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In the future, video games may allow everyone to have a personal trainer, not only for exercise, but for their education, hobbies, art, spirituality—anything in their life that they’d like […]

An information-saturated society is going to notice plenty of weird correlations, like the Blade Runner curse or the unfortunate fate of American presidents elected in years that ended in a […]

The New Scientist attends the science conference at Google HQ and reports on virtual reality advancements, the direction of new media and how technology will revolutionize education.

Despite their ideological differences, the personalities that drive the success of The Daily Show and Fox News apparently respect–even admire–each others ability to entertain and engage viewers. That’s one of […]

Scientists have developed a video game that allows players to predict and build protein structures that have stumped computers because of their inadequate spatial reasoning.

[Contributed by guest blogger, Katherine Broendel]The last time I posted, I wrote about the effects pornography and violent pornography may have on viewers’ perspectives of women and sexual violence. Rather […]

The chatter among pundits and journalists this post-debate morning has focused in part on John McCain’s body language and split-screen demeanor. There was a clear aggressiveness and emotion to McCain’s […]

I can’t say enough good things about Deborah Blum’s “The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York.” It’s an fast-paced narrative that mixes […]

You don't tend to think of volcanoes in the Caucasus Mountains, but Mt. Elbrus is a beast with a (recent) track record.

The Eyjafjallajökull eruption that captured the world's attention seems to be practically quiet as the explosions cease at the vent.

European airlines took test flights over Europe today to see the effect of the Eyjafjallajökull ash on their jets - but it is still unclear when flights over Europe will return to normal.

The Great Earthquake Swarm of 2010 at Yellowstone seems to be petering out.

So, August rolls in and who would have thought in early May we’d still be talking about the Chaiten eruption with such intensity. Jorge Munoz of the SERNAGEOMIN is wondering […]

“Canadians have a reprehensible habit of making fun of just about everything,” says novelist Margaret Atwood. In her Big Think interview, she tries to explain Canadian humor, asking us, “What […]

A round up of recent news coverage where I have provided analysis…1. USA Today ran this profile of actor Ed Begley, focusing on his commitment to environmental issues and a […]

"Boredom may be an intrinsic part of life for practically everyone, but it needn't be destructive. In fact, boredom can be a force for good." Give kids freedom, says one commenter at The Guardian.

"Reality is already outpacing 'Minority Report,' the 2002 film that imagined technology in far-off 2054: Pre-crime systems, 3D video and gesture-based computing are already here," says The New York Times.

Sometimes I think “entitled” is the new “uppity.” It’s the new all-purpose put down for anyone who seems too aware of their own power. By way of backstory, college journalism […]

In Greek mythology, the gods sometimes punished man by fulfilling his wishes too completely. This is the first line of Henry Kissinger’s 1957 Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy. Always controversial, […]

A friend of mine, who works in the sustainable food industry, was alarmed by my recent post on overfishing. Not alarmed to learn about the demise of marine ecosystems (she […]

n It’s déjà vu all over again. Post #163 of this blog (d.d. Aug 5, 2007) dealt with a secretive plan by the European Union to carve up the United […]

A few weeks ago I highlighted this relevant finding from the massive amount of data contained in Pew’s annual State of the Media report. And Chris highlighted the results of […]

This semester at American University, I am teaching an advanced undergraduate/graduate seminar on Political Communication. Needless to say, it’s the right time and the right city to be teaching this […]

The studios of Point of InquiryFor those in the DC area, Wednesday evening I will be speaking at the one year anniversary of the Center for Inquiry’s Public Policy office […]

NOTE: Unfortunately, the article is only free access from most university IP addresses. Please email me at nisbetmc@gmail.com and I can send you a copy.I have the following article forthcoming […]

Email list servs and blogs aren’t the only things buzzing about the new documentary ‘Jesus Camp,’ (trailer) which opens in major cities this weekend, including here in D.C. The news […]

In a series of tweets Sunday, Sarah Palin first “invented” the word “refudiate” (while, perhaps, trying to come up with “repudiate”), and then defended her word choice in another tweet […]

Sure enough, the last 2 days of earthquakes at Yellowstone seem to be getting shallower - but do we see any other changes in the caldera? UPDATE: now with error bars!

Increasing activity at Mayon in the Philippines (UPDATED with video) and Soufriere Hills on Montserrat have prompted evacuations. Also, two new NASA Earth Observatory images of volcanoes in action.

Saudi officials are attributing magma movement at shallow depths for the recent earthquake swarm in the western part of the country. Are we seeing the beginnings of the first volcanic eruption in Saudi Arabia since 1810? UPDATED