bigthinkeditor
Scientists would like to know the root causes of evil behavior: Is it a product of our genes or environment? The answer appears to involve a combination of the two.
A scheme to lose weight effortlessly begins by injecting pregnancy hormones into the body which, in theory, allay the hunger pains of a starvation diet that follows.
People who blow their deadlines and forget their appointments tend to find themselves making an early appointment with the grim reaper, says research on longevity.
The annual leap forward this Sunday provides an opportunity for researchers to see what the time shift—and the sleep loss that may accompany it—may do to our health.
Our intelligence has not altered how we age: despite all our advances—our clothing, high-rises, technology and more—it turns out we age and die at the same rate as other primates.
A new theory of tumor cells posits that they are relics of our distant evolutionary past. For this reason, say some scientists, cancer will ultimately succumb to modern therapies.
A small segment of the population has a genetic mutation that allows them to live well with very little sleep—as little as four hours a night. The gene in question is known as hDEC2.
The South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas is hosting its first ever health conference. Experts will converge to discuss how social media is transforming the health care industry.
The Transportation Security Administration will start publishing radiation test results from airport passenger and luggage screening equipment to allay fears about health risks.
Political paralysis in Brussels, monetary tightening by the ECB and soaring rates for Portuguese, Irish and Greek bonds — the omens for the Eurozone summit are not good.
The stereotype-busting effect of a role model only occurs if their success is perceived as due to their own innate ability and effort. That power is lost if they are seen to have just been lucky.
The Boston Globe reports on a determined principal, dedicated teachers, and an innovative reading program that have helped a school transform itself.
What are the implications of the Dalai Lama’s decision to drop his political role while the
Tibetan government in exile fears it is not ‘competent’ to take over from figurehead?
Having a positive concept of the national interest is what produces the element that’s missing from the Obama policy: national initiative.
David Van Reybrouck predicts the underlying causes of Belgium’s political crisis will repeat themselves elsewhere as the new media call into question established democratic practices.
Piracy in the waters off Somalia shows how an environmental issue such as overfishing can evolve into an international security crisis, says Shannon Beebe.
Among the challenges of electric cars is “range anxiety” — fear of being stranded with a dead battery, miles from a plug.
The vision of the leader of the enterprise is the most important aspect for company growth, profitability, and expansion. Management is insignificant without it.
David Bornstein on how the “collective impact” strategy of creating alliances of civic and business leaders is being applied to social problems across the nation.
For people with spinal injuries or other conditions that impair use of the arms or vocal cords—or for the curious who just think it’s cool—a new technology types your thoughts for you.
The 2010 Turing Award, announced on Wednesday, went to Leslie G. Valiant, a Harvard professor whose work laid the theoretical foundations for machine learning.
Is cloud computing something more than remote hardware and software sharing, or is it just a buzzword for the business community? Jeff Gelles explains the importance differences.
The U.S. Senate has passed new legislation to prioritize patents for technologies of importance to America’s economy, including cutting-edge green technologies.
Decentralization by way of cloud computing and the rise of green information technology are future trends to look for, says Kamal Sharma, C.I.O. of Mindlance, an I.T. infrastructure provider.
Brett Arends tells how he transformed his Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader into a functioning tablet device with an Android OS using free and legal software from the Internet.
An Intelligence Squared debate hosted this week by New York University asks whether cleaner sources of energy can power our economy and drive a recovery from the Great Recession?
Researchers have developed a device inspired by Velcro that “grabs” tumor cells circulating in a cancer victim’s blood stream. The device uses nano-scale technology to filter blood.
This year’s T.E.D. ideas summit produced some ideas worth repeating: Being wrong is as essential to life as being right, the rise of the “filter bubble,” and others…
Square, founded by the creator of Twitter, lets people accept credit cards with their smart phones. That innovation could transform transactions in surprising ways.
Though bold predictions have been made in the past about ending cancer, we are still years away from a cure for cancer, if such a thing even exists. But advancements in prevention and detection are revolutionizing the way cancer is treated.