What was prehistoric human sex like? Most of us conjure “the hackneyed image of the caveman, dragging a dazed woman by her hair with one hand, a club in the other.” Psychologist Christopher Ryan says this image is mistaken in every detail.
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Texas Governor Rick Perry’s August 6th prayer rally, The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis, has already garnered criticism for being a Christians-only affair that blurred […]
For its central and seemingly endless role in the history of the Western world, Rome more than earns the nickname of “Eternal City.” For centuries that history has sparked the […]
Now here’s a backhanded way to normalize a mayor covering up his deputy’s arrest for domestic violence: “Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s management style has its hallmarks: unwavering loyalty to aides […]
The School of Communication at American University has added two nationally recognized scholars studying Internet governance, technology, and politics. Professors DeNardis and Freelon (bios below) will be teaching in our […]
That’s the question posed by one of the lectures in the recently announced Capital Science Series sponsored by the Carnegie Institution for Science of Washington, DC. Details on this particular […]
Quick new post, but if you’re hankering for another live feed, check out the Nautilus Live feed – with the option to watch a split screen of all sorts of […]
Hurricane Irene is going down in the ‘top 10’ record books as more costly than anticipated only a week ago. It is hurricane season. Not exactly a surprise that a […]
Demography is an ever-evolving tool that can help us imagine and re-imagine the future. In this clip from his lecture for The Floating University, Professor Joel Cohen explains its significance.
The U.S. government can borrow money right now at essentially no cost. But for political and ideological reasons the government is leaving what is essentially free money on the table. […]
Representatives from more than 30 countries and multilateral organizations are meeting in Paris to discuss how to assist in Libya’s democratic transition process.
According to Sunni Brown, people don’t share the exact same mental models. If you want someone to see what you see, you have to show it to them, which is exactly what she does.
Despite having $8.3 billion, Steve Jobs isn’t a public philanthropist. Must iconic business people give away substantial portions of their wealth to become well-rounded leaders?
By designing new spaces around tablets, smart phones, and social technologies, companies can operate with far fewer desks. That means fewer cubicles and a freer workspace.
Though Helen Mirren has a reputation for being something of a libertine, she sees herself as a straight-laced, hard working actress from an immigrant family—a bit Jew and Gypsy, too.
As nanodevices get smaller, they demand new fabrication methods. By turning a problem in into an advantage, M.I.T. researchers have made structures a mere 30 atoms wide.
Graphene, the strongest material on Earth, could help boost broadband internet speed. U.K. researchers have found a way to increase its sensitivity in optical communication systems.
Put your rain sticks away. Scientists have developed a way to summon water droplets out of thin air through the use of lasers which may one day help us control where it rains.
Burial and cremation are no longer the only ways of putting your loved one to rest. A Scottish company has installed the first ‘alkaline hydrolysis’ unit in a Florida funeral home.
A New York start up has engineered self-recharging batteries by placing small metal sheets on cell interiors which use the vibrations of the natural environment to generate electricity.
James Wood is probably the best literary critic working today. If he wrote a review of the phone book, I would read it. This week, though, I find myself disagreeing […]
The importance of teaching children self-discipline and the educational power of fun – are also unusually well-supported by science.
Rick Field left a successful career in television to become a pickle entrepreneur. Seven years later, his Rick’s Picks are carving out a mini cultural niche of their own in the American culinary landscape.
Does a wandering mind make you less happy than a present mind? This question formed the basis of an important study by psychologists from Harvard University. The answer, I wasn’t surprised to find, is yes. Absolutely.
If families who make $250,000 a year are not considered to be rich, then how the hell can a teacher who makes less than $60,000 a year to educate our […]
Two new studies propose potential spacecraft missions that would collide with asteroids in an attempt to deflect them away from our planet. Such missions may be our best hope.
Reflecting N.A.S.A.’s shift from lunar exploration to an asteroid visit, astronauts, engineers and scientists are testing four landing scenarios this week in Arizona’s northern desert.
Unless engineers understand why a Russian rocket meant to carry supplies to the International Space Station crashed last week, the station will be empty come November.
Mexico’s Popocatépetl always gets people’s attention – this is thanks to its proximity to Mexico City. Whenever you juxtapose an active volcano with one of the world’s most populous cities, […]
Scientists say our galaxy would have burned out long ago if it depended exclusively on its own resources to generate new stars. So what keeps the lights on across the universe?