For a few decades in the 20th century, it seemed as humanity’s triumphs of public health were turning into an ironic and deadly trap. Because more babies were surviving infancy […]
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Why is it that we when we talk about our work, we inspire neither those we address nor ourselves?
People who live in religious neighborhoods buy just as much pornography as people everywhere else. They’re just less likely to subscribe to an online porn site on a Sunday.
Many Eruptions readers have been keeping a very close eye on the events at Merapi in Indonesia – you should check out their discussion. The situation at the volcano is […]
(Note: Look for updates on Merapi and Kliuchevskoi later today) I caught an article over the weekend about the potential of recent volcanism on Venus. The study that appeared Geophysical Research Letters found […]
“For both F.D.R. and Obama, national economic disaster was electoral good fortune. But Obama’s luck ran out almost as soon as the votes had been counted.”
Is our universe simply a hologram? Particle astrophysicist Craig Hogan is building the most precise clock of all time to directly measure whether our reality is an illusion.
“Writer Hunter S. Thompson, the king of gonzo journalism, was not a skier, so why did he choose to live in Aspen?” The Guardian searches for the ski-resort counterculture.
“What makes some people so much more alluring than others? The Independent discovers that good looks and sexiness are determined before we’re even born.”
“There is a tension between stories and statistics, and one under-appreciated contrast between them is simply the mindset with which we approach them.”
As car ownership rates drop in urban areas, B.M.W. has a foreword thinking business idea. The company will rent its cars by the hour to customers in Munich, Germany.
“Will the average earnings of women begin before long to exceed that of men after being so far behind in the past?” Nobel Laureate Gary Becker on women’s propensity for education.
A new Japanese internal combustion engine gets its high fuel economy of 70 m.p.g. from an improved gas engine and a lightweight design rather than hybrid technology.
“As complex families proliferate, the law considers: Can a child have more than two parents?” The Boston Globe reports on the changing legal definition of parenthood.
According to civic engagement, education and intellectual atmosphere, Boston is America’s smartest city. The Daily Beast ranks 55 of America’s metropolitan areas.
Buzz Bissinger titled his profile of then-Mayor of Philadelphia Ed Rendell’s efforts to save his city from the brink of fiscal disaster, A Prayer for the City. Philadelphia, my native […]
Tony Blair‘s sister-in-law has converted to Islam after having what she describes as a “holy experience” during a visit to Iran. Journalist and broadcaster Lauren Booth, 43 – Cherie Blair’s sister – now […]
Sexual violence against women in the African nation has become an “incredibly inexpensive tool for controlling and eviscerating the population,” says Eve Ensler, founder of the advocacy group V-Day.
One of the bad things about having a smart phone is, I can now scroll through the headlines of the New York Times before I get out of bed. This […]
In order to be marketable today and in an increasingly competitive economy, each one of us has to get our creative juices flowing and constantly come up with fresh ideas. […]
Gerontologist Thomas Kirkwood thinks women tend to live longer than men because their reproductive capacity is more essential to the survival of the species.
As America becomes more aware of the costs its healthcare system imposes on the national economy, online sources are helping consumers find out about healthcare prices.
The Iraq War Logs released yesterday by WikiLeaks demonstrate the discipline and accountability problems inherent in the practice of contracting mercenaries.
New documenting technology can recognize and delete corporate logos caught in the field of view of your smartphone camera or video recorder. Other artistic uses are proliferating.
Social change often works against generations of tradition, so what accounts for its success or failure? The New York Times looks at examples of reform in China and Kenya for clues.
An initiative at M.I.T. that helps to connect venture capitalists with inventors and innovators may spur the creation of a new social network. The government is watching for results.
The industrialized world is aging, but perhaps there is cause to celebrate. Stefany Anne Golberg at The Smart Set sees a future of technological wonder and wise elders.
A study by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Society finds that: “There is no definitive instance of an air accident known to have been caused by a passenger’s use of an electronic device.”
Inspired by the state’s earthquakes, California researchers have predicted where future crimes will occur by using seismological methods intended to measure aftershocks.
Which will prove better: austerity or deficit spending? The respective approaches taken by Britain and America to recover the economy may prove a useful historical experiment.