A new analysis of European tree-ring samples suggests that mild summers may have been the key to the rise of the Roman Empire.
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To the outrage of breastfeeding campaigners and probably the utter confusion of most women with small babies, scientists today advocate rewriting the rulebook on breastfeeding.
Digital data is easily produced and copied. It doesn’t take up too much drive space, and, once uploaded, it can remain online in perpetuity.
What is really so shocking anyway about a policeman siding with ‘radical’ environmentalists whose views on climate change are sympathised with by many members of the establishment?
This deep divide in American political morality — for that’s what it amounts to — is a relatively recent development: Paul Krugman.
In a post on the New York Review of Books website, historian Garry Wills again compared Obama to Abraham Lincoln, a comparison uniquely compelling when assessed by Wills, our most […]
The world’s largest Massive Multi-Player Game isn’t World of Warcraft, The Sims, or Happy Farm. In fact, it’s not even online. It is the most ancient of arts: diplomacy. Diplomacy, as the […]
I have a gun. I have had it for several years now, and it lives in a heavy metal cabinet in my sitting room. In owning a gun, I am […]
Amanda of Pandagon points to a disturbing ABC News story about teens getting plastic surgery in a bid to escape bullying or, and/or to recover from the psychological scars of […]
The legendary chess grandmasters, who have spent thousands of hours analyzing each other’s games, describe and critique each others’ playing styles.
I was pretty content looking at CPAN last night, watching the people milling around the University of Arizona’s arena after President Obama’s remarks during the memorial service for those killed […]
The global financial crisis emptied the pockets of European governments. Although the Netherlands had it easy compared to some of its neighbors, the government still ran a deficit of 6% […]
I thought I’d call attention to one conservative appreciation among many of the President Obama’s speech in Tuscon. From Peter Wehner’s post on the Commentary magazine blog “Contentions”: The president resisted […]
I almost never understand the media. For instance, at a time when the US is engaged in an excruciating and incredibly long war and is involved in military action in […]
I am a little late to the party, but all the waiting for the past year (and more) for new activity at Mt. Etna in Italy have paid off. The […]
The Eiffel Tower was intended to stand for only 20 years past its 1889 debut—experts at the time predicted it would come crashing down before construction was even finished.
If I want to be free to play the violin in a well-performed Beethoven symphony, then I must submit myself to the authority of a conductor to coordinate the musicians’ play.
The attack on gun culture is built on a deep suspicion of the motivations of ordinary citizens expressing political opinions, says American Studies professor Kevin Yuill.
Gabriel Orozco, Mexico’s foremost living artist, has a secret. Though he is celebrated for his “post-studio practice” it turns out he has a space that many artists would call a studio.
Holding a hard or soft ball can influence a person’s perception of how masculine or feminine others are. Our sense of touch is connected to social processing in our brains.
Our natural sunny or negative dispositions might be a more powerful predictor of future happiness than any specific event, suggests a new study of human psychology.
Those at the end of emerging adulthood will better make the family and career decisions they had been putting off, resulting in a future of greater life satisfaction and stability.
The key role of emerging and developing countries—including India, China, and Brazil—in sustaining world economic growth will continue in 2011, says the I.M.F.
In the aftermath of a global recession and extreme political unrest, renowned author and teacher Deepak Chopra, M.D., believes it’s time for a different kind of leadership.
When felony defendants jump bail, bounty hunters spring into action. It’s a uniquely American system, and it works, says George Mason economics professor Alex Tabarrok.
Just when you think artist/charlatan Jeff Koons reaches the nadir of respectability/believability, he digs just a little deeper. As an early Christmas gift, Koons instructed his lawyers to issue a […]
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin claims she is the victim of “blood libel,” a reference to the anti-Semitic claim that Jews sacrifice Christian children. A Jewish congresswoman got a bullet […]
Every Wednesday, Michio Kaku will be answering reader questions about physics and futuristic science. If you have a question for Dr. Kaku, just post it in the comments section below and […]
Sarah Palin is not to blame for the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ). As I wrote on Monday, she cannot be held accountable for the actions of an obviously […]
The media has speculated that Arizona gunman Jared Loughner’s heavy use of marijuana could be behind his psychotic behavior. Forensic psychiatrist Michael Stone looks at the science behind this claim.