Guest Thinkers

Framing is a concept and term that is applied liberally in discussion of climate change politics and communication strategy.  Unfortunately, despite widespread use, the concept is frequently misunderstood and misapplied. […]

We’ve reached the last Friday of Winter Break here at Denison, so starting Monday, the students are back. This semester I will be breaking out my volcanoes/human culture seminar class, […]

Here’s the most thoughtful conservative appreciation of the President’s speech.  And here are some points I want to emphasize: 1. The president did not blame the shooting on “inflammatory rhetoric.” There’s no evidence […]

It is no longer conflict between heavily armed superpowers, but rather spreading food shortages and rising food prices that threatens our global future.

Fifty years ago, Dwight Eisenhower delivered what has become the best-known presidential farewell address. But was it romanticized out of proportion to its merit?

A new analysis of European tree-ring samples suggests that mild summers may have been the key to the rise of the Roman Empire.

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?

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 […]

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 […]

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.

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.

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.

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 […]

So say some of our leading scientists.  Of course, not all experts agree.  Carl Sagan, the inspiration behind the films ET and Contact, thought that we should spend big bucks […]

The a South Carolina gun company is selling a special commemorative AR-15 lower embossed with the phrase “You Lie,” as a tribute to Rep. Joe Wilson (R)’s famous outburst during […]

One of the great fallacies of our time is that of American reasonableness—a fantasy that obscures the violent and often contradictory actions of many of this country’s citizens and its government.

While certain celebrities are busy disseminating misinformation about autism, the fine folks at Core77 have launched Autism Connects – a technology and design competition challenging students to envision solutions for […]

What happens when the only piece of evidence in support of a radical idea—e.g. that vaccines cause autism—is clearly and definitely refuted? Belief in the evidence is strengthened!

Rather than becoming an ally, India is more likely to become one of the Asian countries that will tend to balance China’s strategic rise, says Harvard professor Joseph Nye.

Often referred to as the hormone of love, oxytocin is coming into sharper focus and its social radius of action turns out to have definite limits.