Over at Edge.org, its impresario John Brockman poses an annual question to his assemblage of scientists, scholars, writers and other insightful people. This year’s (suggested by George Dyson), was this: […]
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The group Sexual Minorities Uganda is taking advantage of a 1789 law that “allows foreigners to sue Americans for civil damages for civil…damages for acts committed abroad.”
This year’s Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival, is expected to draw between 30 and 60 million pilgrims to the Indian city of Allahabad. Teams from disparate Harvard schools will be there to take data.
When it comes to selling, nothing is more important than the power of certainty. After all, when potential customers or clients are uncertain, they hesitate. They don’t want to move […]
Currently the US is the only country using hydraulic fracturing on a large scale. However, many others have natural gas reserves, and some have begun experimenting with the controversial procedure.
Even if you’re not a royals watcher, you can’t avoid the saga of Will and Kate. Kate Middleton—wife of Prince William, current Duchess of Cambridge, possibly future Queen of England, […]
A bizarre ‘planisphere palindrome’ version of the Earth
Some worry that the new American standard for mental illness diagnostics, the DSM-5, actively seeks to pathologize normal human behavior, making sanity as unachievable as being a supermodel.
Evolutionary psychology has proven a powerful theory in explaining behavioral differences between men and women in terms of natural selection, but challenges to the idea have emerged.
A theory of mind called compartmentalization argues that the brain is much like an iPhone, loaded with a host of apps to meet different needs. Not all the apps cooperate, however.
In the middle of writing and reading about gun policy and morality, I was horrified to see responses to writer Sam Harris’ essay on gun control. For example, this one […]
What distinguishes human life from animal life is our ability to search for meaning. Differing from happiness, meaning implies transcending the self while happiness implies its satisfaction.
Certain cognitive biases that make us better at surviving harsh environmental conditions also cause us to make irrational decisions, from betting against the odds to rationalizing wrong decisions.
RIP Aaron Swartz, you will not be forgotten.
Earlier this week, I posted a petition asking the leaders of atheist and secular organizations to support feminism and measures to improve diversity and stop harassment. The petition went up […]
A team of scientists at Manchester University, UK, have created a microscope machine capable of building proteins similar to ones found naturally in the body’s many cells.
New York City’s public hospitals are in negotiations with the doctor’s union to tie a portion of doctors’ salaries to metrics such as patient readmittance rates and how quickly they are discharged.
When is a gaffe not a gaffe? Short answer: When it is said and done over, and over, and over. Take a certain wing of the Republican party, the wing […]
A group of economists seeking to better understand the American aversion to flu vaccines, and the subsequent outbreak of flu, have created a computer game to model patient behavior.
The world’s religions have long preached that fasting is good for the soul, and now modern science, which generally locates the soul in the mind, says fasting guards against mental disease.
The world could produce 60 to 100% more food by simply eliminating losses, while simultaneously freeing up land, energy and water resources for other use, says a new report from England.
Not only do they tell you to slow down — by means of changing colors — they can even communicate with your friends via a text message if you won’t pay attention.
A new study found that each group thinks the other has it better when it comes to level of financial strain, household expenses, and taxes.
There’s a pervasive notion that a monogamous relationship is the ideal. Certainly, that’s what most Americans have been hearing for as long as they can remember. A committed, loving relationship […]
“China has allowed the Yuan to appreciate in value against the dollar and Euro and other major currencies,” Daniel Altman says, “and now there are very few analysts who would say that it’s artificially depressed.”
These cars are infamously quiet at low speeds, which could cause problems for pedestrians. Singing and whistling sounds aren’t allowed, though: It has to mimic the sound of a car.
The “soft skills” associated with improv are actually the “hard skills” because there’s not an equation to be a great leader.
Next week, artist Adam Harvey will exhibit a line of clothing that he says will protect its wearer from invasive surveillance technology.
Every year since 1967, the world’s technology companies gather at the International Consumer Electronics Show to exhibit the latest flashy products they’ve been working on. For the tech nuts who […]
New research with children in Germany confirms similar research in other countries: Extracurricular music study — more so than similar study in other subjects — improves verbal memory.