Teach Your Computer Poetry & Slang

December 1, 2010
Computer programmers are trying to teach computers to "speak" to us, and a better understanding of how we use acoustic cues to stress new information and put old information in the background may help them produce more realistic-sounding speech. How... continued

Famous Diet Book Now a Download

December 1, 2010
Anne Strieber's famous diet book "What I Learned from the Fat Years" is now available as a download! When she found her clothes were getting too tight, she thought they had all shrunk, until she realized she had gained weight... continued

What Makes Homegrown Muslims Turn Radical?

December 1, 2010
In the past few years, people in the US and UK have been horrified to discover that many of the terrorists in their midst are "home grown," that is, citizens of their countries who have embraced a radical version of... continued

What Light Does

December 1, 2010
Sleep with the blinds closed! Exposure to even dim light at night is enough to cause physical changes in the brains of hamsters (and humans?) that may lead to depression. But light DOES kill superbugs, which must be why, when... continued

Why We’re Fat: Still a Mystery

November 30, 2010
After eating that big turkey dinner, you're probably feeling fat, and most of us are fat and getting fatter--why is this? Most people would say it's because we eat too much and exercise too little. But that answer, while valid,... continued

Major NDE Study

November 29, 2010
At 18 hospital emergency rooms here and in the UK, researchers have put pictures on the ceilings to test whether patients who are brought back to life after cardiac arrest can remember seeing the them during an NDE--an out-of-body experience.... continued

Embarrassed by Your Archaic Phone?

November 27, 2010
If you plan on asking Santa for a new cell phone, but aren't sure you'll get one, turn your old phone into an iphone instead! Input Dynamics has developed software which can tell you where to tap on a cell phone screen... continued

UFOs Seen by Astronauts

November 27, 2010
During the STS-80 mission, which was launched on November 19, 1996, the Space Shuttle Columbia took a crew of five astronauts on an 18 day trip around the Earth, the longest flight in the history of the shuttle. During the... continued

Why People Misbehave on Black Friday

November 25, 2010
"Black Friday" is a strange name for the official first day of the Christmas shopping season, but people may have started calling it that because shoppers behave so badly in their rush to capture bargains. Researcher Sharron Lennon, who spent... continued

Not Too Much & Not Too Little

November 25, 2010
After you eat Thanksgiving dinner, you may find yourself getting sleepy, because turkey contains a natural sleep-inducing amino acid called tryptophan. This is GOOD because cutting back on sleep reduces the benefits of dieting BUT sleeping too much may cause... continued