top stories
January 23, 2012
Views Reviews and Interviews
Does Black History Need More Than a Month?
The documentary “More Than a Month” asks: Does Black History Month still inspire reflection, or just Nike sales?
January 21, 2012
Business & Economics
Urban Renewal’s Record Shows It Wasn’t All Bad
Large-scale federal investment in American cities between 1950 and 1974 had some lasting benefits in economic growth, researchers say, despite the bad rap it currently has.
January 20, 2012
Politics
Supreme Court Calls For New Try on Texas Districts
Texas Republicans won Friday as the Supreme Court rejected a judicially drawn redistricting map, but not for the reasons you might think.
January 20, 2012
The Idea Lobby
Private Prisons Can’t Lock In Savings
A report from The Sentencing Project argues that a primary driver for privatizing corrections isn’t really paying off.
January 20, 2012
Research in Summary
We’re Sorry: Not All Apologies Are Apologies
Politicians take note: Research shows the fine line between claiming regret and taking responsibility.
January 19, 2012
January-February 2012
No Debate: Kids Can Learn By Arguing
Columbia professor Deanna Kuhn says teachers should foster some debate to help kids learn the lost skill of thinking critically.
January 18, 2012
The Idea Lobby
Who Owns Government-Funded Research Papers?
The Research Works Act would prevent publicly funded research from automatically being available to the public for free. Private publishers back the bill, while open-access partisans are appalled.
January 18, 2012
Legal Affairs
Lowering Flags of Convenience for Fish Poachers
New international measures to end fish poaching on the high seas would enforce laws where the poacher calls, not where their ships are registered.
January 18, 2012
January-February 2012
Can a Bad Economy Save Your Marriage?
Spouses who blame the economy for their woes, rather than pointing the finger at their partner, are more likely to be satisfied with their marriages.
January 17, 2012
January-February 2012
How Foreclosures Feasted on Some Cities, Not Others
A look at foreclosures in two Southern California cities shows why some fared better than others in the housing crisis.
January 16, 2012
Findings
Sex on the Brain Proves Costly for Men
New research suggests the mere idea of an encounter with a woman can impair men’s cognitive performance.
January 16, 2012
News and Options
Street Makeovers Put New Spin on the Block
How community activists are taking city planning into their own hands and creating pedestrian-friendly blocks via pop-up urbanism.
January 13, 2012
Environment
New Dirt on Climate Change
Researchers have drilled into the middle of America in hopes of understanding past eras when the Earth burped out huge amounts of greenhouse gases.
January 13, 2012
Science
Why Robot Maids Won’t Do the Dishes
How hard is it to design a humanlike robot? Harvard’s Steven Pinker highlights how simple human accomplishments represent formidable robotics challenges.
January 12, 2012
The Idea Lobby
Should We Buy Options on Presidential Candidates?
For decades, academics have been running a lively prediction market in political aspirations. But now commodities traders have proposed actually selling options on presidential candidates.
most viewed
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Morning People May Be More Creative in the Afternoon
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Was Lou Gehrig's ALS Caused by Tap Water?
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We're Sorry: Not All Apologies Are Apologies
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Sex on the Brain Proves Costly for Men
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Conservatives' Politics of Fear a Biological Response
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How the Unconscious Mind Boosts Creative Output
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Are Some Airlines Just Too Dangerous to Fly?
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Japan's Earthquake: Deciphering the Fury
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Bitter About Your Life? Blame Facebook
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Street Makeovers Put New Spin on the Block
findings
Text Messages No Substitute for Mother’s VoiceA study finds girls’ stress levels decrease after speaking with mom, but not after text messaging.
Long-Term Love Not Just a Fairy TaleA new study finds nearly three-quarters of Americans remain “very in love” after a decade of marriage.
Portraits Can Get Your Pulse PoundingNew research recording physiological reactions of museum-goers suggests we respond to art with our bodies as well as our brains.
Female Pop Stars: Prepare to DisrobeAn analysis of Rolling Stone magazine covers finds female artists are increasingly sexualized and presented as sex objects.
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moments in video
Why Do Lobbyists Have the Veto?Video: Miller-McCune hosts a panel at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., asking, “Why Do Lobbyists Have the Veto?”
Desperately Seeking LandminesDespite years of research on everything from ‘HeroRATS’ to TNT-sniffing bees, humans still remove most landmines by poking — very, very carefully — in the ground.
Songs and Ads: Ten Infamous ExamplesHere’s 10 examples of songs turned into ads, all influential, some successful.
‘One Dream’ Meets ‘I Have a Dream’American documentary makers bring Martin Luther King to Beijing — and back.
A Call to Reform Congress“Changing Congress: Lessons Learned by a Copyright Activist” a presentation by Lawrence Lessig.
‘Orphan Film’ Selections From the ArchivesThese 10 ephemeral works from the last century provide a fascinating window into our culture of the past — for better or, oftentimes, for worse.
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podcasts
Ecosystems Secretly Protect Against Lyme Disease
Lizards, it seems, are good at keeping ticks free of Lyme disease, which suggests that a ecosystem that benefits lizards (and other creatures) ultimately benefits humankind, ecologist Cherie Briggs explains in this podcast.
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Download the podcast (right-click or option-click).Listen to more Curiouser and Curiouser podcasts.
from the blogs
Texas Republicans won Friday as the Supreme Court rejected a judicially drawn redistricting map, but not for the reasons you might think.
New international measures to end fish poaching on the high seas would enforce laws where the poacher calls, not where their ships are registered.
New research finds problems that require a flash of illumination to solve are best approached during the time of day when you’re not at your peak.
While it’s not a bad idea to pay attention to the various costs of your medical care, the president of the Center for Advancing Health argues that haggling over costs is not a long-term solution to spiraling expenses.
Like other great figures, new writings about Mohandas Gandhi tell us something about the subject but perhaps more about our times.
South Africa’s painful journey from white minority domination to democracy, and the roles played by the rest of the world, is chronicled in a five-part documentary airing on PBS.
Recent scholarship and popular journalism both suggest an unappealing future for American boys: You’re screwed.
Various ways of assigning numbers to events, people, and actions is an ancient parlor game, but let’s not take it beyond that.
Rather than moaning about too many cars on the road, the Ridesharing Institute says the real key to battling traffic congestion and pollution is filling empty passenger seats
Sports fans control more of what happens on the court or on the field than they realize. Now if they could just applaud good decisions over flashy bad ones.
Researchers propose pulling patients out of anesthesia with “a shot of adrenaline to the brain.”
Shunned in the past as trumping mitigation, the issue of climate adaptation is now receiving serious attention.
