What is this thing called self-control? We speak of exerting will power, of forcing ourselves to go to work, of restraining ourselves and of controlling our temper as if it were an unruly dog.
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An Italian woman is the latest person to have a murder sentence reduced on the grounds that abnormalities in her brain, and genes, could explain her aberrant behaviour.
“There is no quality in this world that is not what it is merely by contrast,” said Herman Melville. He meant that the lives we think we’d love, lacking contrast, would be miserable.
It is 50 year after Stanley Milgram’s groundbreaking experiments on obedience to destructive orders—what have we learned from the most controversial research of our times?
Swiss and American researchers have found a way to program cells to determine whether they have become cancerous, and if they have, to order their own suicide.
A coercive approach to drug treatment has gained wide support in Russia that once involved strapping patients to beds while they undergo the harsh agonies of withdrawal.
For the first time, researchers have shown viruses can be delivered through a person’s bloodstream to infect cancer cells without infecting other tissues, according to a new study.
As we age, our bodies change in ways that challenge athletic ability. But exercise also can slow down—and in some cases even prevent—some of the physiological ravages of time.
Will we solve the problem of runaway heath costs? Thanks to incentives and disincentives, the next five years will see an unprecedented acceleration of electronic medicine in the U.S.
When I hand my one-year-old son something to eat, he spends a short time looking at it and a long time looking at me: Is this good? Is it tasty? […]
Robin Chin Roemer, assistant librarian at American University, has launched a new blog focused on library resources related to communication and the media. Given the strong focus among AU communication […]
Lessons from Sherlock Holmes fans: a new installment of the series is now available at Scientific American, here. I will not be posting any more series updates on this blog, but you […]
What was prehistoric human sex like? Most of us conjure “the hackneyed image of the caveman, dragging a dazed woman by her hair with one hand, a club in the other.” Psychologist Christopher Ryan says this image is mistaken in every detail.
Texas Governor Rick Perry’s August 6th prayer rally, The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis, has already garnered criticism for being a Christians-only affair that blurred […]
For its central and seemingly endless role in the history of the Western world, Rome more than earns the nickname of “Eternal City.” For centuries that history has sparked the […]
Now here’s a backhanded way to normalize a mayor covering up his deputy’s arrest for domestic violence: “Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s management style has its hallmarks: unwavering loyalty to aides […]
The School of Communication at American University has added two nationally recognized scholars studying Internet governance, technology, and politics. Professors DeNardis and Freelon (bios below) will be teaching in our […]
That’s the question posed by one of the lectures in the recently announced Capital Science Series sponsored by the Carnegie Institution for Science of Washington, DC. Details on this particular […]
Quick new post, but if you’re hankering for another live feed, check out the Nautilus Live feed – with the option to watch a split screen of all sorts of […]
Hurricane Irene is going down in the ‘top 10’ record books as more costly than anticipated only a week ago. It is hurricane season. Not exactly a surprise that a […]
Demography is an ever-evolving tool that can help us imagine and re-imagine the future. In this clip from his lecture for The Floating University, Professor Joel Cohen explains its significance.
The U.S. government can borrow money right now at essentially no cost. But for political and ideological reasons the government is leaving what is essentially free money on the table. […]
Representatives from more than 30 countries and multilateral organizations are meeting in Paris to discuss how to assist in Libya’s democratic transition process.
According to Sunni Brown, people don’t share the exact same mental models. If you want someone to see what you see, you have to show it to them, which is exactly what she does.
Despite having $8.3 billion, Steve Jobs isn’t a public philanthropist. Must iconic business people give away substantial portions of their wealth to become well-rounded leaders?
By designing new spaces around tablets, smart phones, and social technologies, companies can operate with far fewer desks. That means fewer cubicles and a freer workspace.
Though Helen Mirren has a reputation for being something of a libertine, she sees herself as a straight-laced, hard working actress from an immigrant family—a bit Jew and Gypsy, too.
As nanodevices get smaller, they demand new fabrication methods. By turning a problem in into an advantage, M.I.T. researchers have made structures a mere 30 atoms wide.
Graphene, the strongest material on Earth, could help boost broadband internet speed. U.K. researchers have found a way to increase its sensitivity in optical communication systems.
Put your rain sticks away. Scientists have developed a way to summon water droplets out of thin air through the use of lasers which may one day help us control where it rains.