Politics & Current Affairs

Only about five percent of books are converted into usable formats for the visually impaired. A new treaty between publishers and advocates, designed to address copyright issues, may help end this “book famine.”

Writer Bill McKibben says that it doesn’t make sense to invest in companies “that make sure we won’t have a planet to retire on…Ask your [organizations] which side of this wager they’re taking.”

A project currently underway at the Pentagon — intriguingly named “Plan X” — aims to make attacking enemies’ computer systems so easy that “even a white-haired general” could do it.

Ganymede and Europa have many of the conditions that could support life as we know it. We’ll find out if and when an internationally-sponsored probe — Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or JUICE — gets there in 2030.

Deutsche Bahn wants to deploy the devices in order to reduce cleanup costs reported at $10 million annually. However, they may have to contend with a public that’s extra-sensitive to privacy issues.

The hard truth is this: With 3 percent of the world’s population, the US can no longer expect to run the world. This is because Asia, which has 60 percent of the global population, is no longer underperforming.

A new paper outlines the problems involved in relocating communities that are losing their land to climate change, and warns that other coastal areas could find themselves in the same position.

Irrational tendencies mark human existence. Some can be of service to you, such as the phenomenon of honoring what economists call “sunk costs.” 

Recovering from debt means, of course, saving money rather than spending it. So growth that was fueled by debt accumulation not only halts, but is no longer supported by capital flow. 

On May 28, a four-decades old ban on the import of these products will be relaxed, allowing Americans to experience culinary traditions dating back centuries.

The robots, which have seen action in Afghanistan and Iraq, will be part of a broad-spectrum security and surveillance effort designed to make the next World Cup “one of the most protected sports events in history.”

While mainland Chinese companies already export inexpensive goods like seat belts, wipers and radios, their native engineers are young and lack the knowledge necessary to develop cars year in and year out.

Amid the controversy surrounding 3D printed firearms, writer Cory Doctorow fears that the larger discussions regarding regulation of new and potentially problematic technologies will be clouded over by arguments over gun rights.

Even securing the most basic humanitarian rights for Syrian refugees would require committing tens of thousands of ground troops and escalating the conflict to global levels, say security experts.

Unlike other types of paper currently on the market, this version’s ultra-thin chips are embedded using a laser, making it much more versatile for banknotes and other important printed media.

Using 2.5 billion mobile call records from five million cell-phone users in Ivory Coast, IBM has created a system of bus routes estimated to cut workers’ commute time by ten percent.

I won’t propose an answer to this hugely complex question today. Instead, I want to point out some striking similarities between the American perspective on the conflict in Chechnya a […]

Sleep scientists have begun recommending that schools start their classes later in the morning to account for the biological necessities of adolescents, who need more sleep than adults. 

In China, authorities are asking how dangerous the avian flu virus might become. Thus far, there have been over a hundred reported cases and more than twenty deaths.

The Regional Cabled Observatory — the largest of its kind — will use underwater sensors and cables to transmit many different kinds of data about the northeast Pacific Ocean.

A campaign launched Tuesday in London is a preemptive strike against what some perceive as the inevitable evolution of today’s military drone technology.

As the rainy season begins, even more of the mollusks are expected to emerge from hibernation and start munching…on plants, stucco, plaster, and even concrete.

And the parents of children who attend the K-8 school, located in the Ozarks, are mostly happy about it, especially since guns are considered a normal part of life.

The energy monopoly Gazprom is pushing for greater adoption of vehicles that run on natural gas. It helps that Russia is the world’s second-largest producer of the stuff.

The government is going after 100 companies accused of exploiting young workers who are eager for experience. It’s one of several efforts to expose abuses in what some say has become “a defining characteristic” of the Millennial generation.

To test how strongly we identify our political convictions with a specific political party, Swedish researchers took to the streets just before a national election to survey voters about their political leanings.

It’s the most popular—and least reality-based—sentiment of the disgruntled white college applicant with high scores: a black kid took my seat.

As western governments tighten their budgetary belts, they are experimenting with their nations’ economies as well as with the health of their citizens, according to recent research on austerity.

City officials installed four ewes in a half-acre field next to the municipal archives building for a mere $335. They will munch on grass, and fertilize the field, until this fall.

More Africans are moving to large cities, and some are bringing their livestock with them, along with an increased risk of disease. Rather than banning the animals entirely, Kenyan officials came up with a different solution.