top story in September-October 2010
Across the Science Gap
A small sample of the overwhelming and varied response to a story on the labor market for scientists.
Use the Phone While Driving, Get Dumped
Study says using a cell phone while driving causes communication breakdowns that could cause misunderstandings and hurt relationships.
The Death Throes of Pelicans and Presidents
When the going gets tough, the tough get going — even if their activity is counterproductive or just for show.
World Press Photos in Focus
Ready for a close-up: The year in award-winning photojournalism presented by the World Press Photo Exhibition.
Don’t Panic. It’s Only the Internet.
International treaties aren’t the way to combat cyber sabotage.
Resurrecting the Dead Sea
An extraordinary plan to revive the Dead Sea could ease tensions among Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Or it could create an environmental disaster.
Get Plenty of Sleep Before Imitating Rock Gods
Paper reveals that players of a popular video game increase their performance when they’ve had a full night of rest.
How Polling Places Can Affect Your Vote
Researchers argue the physical location of the polls not only affects how many people vote; it may also influence last-minute decisions regarding which box to mark or lever to pull.
Ranking States’ Citizen Embarrassment Levels
Amid a rush of political scandals and missteps, we figure that some citizens are more embarrassed for their state than others. We look at the shameful headlines and determine where these states would rank on the citizen embarrassment level.
archive
State of Embarrassment — Texas
How textbook changes and talk of secession affect the citizen embarrassment level in Texas.
State of Embarrassment — Tennessee
How battling Obamacare and being highlighted for corruption affect the citizen embarrassment level in Tennessee.
State of Embarrassment — Illinois
How former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and state corruption in general affect the citizen embarrassment level in Illinois.
State of Embarrassment — Virginia
How gun laws, Confederate History Month and a statue of Stalin contribute to the citizen embarrassment level in Virginia.
State of Embarrassment — New York
How rampant corruption, a governor’s affair with a prostitute and the fall of “America’s Cop” affect the citizen embarrassment level in New York.
State of Embarrassment — Arizona
How immigration laws, a state boycott and a “worst sheriff” honor affect the citizen embarrassment level in Arizona.
State of Embarrassment — California
How a budget deficit, credit crisis and the Governator affect the citizen embarrassment level in California.
Charles Harvey: Water Detective
Charles Harvey traces the source of widespread arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh, setting the stage for programs that could benefit 20 million people.
Taking High-Speed Trains into the Future
For the U.S. to have world-class high-speed trains, the government will have to subsidize them. The investment would be small compared to the billions lavished on highways and airports.
Putting Climate Researchers Under the Microscope
Scientists who argue for human-caused climate change published twice as many papers and are cited 64 percent more often than researchers who doubt climate change.
related to September-October 2010
politics
- SOPA Debate Highlights Congress’s Ignorance
- Can Obama Keep His Technology Edge in 2012?
- No Way Out: Exiting Afghanistan and Iraq
- Nation’s Science Powerhouse Supports Family Time
- Foreign Aid Should Deliver Science, Too
business
- Learning to Read When a School System Falters
- No Debate: Kids Can Learn By Arguing
- 20,000 Robots Under the Sea
- Bitter About Your Life? Blame Facebook
- SOPA Debate Highlights Congress’s Ignorance
science
- 20,000 Robots Under the Sea
- Teens Weigh Ethical Animal Research Dilemmas
- Does This Make My Antenna Look Big?
- The Physics of Terror
- Battling World Hunger Through Innovative Technology
culture
media
- Bitter About Your Life? Blame Facebook
- Civil Rights Groups’ Surprising Net-Neutrality Bedfellows
- Culturomics 2.0 Aims to Predict Future Events
- Spy Agency Seeks Digital Mosaic to Divine Future
- ‘If a Tree Falls’ Revisits the Earth Liberation Front
legal affairs
- Civil Rights Groups’ Surprising Net-Neutrality Bedfellows
- Can Computers Predict Crimes of the Future?
- Cybercop Fights Organized Internet Crime
- For Some, Might Torture Be Its Own Reward?
- Cops and College: Do Police Need Book Smarts?
environment
- Bipartisan Group Wants U.S. to Get Serious About Geoengineering
- Last Charge of the (Incandescent) Light Brigade
- Profile: Reddy Stayed Steady During Gulf Oil Spill
- Developing Smart Cars, Roads for a Greener Drive
- An Anti-Science Mania Takes Over GOP
health
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Prop Planes: The Future of Eco-Friendly Aviation?
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from the source
Gender Wage Gap Skewed By Survey Flaws
The wage gap between the sexes in America has been closing much faster than anyone realized, but that’s tempered by learning it’s been much wider than measurements had shown.
‘Orcas as Slaves’ Argument Sinks
An effort to identify five performing orcas as slaves failed in part, argues one scholar, because there’s no legal precedent establishing them as persons.
The Perceived Delicacy of the Female Conductor
New research finds listeners judge symphonic music differently when they’re told the conductor is a woman.
House Puts Transportation in Partisan Crossfire
Transportation used to be one of the few guaranteed areas of agreement when ideology trumped pragmatism in D.C. But that’s no longer the case.
Pressure to Conform Can Inspire Creativity
New research suggests less-creative people do more innovative thinking when they are told individualism is the norm, and instructed to conform.
Better Super Bowl Makes for Better Ads
A lot of people say they watch the Super Bowl mostly for the ads. But it turns out a good game surrounding those ads makes them seem better.
Overseas Troops Finally Get Fair Shot at Voting
After decades of obstacles hindering the voting process, new laws will allow overseas and military voters to submit their votes in time for the 2012 election.
Neglected Tropical Diseases Neglected No More?
World health leaders announce coordinated push to eradicate or control neglected tropical diseases.
Children’s Books Increasingly Ignore Natural World
A survey of award-winning children’s picture books from 1938 to 2008 suggests our increasing estrangement from the natural environment.
Traffic Solution: Make Drivers Less Lonely
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.
Hall of fame
Slugging — The People’s Transit
In Washington, D.C., commuters have taken thousands of cars off highways via a homegrown rideshare system known as “slugging.” Can the government create more slugs — without stepping on any?
Bacteria ‘R’ Us
Emerging research shows that bacteria have powers to engineer the environment, to communicate and to affect human well-being. They may even think.
A New Take on Political Ideology
An evolutionary psychologist proposes a new framework for understanding the root causes of our political beliefs.
The Real Science Gap
It’s not insufficient schooling or a shortage of scientists. It’s a lack of job opportunities. Americans need the reasonable hope that spending their youth preparing to do science will provide a satisfactory career.
Triumph of the Cyborg Composer
David Cope’s software creates beautiful, original music. Why are people so angry about that?
