This morning I posted on a fascinating forthcoming study that concludes that generalized messages about science are more impactful on audiences than similarly framed messages that include details on scientific […]
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Over at Dr. Kaku’s Universe here at Big Think, Michio asks for reader input on what they find compelling about science fiction including as I focused on yesterday, your favorite […]
When attempting to communicate effectively with the public about a science-related debate, which is more important, framing the message or conveying science-based facts about the topic? A forthcoming study (Word) […]
The corruption of U.S. financial markets, whose CEOs habitually buy up expensive art, is mirrored by an unregulated art market where it is difficult to tell between hoax and truth.
Do psychological diseases have a shelf life? “The idea of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a credible diagnostic term has passed and it is time that we accept that and move on.”
“Everyone looks better after you’ve tipped back a pint or two, and now we may know why.” Discovery News says that our ability to detect facial symmetry—a metric of beauty—diminishes.
Slate reports on why we love us a good summer scandal, whether its Gibson or Blago: “If communities are enclaves of shared norms, then scandals are what consolidate a community.”
From commercial airplanes whose exhaust trails are secret experiments in weather control to the New Jewish World Order behind the Federal Reserve, everyone is out to get the paranoid Right.
“Scientists suggest that some psychedelics are remarkably good at treating disorders like depression and may now have a clue as to why.” Studies on psychedelics may create new treatments.
“While America’s super-rich congratulate themselves on donating billions to charity, the rest of the country is worse off than ever.” Der Spiegel reports on the rising rich-poor gap in the U.S.
“Scientists are increasingly worried about the amount of debris orbiting the Earth.” The Economist says the number of potential collisions among space satellites has doubled in the last decade.
Are our cities making us unhappy? The diversity of plant life surrounding us affects several quality of life metrics such as the ability to concentrate, relax and make major life decisions.
When cultural practices deny people equal access to rights such as education, physical and emotional well-being, we must cease to tolerate difference under the guise of multiculturalism.
I’m working on a new project and would love to hear some of your thoughts and opinions on the world of Science Fiction. If you would like to participate — Please […]
I always used to laugh at people who ignored the lyrics to “Every Breath You Take” by The Police and thought it was a lovely love song. If it’s about […]
Last week public radio’s On Point called upon a group of experts to discuss the top 10 science fiction films of all time. Included on the show were the NY […]
Bloomberg reports this week that News Corp., which own both Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, donated $1 million to the Republican Governors Association in June—a contribution that dwarfs […]
Richard Pildes, professor of constitutional law at the NYU School of Law, says primary elections exacerbate political polarization. He thinks we should replace them with instant-runoff voting.
Polygamy is alive and well in parts of America. According to researchers at Brigham Young University, there are 30,000 to 50,000 people currently living a polygamist lifestyle in the United […]
By now you’ve probably heard about Fox News’ parent corporation giving a million dollars to the Republican Governors Association. Noteworthy, but not necessarily surprising. While leafing through the RGA’s IRS […]
There is a big difference between manners and good taste, says interior designer Thom Filicia, one-fifth of the Fab Five from Bravo’s popular “Queer Eye” series. Knowing what society requires […]
Todd Purdum has a feature in Vanity Fair this month that is so rich with insight, color, and analysis regarding the communication challenges facing the Obama administration that I immediately […]
Yale professor David Gelernter tells Big Think that America should acknowledge its identity as a Judeo-Christian society and mandate teaching of the Bible in our public schools. America is a […]
“Is the purpose of public education to nurse students or to teach them?” asks Brian Crosby, a twenty-year veteran high school English teacher and the founder of the American Education […]
More than 50 years after the publication of CP Snow’s seminal Two Cultures, interdisciplinary partnerships between science and other academic “cultures” are being urged once again. Today, the focus is […]
A new study of birds concludes that parents get more help when they are sexually faithful to each other and “leaves little doubt that promiscuity corrupts social life in birds.”
London: Westminster sources claim that the former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Charles Kennedy, has been discussing defecting to the Labour Party, with four or five Liberal Democrat colleagues. The […]
In the Atlantic Wire series looking at how people stay on top of the news without surrendering to its chaos, Wired magazine editor-in-chief Chris Anderson shares his tips.
Facebook risks an inevitable privacy backlash with the launch of its feature sharing information on the location of users with their online friends, says Jemima Kiss.
The prolific and admired English literary critic Frank Kermode, 90, was by his own admission a failed novelist and playwright who “stumbled into academic life”, writes T. Rees Shapiro.