Attempts to explain art, music, literature, and the sense of beauty as adaptations is both trivial as science and empty as a form of understanding.
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An analysis of how ants quickly find new routes in a changing maze reveals techniques that could be useful to systems engineers.
Shanghai, China, trounced the competition in an international test of 15-year-olds’ skills in math, science, and reading. So what makes the Shanghai students special?
Paul Krugman and David Stockman rarely agree but are united in their stance on the “fiscal irresponsibility of the tax-cut deal.” Why and so what?
A new biography reminds us that the late, great German violinist Adolf Busch should also be remembered as leading the short list of musicians who refused to kowtow to Adolf Hitler.
For a few decades now, the title holder for largest volcano in the solar system has been Mars’ Olympus Mons. The volcano is a large – and by that I […]
By mid-century there could be over 200 million Chinese Christians.
The new eugenic intention seems to be not only pro-life but pro-quality of every life. The choice will be for every person against nature’s randomness and indifference.
A series of infographics comparing the two countries puts their growing rivalry into perspective.
Yesterday, SpaceX became the very first commercial company in history to re-enter spacecraft from low-Earth orbit. Another first was on November 23rd when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a […]
The downfall of the dollar will only be a matter of time, says the economist. That means America may soon be stuck paying more for its imports and more for its debt.
Republicanism is about giving people more personal freedoms, and gay marriage is one such freedom, says Ken Mehlman, the former head of the Republican National Committee. Therefore, Republicans should embrace […]
Ever since President Jimmy Carter normalized relations with China in 1977, the world’s most populous country has slowly expanded freedoms within its country and used “soft power”—influence through diplomatic, economic, […]
Can watching the market for sex toys help predict a recession?
Self justification, we are told, is an unhealthy preoccupation. But just for a change – and considering the enormity of the issues that are and have been at stake, I […]
Stereotypes about women actually influence how women make financial decisions, making them more wary of risk, according to a new study published in Psychological Science.
Churchill’s role during World War Two has become the stuff of legend. Less well understood is how he came to lead his nation at that crucial moment, says biographer Michael Makovsky.
An alternative to batteries gets an advance from tiny, crumpled sheets of graphene, whose electrodes can store more charge because they have larger surface areas.
The announcement that Susan Philipsz had won the Turner prize—Britain’s most embattled arts prize—was rendered almost inaudible by the chants and whoops of student protesters.
Common sense holds that your brain sees an object, and then recognizes it. But a new study shows that the reality may be the reverse. Your expectations shape what you see.
If you wish to achieve Beatle-level success in your field, you must first learn to think like a Beatle, say two authors who have analyzed the band’s business strategies over the years.
“More competition means lower prices. Lower prices mean better access.” The Economist sees a clear horizon for private space missions following the launch of Space X’s Dragon capsule.
As we come to understand more about our subconscious and often irrational decision making processes, one social scientist has isolated cleanliness as a determining factor in how we act.
A Columbia Business School professor says organizations could be more productive if they understood these clever ways employees avoid work. Read more at Forbes.
Geoengineering may sound like a bad action movie plot, but now scientists from the U.K. have published the first comprehensive assessment of this controversial climate change solution.
As you might have read, I will be a panelist at the science blogging workshop at the 2010 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco next week. I will be tackling […]
Visual literacy is an essential necessity of modern life. But some of the most widely recognized symbols of visual language are wrapped in a surprising amount of historical and contextual […]
China is now Africa’s second largest trade partner—with business worth over $100 billion a year, and growing. It is relying on the continent’s natural resources to fuel its growth.
China’s drive to be the world’s biggest economy will come hand in hand with its increased naval presence around the world.
In a post today, risk communication expert and AoE guest contributor David Ropeik focuses on how journalists covering common health risks such as mercury in fish or endocrine disruptors in […]