No single factor can explain the aging process. Rather, lifespan is determined by complex interactions among diet, mitochondrial DNA, and nuclear DNA.
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In the heart of our nearest big galaxy cluster, a massive spiral fights for its life. “Ali always said I would be nothing without him. But what would he have been […]
The popular phrase meant to guide your decisions through the weeds of life to the garden of self-fulfillment is more harmful than helpful.
We know several key things lie ahead for our planet: an aging population, climate change, a changing energy economy, immigration, and new personal technologies.
Into the Bestiary Business Should Chinese creatures be incorporated into Anglo-Saxon parlance, and if so, where to draw the line in number and color? This goes beyond linguistic pedantry and […]
Private space companies are gearing up for their most active year yet as they work to create a space tourism market and exploit resources beyond the planet.
There has been a lot of attention in recent years on flow—complete absorption in a task that it almost seems effortless. The modern pursuit of flow—how to achieve it, how […]
Andy Warhol’s exhibition, titled 13 Most Wanted Men, didn’t raise eyebrows when it was reviewed for submission to the 1964 New York World’s Fair…
Our unbridled enthusiasm for data-driven technology is dangerous, says cultural critic Evgeny Morozov, because it encourages us to adopt a particularly skewed understanding of the concept of freedom.
What happens when honey bees feed on M&Ms? “My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished […]
Because states are increasingly given to using untested chemicals to carry out executions, some legislatures have passed secrecy laws that shield the chemical providers from public scrutiny.
Recent studies indicate there is real linguistic and psychological significance to seemingly useless words such as “um”, “like”, and “you know,” according to the Journal of Language and Social Psychology.
This week the four major wireless carriers began allowing customers to take advantage of text-to-911 services available in two states and a handful of counties. It could prove most useful for those who are hard-of-hearing or have difficulty speaking.
Carnegie Mellon scientists have developed an interface that works through twists and tilts as well as clicks.
YOU wish they’d teach you this at school -they won’t necessarily. The United States, according to many foreign policy analysts, including critical voices such as famed Noam Chomsky (aka: “The […]
A new startup offers a solution to the problem of urban congestion: Collect data from transit programs, calculate estimated peak travel times, and offer rewards to commuters who avoid those periods.
A University of Washington study shows that despite the increase in the number of companies offering flexible schedules, managers still tend to give early birds higher conscientiousness and performance ratings.
In the 1983 film War Games the government has built a computer to simulate all the ways in which thermonuclear war might play out in order to find the best […]
Numerous studies have demonstrated the ways in which healthy social relationships can extend life. A new one suggests that domestic strife can shorten life…even when the only weapons are words.
“Deliberation is the function of many; action is the function of one.” – Charles de Gaulle
It’s all relative, but what you might have seen probably isn’t accurate. “There is no such thing as perpetual tranquillity of mind while we live here; because life itself is […]
Is there a conscientious struggle to balance rights with obligations in our contemporary political landscape, or does the individual rule our ideology?
The next generation of the Internet will be more deeply integrated into our lives through our use of everyday objects, from house keys, to coffee cups, to our pet’s food bowl.
History’s most successful(4) euphemism(1) is making original idiots(2) of us. “Idiotic” first meant the opposite(3) of “political,” but they’re almost synonyms(5) now. 1. Here are definitions of the euphemism and […]
All of Isaac Newton’s posthumous writings are now available online so that anyone can discover the complexity of this brilliant man’s life.
Can you find meaning in life? Do you have the courage to see what is right in front of you? That was the task with which Camus challenged the world in the wake of WWII.
Businesses and residents of Chattanooga, Tennessee, enjoy faster Internet than any other city in the country thanks to the Gig, its tax-payer funded fiber-optics network.
George Takei, AKA Mr. Sulu, beamed into the MIT AgeLab last week. Although Star Trek: The Original Series may be the source of his public prominence, he has long since translated […]
If you know the sexually and racially charged art of Kara Walker, you know one thing—she’s not subtle. Walker’s artistic oeuvre to date makes the title of her newest work, […]