Religious groups, labor groups, women’s rights groups, environmental groups and various business interests all offer “scorecards” that rate politicians. So why not atheists? Penn Jillette fills the void.
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The International Energy Agency, known for its typically conservative estimates when it comes to climate change, has produced a disturbingly gloomy report on the future of the planet.
A Russian space probe headed for Mars’ moon Phobos has stalled in Earth’s orbit. Meanwhile, N.A.S.A. plans to launch its biggest Mars rover yet in just over two weeks.
While I voted yesterday, I thought about the Occupy movement. As I cast a “yes” ballot for the right to buy alcoholic beverages on Sundays at package shops in John’s […]
Under a new energy proposal from the Obama administration, the Atlantic and Pacific coasts would remain off-limits to further oil drilling schemes but the Arctic would be opened up.
No, not outer space. The very space in which everything exists is still poorly understood by physicists. Since Einstein, we have known space has a structure but not how it functions.
Will the people sounding dramatic warnings about the latest risk-du-jour ever realize that in some cases the fear they cause may well do more harm than whatever it is they’re […]
The world’s largest array of radio telescopes may soon be awarded to South Africa. Besides revolutionizing our knowledge of the cosmos, the project could spark a scientific renaissance.
“There’s always an opportunity to give money, if that’s an option,” says Mary Ellen Iskenderian. “But giving money is just not sufficient.”
Surprise, surprise. CNN and MSNBC viewers tend to be more concerned about climate change while Fox News viewers tend to be more doubtful.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, my wife and I have for several years been attending a Unitarian Universalist church in the New York area. Unitarian Universalism is officially a […]
This has been a big week for the U.S. domestic airline industry and its embrace of environmentally-friendly biofuels. On Monday, a United Airlines jet completed the first-ever biofuel-powered commercial flight […]
So Tocqueville found two sources of the American devotion to universal education. The first is the universal literacy that is a requirement for a country where everyone works for himself. Being […]
Deron Durflinger, a high school principal in Van Meter, Iowa, says: We need a system that isn’t based on doing well on NAEP and PISA, but in which students are […]
A friend of mother’s, a lovely older woman, casually remarked recently that the only way she would consider dating again would be if she found a man willing to provide […]
Honda’s Asimo robot can now run faster, balance better on uneven surfaces, hop on one foot and even pour a drink. Some of those skills may allow it help clean up the Fukushima plant.
Doug Melton, of Harvard’s Stem Cell Institute, speaks of a new era of medicine in his Floating University lecture. Medicine will no longer aim to simply fix you if you have a disease or injury, but replenish you in order to maintain your young and vibrant state.
Employers now have a new tool “to cut through the crap and get to the right person” when recruiting–a video interview screening service.
I think it’s about time that we get rid of the idea that cheating is a bad thing per se. Generally speaking, cheating is nothing else than collaboration, something we […]
Twitter’s microblogging/social network is much smaller than Facebook. So why do tweets have the edge in promoting news content–especially on mobile?
When Leonardo da Vinci painted at the court of Milan from 1482 through 1499, he contributed to the revolution in seeing we now know as the Renaissance. Lorenzo de’ Medici […]
Two-thirds of people surveyed in the U. K. support the temporary shutdown of services such as Twitter and Facebook in future riots in order to stem the spread of unrest.
Online encyclopedia pioneer Jimmy Wales is excited about the explosion of people online, saying it even gives those living under tyrants the power to demand change.
The USB stick in your hand contains a zip file with your genome on it. You insert the drive into the side of your computer and click the button on the screen that says “Upload.” The machine spits out a prognosis. The secret to your very own personal happiness.
The explosive growth of the micro-blogging service’s global popularity is emblematic of a trend affecting the entire internet: it’s becoming less American, and less Anglophone.
Iran–with apparent help from Soviet, Pakistani and North Korean experts–is near to nuclear capability, according to a bombshell report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Thailand is paying a price for rapid urbanization, which is one key reason floods are so badly affecting slowly sinking Bangkok. Should it move the entire city, as some experts advise?
Ah retirement…you know the vision – vistas of long beaches, fairways, sunsets with umbrella drinks. Baloney. This imagery worked as an ideal for those who thought they might retire early […]
Craig Robinson, a conservative blogger who runs The Iowa Republican, didn’t mince words last week, calling Herman Cain a liar who is not willing to take responsibility for his actions. […]
Big Think’s Chief Economist Daniel Altman examines the origins of the Euro Zone and some of the inherent challenges it faces.