Like most people, I’ve been thinking a lot about the shootings in Aurora, Colorado. And over the past week, I’ve seen the tragedy dissected in all manner of ways. I’ve […]
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The “endowment effect” explains our irrational tendency to overvalue something just because we own it.
Scientists have discovered how to inhibit the activity of pain-sensitive neurons by using a chemical compound that works like a photosensitive switch, turning pain off when exposed to light.
Forgive me, but this is not a post about neuroscience. Rather, this is a post about conservation and loss. Today, the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos Islands confirmed […]
It’s easy to see why, for most of human history, a creative insight was thought of as a divine spirit that came from “some distant and unknowable source, for distant […]
[Author’s Note: I’m reposting some old favorites while I’m away on vacation this week. This post was originally from October 2007.] I recently received an e-mail which asked me if […]
Canada’s vast oil sands make it the world’s second-most oil producing nation. But the benefits of greater wealth and energy independence must be weighed against the environment.
It was the best of webcams, it was the worst of webcams, it was “must see” TV, it was “must flee” TV—in short, this has been an interesting week in […]
Over the weekend, JT linked to this post on Patheos by Ben Witherington, an evangelical Bible scholar, opining about the legal basis for separation of church and state in America. […]
The Department of Defense and researchers have collected and compiled the data on combat trauma and suicide. On Memorial Day people remember soldiers that paid the price for freedom, yet less than ten percent died on the battlefield.
Read Part 2 here. To finish off Saturday night, atheist comedian Keith Lowell Jenson and journalist Ted Cox gave a demonstration of “ex-gay” conversion therapy. The quack idea undergirding this […]
So here’s the transcript of a debate I had with the brilliant and incredibly prolific (and old) bioethicist Daniel Callahan on how to frame end-of-life issues these days. Students at Singularity […]
There are many books that purport to offer you a better life. Some such books offer fairly mundane enrichment: weight loss, professional advancement, organized closets. Others are bolder, offering salvation, […]
The United States has already suffered the worst outbreak of West Nile virus ever, with more than 1,100 people ill and 41 dead. And more illness and death are yet […]
What’s the Big Idea? Forget coffee and crosswords. If you want to supercharge your brain, you have to change your lifestyle. But only a few things about it. Here, we lay […]
What’s the Big Idea? As the K-12 school year starts up again in full force, it’s worth asking: are American public schools really failing? According to the measure set by […]
Experimental psychologists have found that memory of learned processes, such as learning to play a specific piece of music, can be activated during sleep and strengthened in the process.
One unforgettable day in New York City, over ten years ago, I was crossing Park Avenue on my way to give a lecture when a Yellow Cab that had decided […]
NASA engineer Adam Steltzner is driving his team to attempt the seemingly impossible.
Mr. President, yesterday I told WEAA radio host Sean Yoes that I would write you an open letter challenging you to cut a re-election promo where you look directly into […]
Numbers really are sexy. They are what will power our world for the foreseeable future. They are available like never before, and we know now how to use them wisely.
So I’ve been getting a lot of articles and essays and rants emailed to me on higher education. Based on my previous posts, the impression seems to be that I’m […]
“Do you think we should get our brains scanned before getting married?” a friend asked me as we browsed a crowded department store, selecting important items for her bridal registry. […]
Today’s the last day of SSA Week, and the end is in sight! At the time of this writing, we’ve raised just over $88,000 out of a target of $100,000. […]
You might have had an experience like this: You’re cruising down the highway, with nothing in particular on your mind, when, suddenly, you let out an audible groan, remembering one […]
Can the human mind be explained as a solely material thing? Can a machine ever be conscious?
Hello readers. I’ve been on vacation for the last several days. Here’s an old post from my previous blog WhyWeReason.com to fill the void. It’s about a paper by the NYU […]
“Mommy” has become an adjective. This is both perplexing and troubling. I’m so sick of hearing everything get modified with mommy. Shades of Gray is “mommy porn.” Slow-track, less-stressful jobs […]
I’m a bit busy this week, since I’m at Netroots Nation until Sunday. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the major fundraising drive that’s just kicked off: the […]
Could we one day learn to play the piano, reduce mental stress or hit a curve ball with little or no conscious effort? Japanese and American scientists have begun teaching the brain directly.