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Is the fact you are reading this story a decision you arrived at it by your own free choice, or was your interest programmed into the universe from the moment of the big bang? What makes free will such a fun topic is not only that it dives deep into physics, neuroscience, and philosophy, but…
Scientists have been exploring the idea that we are all governed by two disparate existential systems, each with its own distinct method of processing the idea of death. Both existential minds have the power to meaningfully change our attitudes and actions, but they work in very different—almost opposite—ways. One of our systems of existential thinking…
Physicists have demonstrated a system in which light is used to control the motion of an object that is large enough to be seen with the naked eye at the level where quantum mechanics governs its behavior. The movement of objects is ultimately governed by the laws of quantum mechanics, which predict some intriguing phenomena:…
Across the country, activists with ties to the Tea Party are railing against all sorts of local and state efforts to control sprawl and conserve energy. They brand government action for things like expanding public transportation routes and preserving open space as part of a United Nations-led conspiracy to deny property rights and herd citizens…
Trace elements in stars may influence the evolution of habitable zones around them where life as we know it might dwell. Stars are made nearly entirely from hydrogen and helium gas. Still, traces of heavier elements — which astronomers call metals, even if they are not what one normally think of as metals — can…
There are many tribes at Davos: business leaders (who pay for the rest), journalists, politicians, representatives of NGOs, bankers (I thought they all looked a bit defensive), faith leaders, and my own tribe, the academics. I left the conference full of admiration. Was I seduced by the glitter? Every second person seemed to be the…
The National Football League and the Indianapolis Super Bowl XLVI Host Committee are going green. They have selected Green Mountain Energy to provide renewable energy credits (RECs) equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the electricity to power the event. Green Mountain will provide 15,000 megawatt hours worth of RECs generated at wind farms…
The armed forces, according to recent research, played a major role in turning football from an elitist college sport into an American pastime. In the early 20th century, military institutions also helped popularize and develop regulations for the sport. And today, military influences linger in the language used to describe football strategy. As you watch,…
Business ethics may trump social ethics, but individuals are struggling in the light of revelations of suicides and inhumane labor conditions among some workers in China who make many Apple products.
Abnormalities in the brain may make some people more likely to become drug addicts, according to scientists at the University of Cambridge, who found the same differences in the brains of addicts and their non-addicted brothers and sisters. The study, published in the journal Science, suggested addiction is in part a “disorder of the brain”….