Nuclear weapons do horrific widespread damage. Nuclear radiation, even at high doses, does not. But fear of radiation does. We have the survivors of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to thank for these lessons. We should honor their suffering by remembering both.
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What the world’s most powerful collider found, and may yet still find. “Innovation is taking two things that already exist and putting them together in a new way.” –Tom Freston […]
A newly released series of anti-nuclear videos demonstrates just how blind to the evidence our underlying values can make us… and how that blindness can make it harder to solve the huge and complex problems facing modern society.
Biomechanical scientists have created a simple device that can increase walking efficiency, or “human gas mileage,” by an average of 7 percent when worn around the ankle.
Scientists come up empty-handed in their search for a “supercivilization,” but researchers remain hopeful.
Do “free markets” deliver efficiency as advertised? Economists often use “efficient” differently. Therein hides perhaps the last unlaughed-at Utopian ideas.
What makes the Sun shine? For decades, the science didn’t add up. “Every time we get slapped down, we can say, ‘Thank you, Mother Nature,’ because it means we’re about […]
There are fair quarrels with the details of the Obama Administration plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. But beyond the details, the fact that such a major step is being taken in the first place is a hopeful sign that our leaders can lead with reason and wisdom, and not just follow public opinion and emotion, as we try to find a more sustainable path to the future.
How much does a free app cost users in memory, data usage, and battery life? Turns out the ads within those free apps can consume 16 percent more energy and 22 percent more memory, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Can a running start really improve your driving distance in golf? “What a shot by Happy Gilmore! <aside> Who the hell is Happy Gilmore?”–Announcer, from Happy Gilmore As I prepare […]
As the machines in our lives struggle to understand simple speech, is there a chance they could ever understand our emotions? Researchers Reza Asadi and Harriet Fell think so.
A UK hospital hopes the device will help patients manage their medication and track their symptoms.
Massive data centers in the world require massive amounts of energy, not just for processing power, but also for cooling. While big companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are looking into a variety of ways to make the cooling process greener, one particularly clever solution is coming from a Dutch startup called Nerdalize.
“Print this map. Get off the internet. Take to the streets.”
Why is gravity so different from the other forces? On the hierarchy problem. “Science enhances the moral value of life, because it furthers a love of truth and reverence — love of […]
Since 1979, middle-income workers have seen their wages rise 6 percent. That’s an average raise of 0.167 percent a year.
What would happen if you pulled a tiny chunk out of a neutron star? “Try to imagine what it will be like to go to sleep and never wake up… […]
A galaxy cluster that’s been actively devouring matter for hundreds of millions of years blows all the records away. “The world exploded into billions of atoms, and when it rearranged […]
What happened when things were hot enough to spontaneously create matter and antimatter? “It followed from the special theory of relativity that mass and energy are both but different manifestations […]
Researchers say that when planning a diet, you should consider your feelings, and how they will play a role in your eating behavior.
It’s what holds the nuclei in atoms together, overcoming electric repulsion. But how does it work? “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say […]
We are far more influenced by appearances in our electoral decision-making than we like to admit
Is looking for radio transmissions in space like claiming the lack of smoke signals means there are no modern humans? “[W]hat Fermi immediately realized was that the aliens have had […]
“Envy is a really stupid sin because it’s the only one you could never possibly have any fun at. There’s a lot of pain and no fun. Why would you […]
Most reporting about risk hypes the danger but doesn’t provide all the information the reader needs to put the actual threat in perspective. So when balanced risk reporting shows up, it should be praised.
A recent study reveals how we can use peer pressure to encourage more sustainable travel.
Can the world’s most fantastic and speculative “theory of everything” candidate shed light on the Universe’s most invisible objects? “I just think too many nice things have happened in string […]
Taking a nap almost always beats a cup of coffee, according to sleep researchers, because a nap restores worn out synapse connections while coffee just pushes them to perform longer.
We know that Einstein’s general relativity is superior to Newton’s gravity, but where did Newton go wrong? “To me there has never been a higher source of earthly honor or […]
Considerable pressure is being mounted on the United States government, the United Nations, and the European Union to establish standards and regulations for limiting airplane emissions.