The technology allowing you to read this is responsible for approximately two percent of global carbon dioxide emissions yearly. Researchers are developing new and improved models for measuring this output.
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I write here about the Risk Perception Gap, when we worry too much about smaller risks and not enough about bigger ones. More than just an interesting example of […]
A new math curriculum is needed to move us from the knowledge economy to “the computational knowledge economy where high-level math is integral to what everyone does.”
Last month’s report from the National Research Council suggests that some objectives set by the Obama administration should be reevaluated in light of “national consensus” about space research and exploration.
As if astronauts didn’t have enough to worry about: A new study is the first to examine the impact of prolonged exposure on neurodegeneration, which contributes to the development of the disease.
Big Data is becoming as powerful an asset as oil, and it will be the source of many high quality jobs in the near future.
Last year, when I wrote about the death of Savita Halappanavar from anti-choice theology, I pointed out that several Catholic bloggers seemed to think Catholic doctrine should have permitted her […]
Using data from a variety of sources, writer Andrew Leonard points out the growing dominance of mobile computing, calling it “2012’s biggest technological transformation.”
Writer Jesse Meixsell offers reasons why, in terms of difficulty level, today’s gamers may have it a lot better than their late-20th-century predecessors.
Last summer, a bookstore in northeast London was the beneficiary of Britain’s first-ever cash mob. Begun in the US, and patterned after flash mobs, it is a growing movement designed to bring people together to support local businesses.
Writer Brian Profitt discusses what the country’s recent law requiring real names for Internet use could mean from a political and a marketing perspective.
Realizing that constant connectivity isn’t always healthy, some business have begun implementing policies designed to manage employees’ online time.
Using technology, pirates are literally cloning buildings made by famous Western architects, and have even succeeded in replicating an entire Austrian town. Reactions range from outrage to curiosity about future creative mutations.
As in the US, rural overpopulation is affecting farms and gardens all over, but implementing familiar remedies has proven to be a challenge.
Patriarch Kirill also advised clergy to choose cars that are “more modest” than the expensive ones they’re used to.
By selling rechargeable lanterns to people living in areas with little or no access to electricity, San Francisco-based d.light represents increased investor attention to “the junction between development work, renewable energy and profit-driven business.”
On Christmas Eve, Sudarsan Raghavan of the Washington Post wrote a detailed article about a September air strike in which the US attempted to kill ‘Abd al-Rauf al-Dhahab, whom it […]
It’s not just for recreation: People working long hours in dreary conditions are able to keep going by using the drug. Unlike poppy and coca fields, meth labs aren’t easily spotted by satellite technology.
For the third year running, here’s a very personal, very subjective, “I can’t read everything, so I probably left out something, so mention it in the comments, OK?” list of […]
On December 23 – the same day the US carried out an apparent drone strike in the al-Baydha governorate of Yemen, apparently targeting ‘Abd al-Rauf al-Dhahab – AQAP released a […]
How can we humans, who fear death so greatly, ever hope to defeat our existential malaise? According to Jason Silva, it is “by creating beauty and order and complexity.”
Author Robert Wright has found that while Buddhist meditation sets higher goals than achieving what we know as happiness, its effect is often a warm feeling toward others.
It’s a slow news day. How about some internet drama to liven things up? As you all know, I’ve been writing a lot lately about sexism and misogyny in the […]
Researchers say the brain seizes on the opportunity of blinking to relax a little, reducing blood flow to regions associated with paying close attention to the surrounding environment.
Psychologists recommend a couple concrete activities to help your mind frame traumatic events in ways that will be less painful. The techniques are as basic as answering simple questions.
Ross Douthat—the only really conservative columnist for the NYT—has been endlessly patient in trying to explain to his basically hostile audience that conservative opinion is both reasonable and diverse. The […]
American and Japanese researchers have created new “nanoionic” devices which more closely mimic the brain’s own processing abilities and it’s short- and long-term memory banks.
Researchers at Duke University have found that primate brains record acts of generosity as part of a larger effort toward being social creatures, but do human brains function the same way?
Trial lawyers who advise male defendants to dress in dark suits and white shirts might think twice about that notion after a look at this study, soon to appear in […]
The FDA has released documents stating that salmon genetically modified to grow faster are safe to eat and will not harm the environment. Now the public has 60 days to review the information.