally introduced as part of DC Comics’ 52 series as part of a push to introduce more minority superheroes, the new Batwoman was fleshed out by Greg […]
Spanning over 69 years, and taking him from vaudeville theater to feature films to Broadway to television series, Joel Grey has had a storied career as an actor and entertainer. […]
A velvet smooth voice singing “chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose” is always the first thing that comes to mind whenever I see the […]
It is a cliché that the brain is the “largest sex organ,” but the repetition of the phrase doesn’t make it any less true.
Irin Carmon of Jezebel put a disturbing spin on the very disturbing case of a cognitively disabled teenage runaway who was allegedly tortured, mutilated, tricked into fictive bonded servitude, pimped, […]
The efforts by Feisel Abdul Rauf and allies to tell their side of the story in the debate over the Islamic cultural center in lower Manhattan are not intended to […]
For the past few weeks, I’ve been discussing the advantages and challenges relevant to open-access publishing in academia. For those with a special interest in this topic and who want […]
Britain’s two most celebrated scientists have teamed up to discuss all of life’s big issues: the unity of life, ethics, energy, Handel—and the joy of riding a snowmobile.
“The worst of times for politics and media has been the best of times for The Daily Show’s host—and unfortunately things are getting even funnier.” New York Magazine profiles the comedian.
In a dramatic attempt by Cuba to shift its nearly bankrupt economy toward a more market-oriented system, the government will lay off more than five-hundred thousand workers.
“What, then, is the problem in people with ADHD? The disorder is really about the allocation of attention, being able to control our mental spotlight.” The Frontal Cortex redefines ADHD.
“Video-games players develop an enhanced sensitivity to what is going on around them and that this may help with activities such as multitasking, driving and reading small print.”
“Football tells us that violence can be beautiful when performed for the sake of a greater good.” The Atlantic’s Hampton Steven’s offers an ‘intellectual’s defense of football’.
“Recent research points to a smarter way to tackle climate change.” Bjørn Lomborg says governments should increase energy R&D efforts and invest in climate engineering.
“How does religious ritual preserve humanity from chaos and entropy?” Yale professor of computer science David Gelernter says religious ceremony makes life beautiful.
“As we get older we lose the ability to focus on isolated pieces of sensory information. This means adults perceive certain events far more accurately than children can—and vice versa.”
“Are We Heading for a Space Bubble? The supply of new spacecraft, launchers, and spaceports may soon exceed the demand.” Technology Review on the booming private space business.
In the White House, can a white conservative do more to restrain anti-Islamic bigotry than an African-American progressive? Writing on the anniversary of 9/11, a couple of writers Saturday argued […]
This rather sinister image is one of the biggest mysteries in the history of western cartography. Most often referred to simply as the Fool’s Cap Map of the World, it […]