Author posts
Millions of Americans are sleep deprived — and it's literally killing us
It's a public health crisis, experts say.
January 30, 2019
6 great inventions from the Civil War
The massive number of casualties and injuries created during these battles necessitated some quick, creative ideas... some of which we still have today.
January 28, 2019
Cannabis may boost perceptual reasoning in teenage brains, researchers say
It increases their brains' gray matter volume.
January 23, 2019
No Planet B can 'ever' be made as comfortable as Earth, says British astronomer Martin Rees
The end of the world is the main focus of his new book.
January 11, 2019
Exercise produces irisin — irisin might prevent Alzheimer’s, researchers say
Some hope for those who are struggling with the disease.
January 10, 2019
In one coal state, renewable energy is set to win by 2028
Indiana ranks 3rd in coal consumption, but a primary energy utility there just declared the end of coal by 2028
November 12, 2018
Trolls undermine the credibility of authors and publications, researchers say
The impact of abusive comments is "significant."
November 12, 2018
MIT scientists propose giant laser beacon to attract alien attention
The concept was likened to a porch light in our little neighborhood of the galaxy.
November 07, 2018
NASA scientists are developing rocket fuel made from Martian soil
Scientists at NASA are currently developing methane-creating robots to overcome this challenge.
November 01, 2018
200 Google workers will walk out on Thursday over sexual misconduct handling
The "Women's Walk" (as Google has named it) will occur in response to how the company handled sexual misconduct claims against one of its executives.
October 30, 2018
NASA spots perfectly rectangular icebergs in Antarctica
Geometric or tabular icebergs are a thing, and they're kinda beautiful.
October 25, 2018
Explosives scare at CNN, suspicious packages sent to Clintons and Obamas
It's a little scary out there, folks.
October 24, 2018
Raising minimum wage to $15 an hour reduces costly turnovers, new study finds
As it turns out, the effects of the minimum wage increase are more nuanced than previously espoused.
October 24, 2018
Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman on U.S. Supreme Court, has dementia
Her husband died in 2009 of the disease.
October 23, 2018
The original 'Big Bird' puppeteer is leaving Sesame Street
He was recruited by Jim Henson himself in 1969.
October 17, 2018
Canada has legalized marijuana. Here's why they did it.
The tax coffers for the entire country will be growing rapidly, and citizens of Canada will be able to access what they need.
October 17, 2018
Jeff Bezos defends spending billions on rockets over, say, poverty
At what point does spending billions on rocket technology seem irresponsible to those suffering on Earth?
October 16, 2018
Retail apocalypse continues as Sears files for bankruptcy
142 more stores to close, but that might be just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
October 15, 2018
9 heartbreaking Hurricane Michael photos remind us of nature's power
It's the first time a Category 4 hit this region. Ever.
October 11, 2018
Mount Vesuvius eruption boiled people's blood, made skulls explode
The eruption quickly killed those caught in its intense wake.
October 10, 2018
The Pine Island Glacier is about to calve another monster iceberg
This is doubly worrisome on the heels of the recent UN climate change report, which gave humanity an urgent deadline to cut carbon emissions: just 12 years.
October 09, 2018
On global warming, we have 12 years left until the point of no return
Most of us will still be alive then. Maybe.
October 09, 2018
Meteorite used as doorstop for decades worth $100,000
It had a role in that old farmhouse...
October 05, 2018
Amazon dumps "stealth tax" on unsuspecting warehouse workers
Amazon raised its minimum wage for US workers to $15 per hour. Then, it took a bunch of other benefits away in what's being called a "stealth tax."
October 04, 2018
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners all work with ‘directed’ evolution
The field they work in is quite cutting edge.
October 04, 2018
Amazon raises minimum wage to $15 for all U.S. workers
Political pressure works, y'all!
October 02, 2018
Scientists blow up their lab after creating strongest magnet ever
It's a record magnetic field, but... yeah. That didn't last long.
September 28, 2018
Read: Christine Blasey Ford's opening statement to Senate
Here's the link to watch it live.
September 27, 2018
Take a look at Esieh Lake, the stuff of climate change nightmares
Hello, tipping point.
September 26, 2018
New Ken Burns documentary models what American healthcare could be
It should get people talking ...
September 25, 2018
Found: edited draft of Galileo's argument for a heliocentric model
At least he wasn't burned at the stake, right?
September 24, 2018
Major study: Drug overdoses over a 38-year period reveal hidden trends
It's just the current cycle that involves opiates, but methamphetamine, cocaine, and others have caused the trajectory of overdoses to head the same direction
September 22, 2018
Early Halloween in this Greek town: 1,000-foot spiderweb
It happens every few years. Not just in Greece, but also parts of the United States.
September 20, 2018
British Satellite, RemoveDEBRIS, to clean up space junk
It deploys nets to capture useless space junk.
September 19, 2018
An aspirin a day keeps the heart attack away? Not so much.
It's been de rigueur for at least 50 years that a daily, small dose of aspirin helps prevent heart attacks. However...
September 18, 2018
What is the 'pure carnivore diet'?
It's all the rage right now after the Paleo and keto diet sensations took the world by storm. But is it healthy?
September 17, 2018
How NASA's ICESat-2 will track ice changes in Antarctica, Greenland
Using advanced laser technology, scientists at NASA will track global changes in ice with greater accuracy.
September 14, 2018
In Turkey, Darwin is being removed from textbooks
Some parts of the world are going backward right now. Where will it leave us?
September 13, 2018
Neil deGrasse Tyson's new book explores the symbiotic relationship between science and the military
In a new book co-authored with Avis Lang, Neil deGrasse Tyson explores the morally complicated, symbiotic relationship between science and the military.
September 12, 2018
The Sahara Desert might become a place where solar and wind power can change the world
A new study asks the question: can a massive solar and wind farm be implemented in the Sahara? According to at least one of the authors, it's possible to create these solar and wind farms with technology available right now.
September 10, 2018
Twice the size of Earth, planet 503b has just been discovered
About twice the size of Earth, 503b orbits its own star every six days.
September 07, 2018
Bernie Sanders' BEZOS Act will make mega corporations pay fair wages
Bernie Sanders introduces an act to Congress named for the uber-wealthy head of Amazon aiming to make wealthy companies pay for any employees receiving public assistance.
September 06, 2018
Can you turn CO2 on Mars into sugar? NASA will give $1 million to the person who can.
Calling all enterprising scientists who are dying to retire ... or just put some cool cash into the bank.
September 05, 2018
Colin Kaepernick is the new face of Nike's 'Just Do It' campaign
"Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything. #JustDoIt"
September 04, 2018
Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL is cleared to head to a hearing
It now moves to a full hearing in front of the arbitrator.
August 31, 2018
LEGO builds life-size, drivable Bugatti Chiron. Watch it go!
LEGO folks built an actual, full-sized replica of the Bugatti Chiron—and drove it. What's next, a Mars rover?
August 30, 2018
California just ended its bail bond system, but there are some serious problems with the law
The state joins Washington, D.C. in eliminating a predatory system that preys upon low-income people and favors the wealthy.
August 29, 2018
Elizabeth Warren’s ‘Accountable Capitalism Act’ aims to restore what we once had in this country
An interesting take on "fixing" the rampant corporate supremacy of the last 40 years.
August 27, 2018
Remember Windows 95? Now you can download it on most OS systems, for free.
Microsoft Windows 95 was launched exactly 23 years ago today, selling for the tidy sum of $209.95. Now you can download it for free on almost any device. Go ahead. You know you want to.
August 24, 2018
IBM files patent for coffee-delivering drones that can sense your mood
"Hang on, Mom. My coffee just flew in." IBM just filed a patent for drones to deliver coffee to people that they “sense” need it.
August 23, 2018
Facebook removes 652 more fake pages created by operatives in Iran and Russia
It’s a start. More to come?
August 22, 2018
Microsoft detects and disables 6 new Russian attacks ahead of U.S. midterm elections
A group affiliated with the Russian government has been found by Microsoft to have created at least six 'spear phishing' websites targeting U.S elections, and it's certain there there will be more before November.
August 21, 2018
35% of all known exoplanets are 'water worlds', researchers find
The coming few years should really tell us a lot more about them.
August 20, 2018
From Harlem to the Moon: What Aretha Franklin meant to America
Accomplishments? Yes, Aretha Franklin had them.
August 17, 2018
NYU School of Medicine: 'Free tuition for all students.'
Citing increasing student debt and the desire to see more family and pediatric physicians, the school might have started a trend.
August 17, 2018
Space mining is officially a thing, and now there are classes in how to do it
Want to go to school to learn how to mine in space? Now you can.
August 16, 2018
Scientists have created a carbon-trapping mineral in a lab
It’s still only in the lab at this stage, and then there’s the problem of where, exactly, to store the carbon-impregnated magnesite.
August 15, 2018
‘Buddy, can you spare $70,000?’ Great Recession cost us all that much over a lifetime.
A publication from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says that the Great Recession that happened 10 years ago will cost us all $70K over a lifetime because of lost GDP.
August 14, 2018
Did an 11-year-old kid hack the Florida Secretary Of State voting website?
The short answer is that an exact copy of the website was hacked, yes. In just 10 minutes. By an 11-year-old kid.
August 13, 2018
Australians discover evidence of 25-million-year-old mega shark
This is an extremely rare find; only three similar fossils have been found in the world.
August 10, 2018
NASA's Parker Solar Probe launched today. Its mission? 'Touch' the sun.
The Parker Solar Probe is the first time a spacecraft will ever get this close to the sun.
August 09, 2018
YouTube now displays facts below conspiracy theory videos
Global warming, the MMR vaccine, UFOs, and more are in the spotlight so far. But will it work?
August 08, 2018
The tipping point where the planet becomes a 'Hothouse Earth' is terrifyingly real
"Hothouse Earth" is basically a self-sustaining engine of warming and carbon. Ummm...
August 07, 2018
Economists: Second-longest economic boom in US history ends in 2020 … with a recession.
This would be the end of one of the longest economic booms since the 1990 Dot Com bubble.
August 06, 2018
Coming to a night sky near you: The Perseid meteor shower!
The Perseid meteor shower during this weekend's new moon should be fabulous.
August 06, 2018
LeBron James' public school is the education model America needs
Charter schools and the privatization of education have an adversary in Akron. And in the NBA.
August 02, 2018
Sci-fi and fantasy readers may be more romantically mature, study finds
It's all about having mature ideas about how romantic relationships work.
August 01, 2018
Heads up! Mars makes its closest, brightest approach in 15 years.
No, it won't be as big as the moon, as some have claimed. Still, it will be a nice show for the next month or so.
July 31, 2018
A new study claims ‘Medicare For all’ would ruin the USA financially. It's not true.
'Medicare for all', also known as Single Payer Health Care, will be hotly debated this year, and more and more U.S. voters support the idea.
July 30, 2018
North Korea just delivered the remains of 55 U.S. soldiers to South Korea
Exactly 65 years after the end of the Korean war, these soldiers are headed home.
July 27, 2018
A star and a black hole: Einstein’s general theory of relativity gets magnificent proof
A massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way and a single star did it.
July 26, 2018
Scientists detect an underground lake at Mars' Southern pole. But it's c-c-c-o-l-d.
If confirmed by future observations, this would be the most significant discovery of liquid water on Mars yet.
July 25, 2018
Physicists create a quantum rotor that makes 60 billion revolutions per minute
Built in a vacuum, this little dynamo is challenging the boundaries of physics.
July 24, 2018
Where to see this Friday's blood moon, the longest lunar eclipse of the century
It is projected to last for more than 100 minutes, and begins Friday July 27.
July 23, 2018
9 candid photo "outtakes" from the Apollo 11 moon landing
The images are being collected on a Flickr page dedicated to the Apollo missions.
July 20, 2018
For the first time, scientists observe "devouring of planet" by young star
It will take further study to confirm the star's iron influx came from a planet or two, but the initial theory is quite compelling.
July 19, 2018
Study: When Trump tweets about Muslims, hate crimes increase
"We find that Trump’s anti-Muslim tweets are highly correlated with the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes, particularly where Twitter usage is high, but only after the start of his presidential campaign."
July 18, 2018
12 new moons discovered around Jupiter; one of them could spell trouble
Scientists just discovered 12 new moons orbiting the planet Jupiter, and they’re… interesting.
July 17, 2018
A new telescope shows the center of the Milky Way in dazzling, fiery detail
MeerKAT is producing brilliant images of the super massive black hole that is at our galaxy’s center.
July 16, 2018
Way to go! The U.K. has passed 1,000 hours of coal-free power in 2018.
One of the leading countries in the world in getting off coal and ramping up renewables.
July 13, 2018
The infamous case of the racist murder of Emmett Till is being reopened
It was officially closed in 2007, but has just been reopened.
July 12, 2018
This 17-year-old could be the first human on Mars in 2033
When asked if she'll be ready for the 2033 mission, she replied, "Definitely."
July 11, 2018
How SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh dissented on the 'Blackfish' SeaWorld case
The killer whale involved in the incident, Tilikum, has been involved in three deaths of humans while in captivity.
July 10, 2018
New airline AURA offers private jet travel for economy prices
Aura will attempt to become a frequent flyer's go-to airline.
July 09, 2018
76 years ago today, a Jewish family went into hiding when they couldn’t immigrate to the USA
Desperation made their family, and others, try to escape their home country.
July 06, 2018
Is the USA the best place to work in the world? OECD study says …
The 2018 OECD Employment Outlook of 2018, released on July 4, has some alarming news for residents of some of the key countries involved—especially for the good ol’ U. S. of A.
July 05, 2018
Electrical brain stimulation can reduce violent impulses by more than 50%
In a fascinating and somewhat unexpected result, mild electrical stimulation of the prefrontal cortex part of the brain can reduce violent urges and even raise moral awareness.
July 03, 2018
For the first time ever, a study finds out what CEOs actually do
CEO time has never been studied in this kind of detail.
July 02, 2018
New study: Seeing the same doctor for years means lower death rates
The death rate cut in half for people who kept the same doctor.
June 29, 2018
New study: Wind power will work on Mars. This is a game-changer.
Wind power on Mars makes it possible for any rover or other craft to collect power at the poles or other areas on the planet that don't get constant sunlight.
June 28, 2018
Scientists study tattooed corpses, find pigment in lymph nodes
It turns out, that tattoo ink can travel throughout your body and settle in lymph nodes.
June 27, 2018
Supreme Court ruling upholds Trump's travel ban
"We express no view on the soundness of the policy," Justice Roberts wrote in the Trump v. Hawaii Supreme Court ruling.
June 26, 2018
Survey: Millennials tip the least of any generation
Millennials are the first generation on track to make less than their parents. Of course, there was that whole Great Recession starting in 2008...
June 25, 2018
How Buzz Aldrin took the first selfie in space
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin captured the first selfie in space, and he doesn't want kids these days to forget it.
June 22, 2018
NASA unveils 3 ways it will defend Earth from catastrophic asteroids
The chances of an asteroid large enough to be a threat to areas where human beings are concentrated are small. Still, it's what's known as a "high impact" result.
June 21, 2018
Artificial intelligence wins a debate against a human—twice
Please tell me that Internet trolls didn't just get a huge leg up.
June 19, 2018
Brandon A. Weber
Brandon Weber has been writing and creating viral joy on the Innerwebz for over 7 years at Upworthy, The Progressive, Big Think, and more. His book on forgotten histories of unions, working people, veterans, and other marginalized people is available on Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powell's.
