Two studies shed additional light on a murky question: How did the cosmic fog that enveloped the universe in its early days dissipate?
Geologists have long predicted that North and South America will eventually fuse together and merge with Asia, forming a new supercontinent along the lines of the ancient Pangea — the precursor to today’s great land masses, which separated about 200 million years ago. In the past, researchers had guessed that the new continent, often called…
How do violence, holy spaces, and diversity intersect in America? Terror in holy spaces is not a new facet of American religious history. Church and synagogue bombings occurred during the civil rights movement, including the notorious 1963 attack that took the lives of four young girls in Birmingham, Alabama. Sikh Americans have been targeted and…
Talk about the pursuit of happiness. Several cities and states are are already looking into citizen well-being or floating happiness initiatives as a measure of true prosperity. Yet defining, let alone measuring, happiness (and its counterpoint, misery) is no simple matter. Critics scoff at the idea, suggesting that it’s a fool’s errand.
Wild chimpanzees communicate using similar gestures to humans, according to a Stirling researcher. Anna Roberts said she had identified about 20 to 30 manual gestures used by chimps, up to a third of which were similar to those used by humans. The chimps’ gestures included beckoning to make someone approach or flailing their arms to…
The U.S-based Wildlife Conservation Society says Asian governments must take action to protect Asian species that are at a conservation crossroads. The species include the tiger, orangutans, Mekong giant catfish, Asian rhinos, Asian giant river turtles and Asian vultures, a release from the society’s New York headquarters said. The WCS is urging governments to follow…
Science can advance quickly, rendering existing textbooks obsolete. Now new digital textbooks are emerging intended to better engage students and keep them up-to-date on the latest research. These e-books will cost (and weigh) less than the average printed tome. In January, Apple announced its iBooks 2 textbook platform for the iPad, and publishers, including McGraw-Hill,…