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Season of Birth

December 25, 2010
When we celebrate Christmas, we remember that Jesus was (supposedly) born in the winter, but this is not the best time to emerge from the womb. The season in which babies are born can have a dramatic and persistent effect... continued

Banana Mozart

December 24, 2010
This is the season for classical music! Listening to Mozart may (or may not) increase your intelligence, but one thing we know for sure: Playing that lovely music in the fields helps bananas to grow and Japan (where beautiful fruits... continued

Chimp Toys

December 24, 2010
Didn't get what you wanted for Christmas? Chimps don't always either, so they improvise--giving us a window into how human children play. Female chimpanzees seem to treat sticks as dolls, carrying them around until they're old enough to produce real... continued

Final Days of The Key

December 23, 2010
The Key--the most popular book we've ever published on this website--tells about a prophetic encounter that Whitley Strieber had with a stranger in a hotel room. It's been made into a play and is about to be produced as a... continued

Why Religion Makes People Happy

December 23, 2010
During the Christmas season, many people attend religious services who normally don't set foot inside a church. It's long been known that religious people are generally happier, but what's their "secret ingredient?" It turns out it's two things: prayer and... continued

Earth Survived in the Past–Will It Again?

December 23, 2010
Life on earth may have survived a global freeze that occurred 700 million years ago. Researchers have found evidence in Australia that tiny microorganisms lived despite fierce cold and turbulent seas (so maybe we'll survive too?) turbulent seas still raged... continued

Christmas in July

December 22, 2010
More proof our weather is out of whack: When it's winter in the US and Europe, it's summer in Australia, which normally has temperatures of around 86 degrees Fahrenheit at this time of year, but just like the UK, this... continued

Got the Christmas Blues?

December 22, 2010
With the holiday season in full swing, many people find themselves battling a form of the "holiday blues." And for many women coping with obesity and depression, new research finds that improving your mood might be the link to losing... continued

Save Rudolph!

December 21, 2010
Imagine Christmas without reindeer: We might someday have to do just that. But there's good news on the extinction front as well: Polar bears were added to the threatened species list nearly three years ago as their icy habitat showed... continued

Polluted Butter

December 21, 2010
Pollution is everywhere these days--it's even part of your next holiday dinner! Scientists have documented what they think is the worst US case of food contamination with polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. The incident also marks the first time... continued