Colombia A number of Eruptions readers have noted reports that Galeras in Colombia appears to be increasing its activity this week. Well, the rumors are true – an official from […]
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Insects’ benefits are valued at £134bn and coral’s at £109bn in a pioneering report equating biodiversity to cash in the hope of encouraging conservation.
Heuristics are cognitive rules of thumb we all use in routine decision-making and yet the concept is little known outside the labs and offices of academia.
“We would all be better off — Muslim Americans first and foremost —if we could have a more open discussion about Islam, Islamic militancy and what … it means to be Muslim.”
“I’m as concerned about startups using Rapleaf’s API as I am about how the company continues to mine data from huge data-rich social services such as LinkedIn.”
“California is not just deciding whether pot should be legal. It’s determining the shape of a major new American industry.”
Ross Douthat: “I’m cautiously optimistic that the Cameron government is taking the right course in Britain — and somewhat more pessimistic about America’s capacity to follow suit.”
Finding frozen water in some parts of the moon has implications for space exploration including the possible supply of water and oxygen for a manned moonbase.
“Chancellor Angela Merkel says multiculturalism has been an utter failure in Germany… But is it really such a bad thing when immigrant groups prefer to be among themselves?”
“A marathoner’s worst nightmare — hitting ‘the wall’ — may be completely avoidable if athletes adhere to personalized pace limits proposed by a biomedical engineer and runner.
“Foreign occupation, not religious fervor, is the primary motivation behind this form of terrorism.”
What if you had a crystal ball that could predict the rise and fall of the stock market? Or that predicted which candidate would win the election and thus if […]
There is a popular narrative in the West that Islam is sexist. But aside from fundamentalist practices like honor killings, does moderate Islam actually deny women freedoms?
Conservatives have long accused billionaire George Soros of funding activist watchdog group Media Matters. Soros has been suspected of being behind every liberal group after giving more than $23 million […]
Do you acquire power and exercise control with assertive authority like Secretary of State Hillary Clinton—or do you lead with sociable consensus like media queen Oprah Winfrey? Take this Big Think quiz to find which well-known female leader your style is most like.
The money you donate to feed starving children may actually be prolonging war in places like Darfur and Somalia, says Dutch journalist Linda Polman.
Last night on CNN, Jon Stewart told Larry King that the Rally to Restore Sanity “is in fact not a political rally,” and instead will be an extension of the […]
It sure has felt like a quiet fall – at least volcanically-speaking – and this week’s Global Volcanism Program Weekly Volcanic Activity Report seems to back up that feeling. There […]
“Today, artificial light is a constant companion. Darkness implies a situation to be remedied.” A new book tells the story of how artificial light has revolutionized our way of life.
“American poetry is in a period of ‘fertile uncertainty’—in other words, it’s confused. That’s a good thing.” The Atlantic begins a series on appreciating contemporary poetry.
“Televisions which pump out the smells of cookery on screen could become reality after developments by scientists at Keio University in Tokyo.”
A review of David Guggenheim’s new documentary: “The only hope for the future of our society, especially for poor black and Hispanic children, is escape from public schools.”
Can social network friends be real friends when relationships are pursued and developed in such facile and costless ways? Philosopher Roger Scruton says real friendship involves risk.
Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla plans to create an investment fund for companies fighting poverty in India and Africa that provide social services like health, energy and eduction.
“Distrust of big pharma is stifling research into the real problem of female sexual dysfunction.” Suzi Godson says further research stands to benefit millions of women.
Harvard economics professor Martin Feldstein says the U.S. dollar will remain a strong reserve currency, but that our national debt makes the Euro a competitive alternative.
“A new study recently published in the journal Psychological Science suggests that we should all stop smirking and start rubbing our rabbit’s foot.”
University of Texas researches want to use tiny solar cells as vehicles to deliver treatment to cancer patients, more targeted treatment than is possible with chemotherapy.
“I’m the plainest kind of fellow you can find,” painter Grant Wood told an interviewer in the 1930s, the height of his fame. “There isn’t a single thing I’ve done, […]
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is wrong. At a meeting in Potsdam, Merkel told young members of her own party, the Christian Democratic Union, that attempts to build a multicultural society […]