A forgotten almost-hero of the 19th century still has something to teach about science… and style. “There is nothing more contemptible than a bald man who pretends to have hair.” –Martial […]
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No, this is not a still from David Lynch’s Dune. But it could be! The Cat’s Eye Nebula, or NGC 6543, is one of the better known planetary nebulae for […]
“He who fights against monsters should see to it that he does not become a monster in the process. And when you stare persistently into an abyss, the abyss also stares into you.”
– Friedrich Nietzsche
In my last post, I talked a bit about the fundamental purpose of technology: reducing uncertainty. Uncertainty is a double edged sword in the human experience – it provides us […]
Mikael Genberg wants to put a little red cottage on the moon. The ambitious project, according to a supportive team of scientists and engineers, would serve as an inspiring symbol to and for humanity.
Do you want to be more effective and attract desired outcomes? The ancient Chinese did, too. They devoted themselves to understanding wu wei—effortless action, or spontaneity. They saw it as […]
Las Vegas. A young man, about 22, fist pumps an oversized beer mug out of the passenger seat window. Rookie move. A strip cop spots the amateur, flicks on his […]
An important difference between persuasion and manipulation is that persuasion is done with people and manipulation is done to them. Like all dishonest people, manipulators habitually underestimate the people they […]
A report from the US National Academy of Sciences urges the space agency to make a decision on its long term goals. Those goals, argue scientists, need to include putting astronauts on Mars.
Dear Biosphere, While you are well aware of the physical inputs we humans inject into your system, you may be blind to the human politics and polling and psychology about […]
Tonight’s Major League Baseball amateur draft wraps up years of prep work by team scouts, executives, and medical professionals. With millions of dollars of player investments hinging on drafting the right players, baseball front offices have got their strategies down to a science.
In one of the weirder instances of a feed-the-hungry fundraisers, pest control company Ehrlich donated $5 for every diner at a DC restaurant who agreed to try an insect. The DC “Pestaurant” was one of many that popped up across the globe yesterday.
Top scientists from across the globe back e-cigarettes in the midst of calls to regulate them. E-cigs, say the scientists, are “part of the solution.”
Here’s what it would look like if we started dreaming again. “There is just one thing I can promise you about the outer-space program — your tax-dollar will go further.” –Wernher von Braun […]
Oh, the places you’ll go! For recent graduates who see the world as their oyster—and it is—such a vantage point can be overwhelming. There are so many decisions to face […]
“Early in life, I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasions to change.” – Frank Lloyd Wright
Industrial-scale maggot production has just begun but is already showing sings of promise. But will consumers accept maggot-fed meat on their plate?
The history of the liberal arts has created many different reasons why a diverse and well-rounded education is necessary, so encapsulating one clear reason is a very difficult task.
Every business owner knows that there are certain things that they must do in order to be on top of their games at all times. But, some take it to […]
Almost without fail, once someone learns that I am passionate about studying the habits and traits of the millennial demographic, he or she asks: Is there such thing as a […]
Tell me where you shop, and I’ll tell you where you are
“We are free by nature because we can become free, in the course of our development. And this development depends at every point upon the networks and relations that bind us to the larger social world.”
A new way of thinking about our biology–or rather, a very old way–is essential if we are to collectively solve the existential problems that face humanity, says UC Berkeley physicist Fritjof Capra.
Today, scientists believe the stimulation can narrow the gap between when someone is introduced to a skill and when they master it and the motor skills it requires.
After a trip to Italy in February 1917, Pablo Ruiz y Picasso decided to go back to basics in his art. Like so many other artists and pretty much the […]
Want to see what 10,000 galaxies look like? NASA calls this the most colorful and most comprehensive image taken by Hubble Space Telescope. The image is part of a study […]
And you thought black holes were terrifying. Meet WR 104. The verdict is still out at NASA whether the WR 104 supernova can destroy our planet one day. In the […]
Do you want to impress your guests this summer? Attempt to channel your ancient ancestors by slow-cooking a whole hog. No sauces. Just a slow-cooked animal over an open wood […]
Even at the speed of light, you’ll never reach these galaxies. “I realise now that I wanted to disappear. To get so lost that nobody ever found me. To go […]
A German artist has taken some of Vincent Van Gogh’s genetic material and used it to regrow the ear he famously cut off during a psychotic episode in 1888.