“Yeah, so Rick Santorum is winning this thing,” my buddy said last night. “So why doesn’t he just go ahead and run for governor of Iowa?” If this were boxing, […]
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In our present money crunch, the nation’s debt crisis is often presented as a risk to future generations but economist Dean Baker says the real cross-generational threat is global warming.
With Santorum, Romney and Paul taking the most votes in the Iowa Caucus, where do they stand on space exploration and the future of NASA? Will other candidates make space an issue?
Bioethicist Paul Root Wolpe questions the basic premise of the Singularity concept, arguing that it “misunderstands the complex nature of biological and physical life.”
New methods of creating solar cells cut manufacturing costs nearly in half. The New Jersey-based company is also working to create super-efficient cells by using nanotechnology.
Don’t read too much in to Mitt Romney’s narrow victory in the Iowa caucus. There’s no question that the relatively small state of Iowa has an outsize influence both on […]
No sooner do I make a list of the must-see exhibitions of 2012 that includes exhibitions featuring both David Hockney (above, left) and Damien Hirst (above, right) then we get […]
After our last go-round, Peter Hitchens has posted a further reply. I encourage you to read it in full before reading my response, which follows below: Once again, Peter Hitchens […]
I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a young teen who uses social networks as the primary way of connecting to peers. It used to be that the […]
Once they’re gone, mammalian arms and legs can’t ever be restored. But if you cut off a salamander’s leg it will reappear in just a few weeks. The enigma of amphibian organ regeneration has long puzzled scientists. Now, a new wave of scientists hopes to put it to use.
In my experience it’s easier to change a home design than to change your heart, or your feelings. Take the case of “staying together for the children,” a familiar marital […]
How important is motivation in education? As the nation’s top universities begin to offer free online courses, will developers need to make them more like video games to retain students?
From challenges over WikiLeaks to Anonymous, Twitter has established a record of standing up for its users’ rights. Now the sites is facing new censorship efforts from Homeland Security.
Like the MP3 or ACC format used in music, a recipe needs to become a standardized digital good, one that can be bought, sold, shared, edited and annotated, says foody and techi Richard Fitchard.
If our digital devices were people, we would probably describe them as high maintenance and wonder quietly to ourselves if it was time to break up with them, says director at Intel Labs Genevieve Bell.
One of the most prominent scientists to express doubts about climate change scenarios in the future is the physicist Freeman Dyson, who responds to critics in two videos on Big Think.
The America I live in is not 90% white. The America I live in does not have more hogs than people. The American I live in does not have 60% […]
Does it ever seem that you enjoy the world through your smartphone these days? Documenting every event can be bad for your mind and always being connected stunts creative solutions.
2012 started with off with a $5 million funding round for Coursekit, a New York based startup founded by Joe Cohen, Dan Getelman, and Jim Grandpre. The three University of […]
2012 started with off with a $5 million funding round for Coursekit, a New York based startup founded by Joe Cohen, Dan Getelman, and Jim Grandpre. The three University of […]
If you’re like most people, you’ve already broken your New Year’s resolutions. No worries. Here’s a different promise to yourself that should be easier, more enjoyable, and more educational to […]
My earlier post, “Storming the Ivory Tower“, discussed the real harm that religion is doing in the world, harm that Very Serious People overlook while tut-tutting at atheists. The natural […]
Happy 2012! By now, you’re probably still in the earnest stage of your New Year’s resolutions. If one of those is about your determination to cut back on drink, this […]
In our period of economic uncertainty, it may seem wrong to question the growth imperative. But, then again, perhaps this is exactly the occasion to rethink the goals of global economic policy.
Five years after São Paulo, Brazil, began its fight against visual pollution by banning billboard, poster and bus advertisements, people are happier and businesses more creative.
The urge to predict is understandable. We forecast the future, and continue to do so even after repeated mistakes, because of the deep psychological need for a sense of control, to keep ourselves safe.
Climate change deniers lost an important ally in 2011, as Berkeley physics professor Richard Muller recently switched sides. James Lawrence Powell dissects the curious case of this former climate skeptic.
Many signs of Chinese unrest, targeted mostly at local officials, go unreported by state media. An estimated 90,000 riots, protests and mass petitions occur each year, mainly in rural areas.
In addition to recent military posturing, Iran is looking to extend a softer version of its influence to South America by signing trade contracts, opening embassies and financing development projects.
I had a drink with a friend a few weeks ago who informed me that the only men looking for a woman my age (mid-forties) are men in their early […]