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How to Create Killers

September 26, 2003
Psychopaths?who have no ability to comprehend the feelings of others and therefore commit the most horrendous crimes?are made, not born. But what makes them the way they are? And how can we spot them before they act? Caroline Ryan writes... continued

Can We Catch Diseases from Space?

September 26, 2003
With so many probes heading for Mars and other planets, the question of whether they could bring back new diseases has become important. SARS, Mad Cow Disease and HIV are only three of the diseases that have crossed the species... continued

New Voting Machines Easy to Hack

September 25, 2003
The California recall election was almost derailed due to fears about using the same type of punch card ballots that skewed the Presidential election in Florida. These, as well as traditional voting machines, are rapidly being phased out in favor... continued

It’s Ignobel

September 25, 2003
Since 1991, Marc Abrahams has been giving out the Ig Nobel Prizes to the researchers who have conducted the most ridiculous scientific experiments during the year. The next awards will be given out on October 2nd at MIT. Recently, he... continued

Was the Plague Really Ebola?

September 25, 2003
The Black Death that killed half the people in Europe in the 14th century has long thought to have been carried by fleas on a certain type of rat. But now scientists think it was actually an Ebola-like disease. Debora... continued

Stampede!

September 25, 2003
Scientists want to study stampedes at places like sports arenas and music concerts, so they can figure out how to prevent them. They can't study actual human stampedes, so what can they do??They stampede mice instead. They've discovered that fewer,... continued

Less Good Stuff to Spend That Tax Cut On

September 24, 2003
Caviar may soon cease to exist, because the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) miscounted the number of wild sturgeon, leading to continued overfishing. Will the rich be happy about their tax cut if they can't spend some... continued

Hitler May Have Acted Under Hypnosis

September 24, 2003
Forensic psychiatrist David Post thinks hypnosis may have been responsible for Hitler's dreadful deeds. When he was recovering from wounds suffered during World War I, he was given a hypnotic suggestion that he misinterpreted as divine revelation, telling him he... continued

Ozone Causing Major Aussie Drought

September 24, 2003
Australia is experiencing its worst drought in 100 years, due to the widening ozone hole. The ozone hole was once thought to only affect skin cancer rates in Australia, by letting in more ultraviolet light. But now it's been discovered... continued

Serious Accident Predicted for Space Station

September 24, 2003
Due to poor communications between U.S. and Russian astronauts, the International Space Station is a disaster waiting to happen, according to an ex-safety official at NASA. There have been three incidents so far that could have led to serious problems,... continued