Bad Things Happen in August

August 10, 2012
And you thought you could relax this month? In the August 8th edition of the Wall Street Journal, Andrew Roberts writes, "What is it about the month of August? Why should we still persist in regarding it as a quiet... continued

Why We Like to Brag

August 9, 2012
We may not want to admit it (even to ourselves), but talking about ourselves gives us a "high." About 40% of everyday speech is devoted to telling others about what we feel or think, because it triggers the same parts... continued

Neanderthal Medicine

August 9, 2012
Researchers have provided the first molecular evidence that Neanderthals not only ate a range of cooked plant foods, but also understood its nutritional and medicinal qualities. Oetzi, he prehistoric "iceman" (who was not a Neanderthal), carried mushrooms with him, which... continued

Mars Curiosity Validated

August 9, 2012
If the Mars rover Curiosity finds carbon-based molecules in the Martian soil, researcher Gilbert Levin will feel vindicated, since he promulgated the theory that life on Earth was seeded by an asteroid from Mars 36 years ago. A Titan/Centaur vehicle was... continued

Dead Seals–An Ominous Sign?

August 8, 2012
The flu can jump from animals to humans. A new strain of flu has emerged four times in the past 100 years. The one that emerged in 1918 killed 50 million people, which is why scientists watch these new flu... continued

They’re Singing Again

August 8, 2012
When oceanographer listened to the audio picked up by a recording device that spent a year in the icy waters off the east coast of Greenland, she was stunned at what she heard: whales singing a remarkable variety of songs... continued

Why You Do–or Do Not–Think Climate Change is Real

August 8, 2012
It's not just your furniture that effects your beliefs--when it comes to climate change, it's the weather where YOU are, so people who live in places where the climate is good tend to deny this reality, while those living in... continued

Time to Get Dirty

August 8, 2012
We have a problem: We're just too clean! The rise in allergies and autoimmune diseases during the past few decades may be at least partly due to our lack of exposure to the microorganisms in dirt. We once walked barefoot... continued

Why Olympic Athletes are Positive Thinkers

August 7, 2012
Exercise seems to be a "cure" for certain kinds of depression, and so along with a dose of fish oil, you may be able to throw away your pills. And while some people "work up an appetite" when they exercise,... continued

Gotcha!

August 7, 2012
Instead of burying it or hoping our oceans will absorb it, why don't we just grab all that carbon dioxide out of the air? A group of researchers think that a CO2 removal unit the size of an ocean shipping... continued