Drug companies are allowed to use (and do often use) active placebos in their studies. An active placebo is one that is biologically active, rather than inert.
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An ordinance passed by the city council went into effect earlier this month, making West Hollywood the first municipality in the US, and possibly the world, to ban the selling of fur. Not surprisingly, high-end retailers aren’t happy.
When London’s Tate Gallery asked the French painter Balthus for some personal details to include in a 1968 retrospective exhibition, Balthus replied via telegram: “No biographical details. Begin: Balthus is […]
At the famously meat-heavy festivities, several beer tents are offering meat- and/or animal-free options on their menus. The new choices reflect the country’s changing diet demographic.
By not being in the same time zone as its neighbors, Spaniards are suffering issues ranging from low worker productivity to a persistent feeling of jet-lag brought on by not enough sleep.
Not only are such spaces — including a proposed park and bank — on the increase, demand for them is increasing as well. Opponents say that they represent a step backwards.
Officials in the Chinese city have put out an appeal to help them correct signs containing clumsy English translations. It’s part of a greater initiative designed to entice more foreigners to move to the area.
The wonderful time-lapse video below records Perseid meteors above Canada. But it also contains a mystery.
Not only is religion just as bad as an infectious disease, Mr. Dawkins also says it is a form of child abuse.
As technology and media continue to evolve at an exponential rate, marketers and consumers alike have started to adopt new practices and behaviors to ensure that they keep pace.
Maybe it’s truer and more useful to marvel at how we very nearly destroyed ourselves after discovering an unstable new energy source, then figured our way out of it.
The success of an employee working from home depends on the person, on the job and on the training the organization provides to do that role remotely.
The emergence of freewill in the human species is a result of evolution, not a brute fact.
So what can you do if you tend to give a lot in a friendship and don’t always get what you need in return?
All the self-analyzing and, in turn, self-promotions, that we interact with through digital and social technologies has actually created a caring economy based on shared values.
Studies show that students flourish best when under constantly under a moderate amount of stress.
Conflict avoidance, reconciliation and cooperative problem solving could also have been altogether “biological” and positively selected for.
GMO-free, fresh, out-of-your-own garden produce is (almost) everyone’s dream. For urban dwellers and gardening novices, however, it usually comes true only on farmers’ markets days. UrbnEarth’s founder Phil Weiner is […]
The widely-read science news site, Popular Science, recently decided to remove comment sections almost completely – save for a minority of articles. Online content director, Susan Labarre, explains: “Comments can […]
While personalized health systems offer some promise, there is reason to worry about their larger social effects.
Other drugs could potentially be integrated into the ring, such as contraceptives or antiviral drugs to prevent other sexually transmitted infections.
There’s been a lot of criticism lately of badly written science, following the publication of Michael Billig’s Learn to Write Badly: How to Succeed in the Social Sciences in which […]
Despite recent medical developments, our understanding of the brain is still quite incomplete.
Researchers in Illinois have created the world’s first prosthetic controlled entirely by the user’s mind.
Children not only need to nap, but should be encouraged to nap.
Since 2011, the London agency has employed a team of “super-recognizers” who have an exceptional memory for faces. Despite their success, legal experts say their use could raise questions about what’s considered allowable testimony in court.
Released today (Sept. 27) after an all-night session, the summary document of the UN panel’s forthcoming report declares that the proof of climate change is “unequivocal” and that human activity is “extremely likely” to be at fault.
A few months ago I posted a piece on the alarming resurgence in the use of lie detectors in the UK and the US. A new documentary looks at the use […]
New research suggests that playing a musical instrument could help slow or even prevent the age-related decline of certain mental functions, such as the ability to process data more efficiently without being affected by occasional errors.
The same model used to bring farm-fresh produce to urban dwellers is being applied to art, with members purchasing shares and receiving works from local artists.