Two small asteroids that were discovered on September 5th by the Catalina Sky Survey near Tucson, Ariz., whizzed past the Earth on Wednesday. According to scientists, the first asteroid (2010 […]
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Well, it has been a long week and my brain is pretty close to liquified after teaching and submitting my paper, so let’s end the week with the first Mystery […]
“The role of Latinos in American society is growing inexorably, with big political implications for the future.” The Economist reports on the Hispanicisation of America from the southwest.
“Subway trains will generate power for the grid with a battery that captures power from the braking trains.” Technology Review reports on energy innovation out of Philadelphia.
“Did computerization create the Great Divergence?” Slate asks if the current American class divide was worsened by the emergence of computers and the 1990’s digital divide.
“The narrative of men rejecting metrosexuality and reclaiming their manhood makes perfect marketing sense.” Douglas Haddow says being a man’s man is the next trend in manhood.
“Obama is a clear and knowing accessory to war crimes, and should at some point face prosecution.” The Atlantic’s Andrew Sullivan on Obama’s use of executive privilege.
“Up and down society, people are moving away from commercial, productive activities and toward pleasant, enlightened but less productive ones.” David Brooks on economic change.
“Is cosmology a form of theology for a secular age? Cosmology is so popular, not just because of the science, but because it allows us to ask the big questions. It’s metaphysics by other means.”
Imagine everyone decided to stop producing fossil fuels tomorrow. Global warming thresholds calculated by climate change scientists would not be crossed. Danger lies in future production.
“The sequel to the 30-year-old ‘The Official Preppy Handbook’ reminds us that you don’t necessarily need to have money to have class.” Columnist Megham Daum on her favorite book.
“Too expensive, too heavy and unnecessary: Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer hold copilots in low regard. So, now the company plans to replace them with a computer.”
In the midst of the circus surrounding Pastor Terry Jones’ plan to burn Qurans on the anniversary of September 11th, perhaps the most disturbing aspect is the emerging meme among […]
It has been known for some time that religious belief and behavior affect the brain. But can we pinpoint specific chemicals, genes and clusters of neurons that give rise to religiosity, or to atheism?
It is technically illegal for the government to torture prisoners. Almost no one would deny that. Section 2340 of the federal criminal code makes it a crime punishable by up […]
In Greek mythology, the gods sometimes punished man by fulfilling his wishes too completely. This is the first line of Henry Kissinger’s 1957 Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy. Always controversial, […]
After a busy day where I finally send off my paper on zircon and the magmatic evolution of the Okataina Caldera Complex… A new Smithsonian/USGS Global Volcanism Program Weekly Volcanic […]
Enjoying a piece of music or recognizing the face of a loved one seems like a simple, instantaneous process. But like all things associated with the brain, they aren’t. Both […]
Former CBS news correspondent Jere Van Dyk talks about the survival skills he used to get through a 45-day kidnapping ordeal in Afghanistan where his life was threatened daily.
Two volcanoes are keeping our attention right now: Sinabung, Indonesia Halfway around the world, activity at Sinabung continues to be cause for increasing concern. The volcano is experiencing larger and […]
In a panel discussion last night following Feisel Abdul Rauf’s appearance on CNN Larry King Live, host Anderson Cooper and new primetime personalities Kathleen Parker and Eliot Spitzer framed Rauf’s […]
One orthodoxy has long dominated neuropsychology: the brain controls the mind, which has no independent existence outside of the chemical reactions and patterns which constantly fire inside our brains. Neuro-biologists have long held that the brain exclusively drives the mind, and that the mind serves only the individual self.
Feisel Abdul Rauf returned to the United States last weekend and yesterday began the urgent process of telling his side of the story. As I wrote previously, power in politics […]
“My problem is that consumer technology moves in a single direction: It’s constantly making it easier for us to perceive the content.” Jonah Lehrer laments the rise of e-books.
“Basically, we’ve bought into several misconceptions about excellence, which are not only wrong but affirmatively counterproductive.” Peter Orszag on how to be successful.
“American investors have filed several lawsuits to pressure Germany to honor bonds issued by the Weimar Republic. Berlin says a deadline for registering the bonds passed decades ago.”
“We have entered the post-art era, Kundera declares in Encounter—’a world where art is dying because the need for art, the sensitivity and the love for it, is dying.’”
“A unique particle physics detector will be attached to the space station to study the universe and its origins.” The machine will be carried on the last scheduled shuttle launch next February.
“We shouldn’t forget that the modern market economy is the greatest communal enterprise ever undertaken.” Jonah Goldberg praises free market capitalism for its complexity.
“Study shows that fatter men last longer in bed. Should Americans rejoice?” Slate covers Turkish research concluding that the less masculine a man’s body, the better lover he is.