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.

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.

New research finds listeners judge symphonic music differently when they’re told the conductor is a woman.

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.

New research suggests less-creative people do more innovative thinking when they are told individualism is the norm, and instructed to conform.

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.

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.

World health leaders announce coordinated push to eradicate or control neglected tropical diseases.

A survey of award-winning children’s picture books from 1938 to 2008 suggests our increasing estrangement from the natural environment.

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.

Various ways of assigning numbers to events, people, and actions is an ancient parlor game, but let’s not take it beyond that.

Researchers looking at how we fixate on threats uncover more evidence of a biological component to the red-blue divide.

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.

Texas Republicans won Friday as the Supreme Court rejected a judicially drawn redistricting map, but not for the reasons you might think.

A report from The Sentencing Project argues that a primary driver for privatizing corrections isn’t really paying off.

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.

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 suggests the mere idea of an encounter with a woman can impair men’s cognitive performance.

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.

New research suggests heavy Facebook users are more likely to believe other people have happier lives.

Although they can’t put their finger on what a Republican looks like, when GOP voters think someone looks Republican, that candidate gets more votes.

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.

The complete makeover of the U.S. military debuted by President Obama and the Pentagon on Thursday looks a lot like the beast our Jeff Shear has been describing in 2011.

For many consumers, the label “fair trade” promotes the inaccurate assumption that a chocolate bar is lower in calories than its competitors.

New research finds we’re better able to identify genuinely creative ideas when they’ve emerged from the unconscious mind.

New research from France finds students learned more when a videotaped lecture was underscored with classical music.

After being retired in 2009, the scientific San Francisco Bay Model that replicates the nearby estuary has water flowing through it once again.

The divide between new technology and what the government understands about it threatens the U.S., says Clay Johnson of Expert Labs.

An astronomer and an economist suggest the world would be a more sensible place if it dropped floating days of the week and leap years by switching to their Hanke-Henry Permanent Calendar.

A new scorecard for violence prevention in Los Angeles puts hard numbers on hard problems, and does it for every ZIP code in the sprawling city.

The gap in grade point averages between male and female students widens when their college football team is winning.

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep serves the Duggars of the TLC reality show “19 Kids and Counting,” turning a private grieving process into a very public display.

Despite evidence that needle exchange programs for drug users slow the spread of AIDS, the new U.S. government spending bill once again defunds such programs.

Full moons appeal to our imaginations and contribute to our mythologies, but ascribing too much power to them appears to be a continuing form of lunacy.

In a lesson taught by schools of fish, researchers determine that uninformed individuals are actually a benefit to democracy by sanding off extreme views.

After swooning over promises that science would always trump politics in his administration, some observers are troubled by President Obama’s decisions on smog and contraception.

New research finds predictions made in the late 1990s that women were nearing equality in pop music have failed to materialize.

An industry that’s grown up around a promising way to help people caught in a web of obesity needs to make a few less promises, the FDA declares.

As past Miller-McCune articles have shown, driving while using your cellphone is a bad idea, and the U.S. government is doing its best to make sure you can hear that message now.

In a sign of acceptance of green building practices, the existing commercial space being retrofitted to LEED standards now exceeds that of new construction.

Efforts to slow obesity by taxing sodas hit the wrong target, argue three economists who propose a better-aimed tax on sugar and syrup that even they admit still sidesteps the real problem.

Political scientists have determined that labeling supporters of stands that otherwise might be unassailable can have a sleazy efficacy, although not everyone falls for tactic.

New research from Germany finds honing one’s music or sports skills enhances at least one important mental ability.

While for-profit higher education draws federal ire over student loans and unrealistic promises, the sector still fills an important vocational niche.

“Khodorkovsky” and “Hipsters,” two wildly different films currently making rounds of U.S., suggest that each step forward in Russia is greeted with one step back.

Law professor David Friedman offers a libertarian thought experiment in which the concept of law — i.e. rights enforcement — is determined by the marketplace, and not the political process.

New research finds middle-aged men are most willing to engage in competitive risk-taking.

Shunned in the past as trumping mitigation, the issue of climate adaptation is now receiving serious attention.

The placebo effect’s ability to influence human healing and human behavior is well documented, but we must be careful to make sure this fakery does no harm.

Germany’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution, similar to America’s FBI, isn’t doing its job against all the threats its homeland faces.

The upward spiral in U.S. health insurance costs is especially acute for employers that offer the benefit and employees shouldering more of their own costs.

New research from Norway finds a steep drop in interest in art, literature and classical music among college students between 1998 and 2008.

For years Americans having been moving long distances less and less, but the current bad times are pushing the percentages to post-World War II lows.

Research finds child sex-abuse victims discuss their experiences in greater detail after drawing a picture of the traumatic events.

The upcoming U.S. Supreme Court debate on health-care reform offers a prime time to start televising its hearings and allowing cameras in the courtroom.

Europeans are lagging the United States in using aerial drones for police work – and they don’t really mind.

An experiment demonstrates the death by a thousand cuts that could result from across-the-board cuts that would follow a deadline fumble by the U.S. deficit “super committee.”

New research finds atheists are widely perceived as untrustworthy, which may be a major factor in why they’re disliked more than other minorities.

As Brazil prepares to host two high-profile global events, filmmaker José Padilha suggests that while improving security is a worthy goal, its methods and rationale are deeply flawed.

A better reading of American poverty by the Census Bureau shows more are poor than thought, but also that aid programs and tax credits can make a difference.

A federal judge says tobacco companies’ complaints about the heavy hand of government forcing them to gainsay their own products have merit.

European experiences offer hints as to whether high seismicity in the U.S. oil patch is related to new gas extraction methods.

The next generation of political fact checking will offer humor and quicker turnarounds without further propagating the underlying deception.

New Gene-Z device identifies diseases in plants, water, and food within 30 minutes, researchers say.

New research finds financial scandals hurt politicians more than moral ones, and the public particularly frowns on abuses of power.

The U.S. military is paying more attention to the culture of the places where it fights, putting a new weapon in its arsenal, according to both soldiers and academics.

In a discouraging post mortem, it turns out neither the U.S. economy nor the environment really benefited from the 2009 “cash for clunkers” car-trading scheme.

Iceland did something right in the credit crisis, perhaps offering lessons both for Greece and Occupy Wall Street protesters

New research finds an increase in same-sex couples can nudge home prices either up or down depending on the political orientation of the neighborhood.

A new National Endowment for the Arts report finds jobs for artists are concentrated in specific states, including New York, California, Oregon, and Vermont.

Decentralized regulation in the gun-friendly U.S. creates ample opportunities for guns to leech from lightly regulated areas to stricter locales.

A fungus long suspected as the cause of the white-nose syndrome killing American bats has been positively ID’d as the culprit.

New research finds golfers who believed they were using a club once used by Ben Curtis sank more putts.

Researchers advance the idea that ecstasy and other controversial drugs could help treat traumatized combat vets.

Europe forges ahead on tackling greenhouse gas emissions, but the U.S. wants to ground certain rules that affect its airlines.

High prices, crazy politics and crazier weather threaten to wreck the symbiosis of shade-grown coffee in southern Mexico, as our Kristian Beadle explains in the second half of his look at Chiapas.

Psychologists tie the reluctance to protest Wall Street bailouts to a deep-seated need to justify the status quo.

Backers of a move to add utility bills into home-loan considerations say it will boost energy conservation and create lots of jobs that can’t be exported.

The Obama campaign’s adept use of technology in the 2008 election created not a permanent edge but a permanent path for others to follow, suggest two professors.

Once derided as the wrong path forward in fighting this mosquito-borne killer, a new malaria vaccine offers decent results and renewed hope.

College freshmen whose Facebook profile pictures featured intense smiles were more likely to feel satisfied with their lives 3½ years later.

New research suggests details of decisive games fade more quickly from the memories of the losing team’s fans.

A new documentary film, “Paul Goodman Changed My Life,” tells the at-times risqué story of the seminal public intellectual of the American left whose impact evaporated after his death in 1972.

Kristian Beadle steps off a rickety bus in southern Mexico and finds a traditional coffee-growing culture that suits modern sustainability efforts admirably.

Recognizing the problems of a plastic-choked ocean, the Trash Free Seas Alliance aims to rid the seas of its islands of flip-flops, soda bottles, and plastic bags.

A new report on funding renewable energy projects offers a primer on how policy decisions are best engineered to boost the industry.

Popular movements like Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party suggest that mass demonstrations have moved from the last resort of the powerless to the first resort of the newly empowered.

Analysis: Solar energy writer John Perlin argues that Solyndra’s fall from grace reflects a bad choice in technique, and not a fundamental problem with solar energy.

Professional skeptic D.J. Grothe explores the difference between skepticism and cynicism and describes how fooling some of the people some of the time is a bad idea all of the time.

Might it be that the traits and culture of the first nonnative colonizers in North America have left an indelible mark on the local society where they settled?

A thriving transatlantic trade in compressed wood scraps is creating New World timber jobs and meeting Old World clean energy requirements.

New research finds we’re more likely to believe a piece of false information conveyed in a television drama after two weeks have passed.

A new study, released on the 10th anniversary of the start of America’s longest war, highlights the widening disconnect between the nation’s troops and its civilians.

The former U.S. president asks for $93 million to eradicate a neglected disease that lingers in the new Republic of South Sudan.

While they may not have what it takes to win the White House, third parties have been responsible for putting up many of the road signs to future policy directions.

Robert Socolow, the co-author of an influential plan to reduce carbon emissions, revisits his work seven years later to understand why it failed.

As renewable energy sources approach cost parity with traditional sources, phasing out nuclear power might in Germany be economically smart.

Efforts at geoengineering to cool a warming planet are picking up steam.

Canadian researchers report the verbal intelligence of 4- to 6-year-olds rises after only one month of musical training.

The corn industry goes toe-to-toe with the sugar industry, for the use of the word “sugar.”

Two political scientists review a survey of perceptions about the U.S. Supreme Court and find the public may actually want the justices to trade their black robes for red and blue ones.

Reparative or conversion therapy’s efforts to “pray away the gay” come a cropper when examined with a skeptical eye.

With women still a minority among tenure-track researchers, the National Science Foundation unveils a raft of policies to keep women in science and engineering research careers.

Data from major soccer tournaments suggest a sports team’s history of failure can impact the performance of players — even those who didn’t participate in the futile earlier effort.

Competing solar projects are vying to supply Germany’s renewable desires, each one trying to push the other into the shade.

When signs prohibiting certain behaviors are blatantly ignored, it inspires others to act in antisocial ways.

The fight over whether the Internet should have a meter has created some unexpected alliances in the groups lobbying the FCC.

“American Teacher” argues the best prescription for the United States’ ailing public schools is paying the educators a better salary.

The argument that taxing the rich is bad because they’re responsible for making jobs has some merit, says a researcher, but only for a subset of the wealthy — those funding start-ups.

New research from Britain finds music lovers are increasingly crossing genres, but they remain divided in their tastes.

Germany’s energy revolution makes a shift to natural gas likely all over Europe.

Researchers propose pulling patients out of anesthesia with “a shot of adrenaline to the brain.”

As the U.S. military today begins allowing gay service members to no longer hide their sexuality, we look at the various academic and empirical studies that surround the issue.

A look at 25 NHL seasons finds players wearing black jerseys receive more penalty minutes than those wearing white.

A retired Google exec’s dream of ringing the planet with telescopes available to kids and professional astronomers has assisted in some recent discoveries.

A researcher who compared the Netherlands’ marijuana use with that of other European countries and the U.S. finds the Dutch regime of tolerated small sales of cannabis does not lead to a drug free-for-all.

By analyzing tens of millions of news stories, a supercomputer in Tennessee may be able to predict future human events.

A new report finds that Washington’s recent — but still limited — interest in rigorously evaluating government programs is both encouraging and unprecedented.

Doing deals with the Russians to put a pipe under the North Sea gives Germany some flexibility in its post-nuclear future, but at what price?

Canadian researchers find playing a musical instrument delays the onset of age-related hearing decline.

New research finds we tend to perceive negative emotions in the partially covered face of a veiled woman.

A large-scale study suggests 9/11-related stress led to a major increase in health problems across the U.S.

Biologists claim victory over rodents on Palmyra Atoll in an ongoing effort to restore seabird populations, this time in the tropics.

The U.S. intelligence community wants to mine lots and lots of the tidbits bopping around on the Internet to suss out trends before they make the news.

Researchers report that reading literature depicting aggression can impact how those readers respond to provocation.

Most of the U.S. Postal Service’s plans for surviving in the short term come down to cutting costs and not implementing the new ideas its own consultants have called for.

The movement to change your incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents completed its successful European Union campaign. The United States is next.

While giving the public notice of sex offenders living in their midst reduces sex crime overall, it doesn’t seem to keep convicted offenders from striking again.

New research links parental drunkenness at college football tailgating parties with alcohol abuse by their kids.

A bill on the floor of the California Senate, if passed and signed, will limit employers’ ability to conduct credit checks of non-managerial employees.

Like the homemakers in the book “Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay,” the bureaucrats running Germany’s financial house are saying enough is enough.

How far can federal regulators go in cramming ugly — if accurate — messages onto packs of cigarettes over the objections of the tobacco companies that sell them?

Newly published research suggests lactation increases aggression.

When it comes to classical pianists like Yuja Wang, what you see influences what you hear.

The State Library in Australia’s New South Wales is putting forth a new project to preserve forgotten or endangered Aboriginal languages.

The idea that legions of psychics are helping police solve crimes around the world is based on, well, nothing.

Researchers argue the much-decried homogenization of America is, in part, a product of our residential mobility.

As the U.S. Congress prepares to weigh a new round of massive budget cuts mandated by this summer’s deal on the deficit, some odd bedfellows offer a suite of suggestions for saving green by being green.

In Miller-McCune’s continuing examination of brewer’s yeast, we look at a new find in the world of lagers.

Phasing out nuclear power around the world is easier said than done; the Germans (and Japanese) are, so far, the most serious about it.

Welfare reform, 15 years old this week, was designed to get the structurally poor into jobs. What happens when there are lots more poor and lots fewer jobs?

Is your co-worker gay — or are you unsure? The answer could impact your job performance.

While saving the world’s threatened languages may seem informed more by nostalgia than need, federally funded researchers say each tongue may include unique concepts with practical value.

There’s always more to explore regarding “The Big Lebowski.”

Despite cries to crack down on illegal immigration, a new analysis suggests that border crossings from Mexico have been falling for years and border crimes are less common than national average.

New research explains how feelings of boredom can both strengthen solidarity within your in-group and heighten hostility toward outsiders.

A study finds girls’ stress levels decrease after speaking with mom, but not after text messaging.

The latest headlines from Afghanistan repeat the old stories Americans first heard from the Philippines, suggests the newest movie by independent filmmaker John Sayles.

While the Obama administration pushes forward the idea of a “reverse boot camp” for veterans mustering out, economists say these unemployed vets aren’t all that different from civilian jobless.

The future may hold a drug therapy for treating post-traumatic stress disorder, but some of the popular choices of the last few years, like Risperdal, won’t be part of it.

Program to bring an entrepreneurial approach to social problems doles out some more money from its small kitty.

New research finds people who feel a strong connection with their social group are more likely to dehumanize outsiders.

A new study finds nearly three-quarters of Americans remain “very in love” after a decade of marriage.

Research confirms that increasing fuel economy standards does cost lives on the road. But economist Mark Jacobsen explains how that doesn’t have to be the case.

Academics and advocates are asking if there were lots more women in the U.S. government whether the debt-ceiling debacle would have been allowed to develop.

The golden rule has some effectiveness as a therapeutic tool, even in treating combat stress.

Like other great figures, new writings about Mohandas Gandhi tell us something about the subject but perhaps more about our times.

Does nutrition information help diners make wise decisions in fast-food restaurants? The latest study finds it does with some people — but that’s still a net benefit to society.

A group of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans with PTSD in a class-action lawsuit settled with the U.S. government to increase their disability benefits.

A panel ranging from liberals to libertarians suggests turning the mortgage interest deduction, a sacred cow of the U.S. tax code, into hamburger.

A framework for what motivates rigidity among politicians helps explain the current debt ceiling debate and suggests how to resolve it.

And that’s why keeping the larder stocked for safety-net programs such as food stamps may keep people fed and fit.

With temperatures rising and lake levels lowering, environmentalists say there’s reason to be worried about the future of national parks.

Despite its martial traditions, Germany has lagged in coming to grips with post-traumatic stress disorder.

New research recording physiological reactions of museum-goers suggests we respond to art with our bodies as well as our brains.

When superfoods like blueberries, pomegranates, açai, green tea sound a little too amazing, it might be time to take a closer look.

The culture war over same-sex marriage in the United States ignores people whose gender has changed or is less than black-and-white.

A new measurement using Google search terms creates an “infamy index” for politicians and finds that being infamous helps in fundraising.

The U.S. announced a new plan for electronics stewardship, with the goal of less waste, voluntary cooperation by industry and less hazardous materials in landfills both here and in developing countries.

“If everybody had an ocean …” perhaps Western militaries could start addressing cases of combat stress without medication, trading hang fire for hang 10.

The tenor of the partisan kerfuffle over the debt ceiling may have its roots in declining job security, which has been declining steadily since the 1970s, argues political scientist Philipp Rehm.

An analysis of Rolling Stone magazine covers finds female artists are increasingly sexualized and presented as sex objects.

A new report suggests that the social cost of carbon — the economic damage done by one ton of carbon dioxide emissions — could be drastically higher than government agencies have estimated.

A widely read 2009 study described a decline in self-reported well-being among American women. Newly published research finds this trend also holds true for men.

If Americans saw exactly how their specific tax dollars were being allocated, would it change the substance or tenor of discussions on, say, the debt ceiling?

A study in which the benefits of learning science were wrapped in issues traditionally associated with girls indeed generated more interest from the underrepresented sex.

A glimpse at the epigenetics of post-traumatic stress disorder suggests that the physical markers for PTSD may show up across generations.

Could you say that in English, please? The Plain Writing Act of 2010 asks the U.S. government to better talk the talk of its constituents.

New research finds grocery shoppers who carry grocery baskets are more likely to purchase unhealthy food than those pushing a shopping cart.

One Loyola Law School educator’s redistricting website offers a melting pot of useful information about the practice for all Americans.

A documentary film airing on PBS looks at New Mexico’s Jemez range, and gently and sparely shows how changing climate affects these unique “sky islands.”

A pairing of U.S. foreign aid and the National Science Foundation should deliver vital technological and scientific access to the world at no additional cost to U.S. taxpayers.

New research links creativity with lower levels of honesty and humility.

In a little remarked upon sign of the times, U.S. government health surveys will start asking Americans to check a box about their sexual orientation in 2013.

The hippocampus, a structure inside the brain, shrinks after psychological trauma, which hints that a pharmaceutical cure may address post-traumatic stress disorder.

New research suggests men lose status if their supervisor holds a position traditionally occupied by a member of the opposite sex.

“Project Nim,” a documentary film examining the story of Nim Chimpsky, a chimpanzee who learned to communicate with people using sign language, reveals more about people than other primates.

Rather than shipping unloved laptops and TVs to the Third World for a dirty form of salvage, advocates call for keeping e-waste at home for recycling.

Several recent studies link fireworks to potential health or environmental problems, particularly when they’re used in sports arenas or over bodies of water.

A new National Endowment for the Arts analysis projects a healthy rate of growth in arts jobs through the year 2018.

While the term “post-traumatic stress disorder” hints at a modern invention, the ill effects of combat stress have been documented back to the Iliad and Samuel Pepys.

While some argue that using Facebook, using Twitter and using their peers have awakened democracy in repressive lands, others argue they are lulling civic engagement to sleep in democracies.

New research from Finland finds people with a high BMI take longer to notice hidden food items.

A clear consensus exists among researchers that playing violent video games is a risk factor for aggressive attitudes and behavior.

Scams targeting the elderly are among the most common, but a little skepticism can keep their years golden.

New research finds a link between long-term party affiliation and the prospect of being drafted into the Vietnam War.

Pretty much everyone agrees the war on drugs is a failure. So why don’t we try a different approach?

China’s repressive efforts to prevent its own Arab Spring, which included detaining renowned and outspoken artist Ai Weiwei — who was released Wednesday — just may be way overblown.

Offering help to fathers who can’t — as opposed to won’t — make child support payments.

What prompts people to share information? New research suggests catalysts can include anxiety, amusement — or even a brisk walk.

New warning labels will begin to adorn cigarette packs and advertisements. For some smokers, death-related warnings actually increase cigarettes’ appeal.

New research finds women can better judge whether a man is straight as they approach peak ovulation — or are in a romantic mood.

A new study shows that the math curriculum of U.S. eighth-graders is two years behind what their peers in other countries are studying. In the U.S., the poorest students tend to get the least demanding math classes.

The smart grid being discussed for the United States would bring a world of wonders but also would push a very observant eye into the life of everyone using it.

British researchers report on one promising way to get more people to agree to donate their organs after death.

Keeping individual health information private is good thing, but so is aggregating that data to improve care in general. Can those competing good ideas find a happy medium?

America’s very successful freight train system will have to make some compromises to accommodate high-speed rail, but those needn’t be the end of the world.

A study of 9-month-old babies found they prefer the brighter paintings of Picasso to the subtle shadings of Monet.

The Miller-McCune cover story “The Real Science Gap” has garnered attention in the past year for its compelling arguments and recently received the Iris Molotsky Award for Coverage in Higher Education.

Accidental death rates are higher in states where challenges to one’s masculinity are taken seriously.

Philosophers’ views on freedom and moral responsibility are influenced by inherited personality traits. If they can’t be objective, can anyone?

In the late 1980s, both Texas and Spain proposed high-speed rail systems: Texas walked away from the idea, while Spain leapt in a little too exuberantly.

Did you see that movie about the moron? If so, it may have negatively impacted your own intelligence, according to new research from Austria.

In a sadly unusual move, the federal government shops around simplifications to important loan documents by asking the public to pick a winner from among two designs.

UC Berkeley sociologist Alexander Janus says social desirability pressures cause some liberals to lie about their true opinion on immigration — even when asked in an anonymous poll.

A study of contestant behavior on the popular game show “Jeopardy!” suggests women tend to hedge their bets when facing male opponents.

In his film review of “The Last Mountain,” Lewis Beale describes a horror flick about environmental degradation and predatory capitalism.

New research from Israel suggests exposure to sarcasm may enhance creative thinking.

Efforts to bring decent-quality Internet service to out-of-the-way corners of America often founder from private companies claiming they can’t handle competition from public utilities.

While paying for its hefty infrastructure costs may be ambitious, many high-speed rail systems cover their operating costs and even turn a small operating profit.

In the wake of some spectacular instances of corporate evildoing, the SEC is wondering about offering serious cash to entice people who want to come forward.

While the federal component of research funding remains federal, state budget cuts threaten U.S. research quality, educators say. …

The plodding effort to bring a modicum of common sense to how the U.S. declassifies its documents has resisted most efforts to rev it up in the digital age.

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.

Expected to evenly balance the demands of industry and consumers, some public interest critics of the Federal Communications Commission believe it veers too far into industry’s camp.

New research finds people primed to think in terms of action are more certain of their opinions and less likely to seek out dissenting views.

German high-speed trains started in the provinces, too, but now have a fast, efficient and popular system crisscrossing the nation.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been telling all and sundry about the growing disconnect between the 1 percent of the nation involved with the U.S. military and the other 99 percent of the nation.

New research reveals why food labeled “healthy” is unsatisfying.

Despite concerns that outlawing circumcision may harm efforts to limit the spread of AIDS, San Francisco’s intactivists have gotten a proposed ban on the ballot.

Perceived American influence and its failure to live up to its freedom-loving rhetoric pour into a gulf of discontent in the Muslim world.

Research that showed a steady rise in anger among Americans in the wake of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, is apparently invalid.

New research finds moral disgust can elicit a physical reaction, changing our evaluation of a beverage.

Using rail lines for the energy grid may help a suddenly nuclear-shy Germany transition to wider use of renewable sources.

Concerned that the time for its extra intrusiveness has passed, civil libertarians are calling for some provisions of the Patriot Act to be rolled back.

A couple of prominent end-of-the-world predictions may or may not come to pass, but lots of people promoting them are betting your bottom dollar they won’t.

Canadian researchers report floating in an isolation tank increased the technical skill level of young jazz players.

“Scientization of politics,” not just politicization of science, weakens scientific integrity.

The Byzantine legal process of placing plants and animals on America’s endangered species list swallows the efforts of the agency that curates the list. A new agreement may untangle the mess.

Even with the passage of time, the idea that “foot soldiers” responsible for the Holocaust — even in a small way — must pay their accounts remains alive.

To create goodwill, USAID proposes using American money overseas for religious structures. But will that upset our foundation of church-state separation?

Past experiences suggest that terrorists who want to derail a train are facing a much more complex task than just leaving a penny on the rail.

New research finds membership in a minority religion seems to hasten a loss of volume of the hippocampal region of the brain.

Reviews of two serious feature films examining true occurrences: the uplifting “The First Grader” and the brutal “City of Life and Death.”

Brain-scan research from Mexico suggests women’s neural systems respond more robustly to images that evoke compassion.

It’s “soda, soda everywhere and not a vitamin in sight” across swaths of America identified in the USDA’s new online “food desert locator map.”

New research suggests white audiences tend to stay away from movies featuring minorities due to the assumption that they are not the films’ intended audience.

Conspiracy theorists have already emerged from the woodwork asking if bin Laden is really dead, or if he was dead already. Don’t be fooled.

Keeping trains safe and keeping trains moving has been a balancing act in Germany, and so far all the weights are on the side of no waiting.

In the run-up to a debate on WikiLeaks, Julian Assange’s attorney discusses the uncomfortable relationship between the free flow of ideas and the inclination of governments to make everything a secret.

Researchers debating the effect of “leadership decapitation” of terrorist organizations have come to very different conclusions.

New research suggests being informed of one’s environmental footprint can have the opposite of the intended effect.

While “figures lie and liars figure,” that’s no reason not to pay attention to some basic facts about common numerical comparisons.

A controversial new report suggests scientists share some of the blame for Congress’ failure to enact cap-and-trade legislation in response to climate change.

In an end run around the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision it disliked, the Obama administration is considering having all federal contractors disclose their political donations.

When the United States starts talking about illicit drugs, why does the word “war” always makes its way into the conversation?

New research links the cost of community college tuition rates with drinking and drug use by teenagers.

Additional studies suggest that common pesticides may be endocrine disruptors, bad news that nonetheless warms the heart of one citizen scientist.

In the recent federal budget battle, Planned Parenthood’s government stipend was on the chopping block, even though family planning saves lots of money down the road.

Data from one Catholic parish suggest donations to the general operating funds dip on Sundays when a second collection is held.

American students’ behavior defies the prevailing stereotype when looking at how they flock to the hot field of petroleum engineering.

The Netherlands’ netherworld of tolerated-but-still-illegal marijuana has its homegrown critics who argue for outright prohibition or outright legalization.

An expert on electronic privacy walks through the possibilities and perils on a national online security system designed, in part, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

New research suggests people are more likely to endorse conspiracy theories if they would be willing to personally participate in such a conspiracy.

Impediments to easy understanding — hard-to-read fonts, hard-to-follow lectures and lessons that are all too soon forgotten — may be the key to really learning something.

The United States is putting its take on human rights, say, in Ivory Coast or on internet freedom, onto a new State Department human rights website, although it’s leaving criticism of itself offline.

New research from Singapore suggests touching a stuffed animal can counteract the tendency of ostracized people to engage in antisocial behavior.

With a quarter of the world’s prisoners in American lockups, an unlikely coalition ranging from the NAACP to Americans for Tax Reform wonders if we might be smarter to divert some of that prison money to schools.

Ordering in the court may be the new cry as a look at judges’ decisions made before and after lunch shows a wide difference in outcome.

Washington remains optimistic about the war on drugs based on dips in the importation of cocaine. But even the “good news” derived from comparisons with Europe is distressing.

What constitutes torture? New research finds the answer varies with the level of pain one is currently feeling.

France’s newly enacted law banning face coverings in public reinforces the idea we explored last year that waves of multiculturalism are receding for now.

Italian researchers find social conservatives tend to attribute more negative qualities to members of a minority group.

A French researcher finds flowers really do put women in a romantic mood.

A court case surrounding gene patents for high-risk forms of breast cancer puts two viewpoints of “products of nature” on the stand.

An analysis of presidential candidates’ websites during the 2008 primaries finds Democrats used the Internet in a more sophisticated way.

If pot were legal — not decriminalized, but legal — it likely would knock a few props from beneath rampaging Mexican drugs cartels, argues Michael Scott Moore.

Passports, park admissions and poo are among Miller-McCune’s list of 10 things that will be affected if the budget-less U.S. government shuts down this weekend.

New research finds subtle reminders of cleanliness seem to shift people to the political right.

The documentary ‘The Desert of Forbidden Art’ tells the story of the Igor Savitsky Museum, a remote refuge for Soviet-era art that ran afoul of Stalin’s diktat.

Efforts to roll back the federal budget to 2008 levels may have the unintended consequence of gutting spending aimed at fostering government transparency.

President Barack Obama sounds like his predecessors when he vows to kick the nation’s addiction to foreign oil.

New research finds a shift in emphasis in pop song lyrics over the decades, from “we” to “me.”

Professional skeptic James Randi’s offer to pay a million dollars to the maker of any homeopathic remedy that actually works points out the logical fallacies in this branch of ‘medicine.’

New research suggests people reject evolutionary theory because, as a way to think about life and death, it doesn’t provide the emotional solace we seek.

U.S. drug laws should be loosened, argues Michael Scott Moore, but Holland — where soft drugs are not legal but are tolerated — is probably not the right model.

A request for historian William Cronon’s emails creates a contest between two cherished American values — seeing inside government’s guts and untrammeled inquiry by academics.

A psychology study from Hong Kong suggests that, among men, the impulses to make love and war are deeply intertwined.

A national infrastructure bank for the United States would offer a way to fund projects that improve competitiveness and economic vitality and not just please local constituents.

New Harvard University research suggests childhood memories stimulate selflessness.

An international report on arms transfers suggests Europeans were eager to sell weapons to Gadhafi before Libya’s uprising this winter.

Years of operating under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy created a backlog of questions to answer as the U.S. military works to integrate openly gay troops into the ranks.

Drug courts can help ease the U.S. prison population and usher America into the civilized world when it comes to prosecuting drug-use offenses.

New research finds both men and women tend to harshly evaluate breastfeeding mothers.

In a report planned before Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster, the Union of Concerned Scientists suggests that U.S. nuclear regulators are way too complacent about the possibility of a catastrophe.

New research from Australia suggests Facebook users are more extroverted and narcissistic than Internet users not plugged into the social network.

In a tongue-in-cheek analysis appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day, four intrepid researchers conclude that Guinness beer is more enjoyable when surrounded by Ireland.

Those tone-deaf belters humiliating themselves for our amusement help explain why we think we’re better than the experts.

Portugal’s example suggests that de-escalating the war on drugs might create a new sort of peace dividend.

Americans widely perceive the U.S Senate to be a pretty dysfunctional place. But a handful of observers with firsthand experience of the chamber wonder if that’s the case.

We provide some background and context for the nuclear-power crisis in Japan.

A new NEA study finds the group of people who regularly attend arts events is both shrinking and getting less active.

A Texas representative wants to lay off naming taxpayer-funded programs or projects for sitting members of Congress until after they leave the Hill.

Documentary film “Making the Boys” recounts the rise, fall and redemption of the groundbreaking and controversial play, “The Boys in the Band.”

While U.S. Rep. Peter King holds hearings on the threat of homegrown Islamic terrorism, those who actually look at the issue say the incidence is small and dropped last year.

European governments have taken two divergent paths in dealing with the resurrected flow of narcotics from Afghanistan, legalization and an American-style war on drugs.

New research finds even nonexperts can differentiate between masterful abstract art and similar works painted by a child or an animal. See for yourself with our enclosed art quiz.

A new analysis finds the best students are better off, while disadvantaged students are worse off, when teachers collectively bargain for a contract.

Surely wrapping a hologram around my wrist in a neoprene band has got to allow me to maximize my greatest potential.

Technology, such as the humble cell phone, may knock down some of the impediments that tarnish the name of foreign aid.

Government investment in prenatal and postnatal health care could help prevent violent behavior later in life, researcher says.

The Frontier Fertilizer Superfund site in Davis, Calif., installs a suite of solar panels, paid for with stimulus funding, to power its own rehabilitation.

New research suggests e-mail is an all-too-effective way of spreading false political rumors.

Wisconsin’s fiscal free-for-all over limiting collective bargaining raises hard-to-answer questions about public unions and state deficits. Answers vary by the measures chosen.

New research finds Republicans scoff at “global warming,” but are much more receptive to the notion of “climate change.”

Novelist T.C Boyle’s new book, “When the Killing’s Done,” uses California’s Channel Islands to delve into the thorny effort to restore lost habitats, a theme and a locale familiar to our readers.

Europe has answered that question to its own satisfaction with a mandatory system that treats health care as a social insurance handled by private firms.

New research finds the well-documented link between religiosity and happiness applies only to those whose faith is robust.

Proposals to test Americans on the dole for illegal drugs seem grounded more in stereotypes and less in data.

Dining customers tended to leave bigger tips when their bills spell out what 15 or 20 percent of their total amounts to.

London’s new idea to fight pirates in the Indian Ocean: an insurance-led navy.

Efforts to defund public broadcasting arrive as the commercial model of broadcasting shows its qualitative seams.

New research suggests women turn down offers of casual sex for one good reason: They suspect — with some reason — they won’t enjoy it.

Genes for mental ability get a boost from socioeconomic status in a study of baby twins.

Is IBM’s Watson on the verge of human-like intelligence?

The U.S. government has an awkward relationship with social media, praising its use in Egypt and suing in its use for WikiLeaks.

Forty may be the new 30, but young people don’t take kindly to elders trying to pass for their peers.

In the recessionary times, it rings true that the best places to work don’t always offer the biggest paychecks or the most pingpong tables.

With Tunisian refugees streaming north, Europe’s vanguard of cultural gatekeepers start to refine their message.

Watching events in Egypt, Americans’ idealistic promotion of democracy abroad speaks in a whisper.

New research finds when we make amends to assuage our guilt, a third party often pays the price.

Attachment theory helps explain why some people consider giving gifts to their romantic partners a pleasure, while others find it decidedly uncomfortable.

We can learn from Ray Allen, Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, even if we can never hope to beat them on the court.

Trying to help troops put context into their understanding of Afghanistan, the Pentagon is having them watch 12 one-act plays.

A federal program to provide phone lines to every cranny of the United States really ought to be focusing on broadband.

That the world has a finite amount of oil is undeniable. The latest WikiLeaks tidbit suggests the amount is a bit smaller than expected.

Might Frau Nein’s tough love debt limits translate into the U.S. needing German discipline?

The Obama administration has come through with some serious money for high-speed rail, but arguments that this might be money ill spent don’t spring solely from political nay-saying.

New research finds stock markets tend to close lower on days with poor air quality.

A new film documenting Finland’s effort to seal away nuclear waste for the next 100 millennia asks how one predicts 100,000 years into the future.

Every five years, the U.S. government bravely tries to nudge Americans toward a healthier diet while not ticking off purveyors of less-desirable foods.

An evolutionary theorist provides evidence that intelligent individuals are more likely to enjoy purely instrumental music.

The naval stalemate off Somalia has produced one positive — the pirates have so far brushed off getting cozy with terrorists.

Political scientists studying U.S. public school biology instructors find a majority of teachers — a “cautious” three out of five — are at best tepid in defense of evolution.

New research suggests watching local television news leads to fatalistic beliefs regarding cancer.

New research suggests the superficial appeal of governing by light touch founders in the health arena where so many “unhealthy nudges” are already in place.

What’s one way to convert climate change skeptics? By making them sweat.

Highway administrators say car-mounted Wi-Fi system could let cars and trucks gossip with each other on the road, dramatically improving safety and efficiency.

The fine balance in Germany between markets and green energy policy highlights the real-world challenges for moving away from traditional power sources.

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.

New research finds when a female news anchor’s sexual attractiveness is played up, male viewers retain less information.

Every January we’re treated to a display of superstitious rites that lie forgotten the rest of the year.

The loss of sea ice is a concern for more than polar bears, as the loss of reflectivity it represents means the planet may warm even faster.

As the Porter Hypothesis — that well-structured environmental regulations can help businesses — marks two decades, resistance to the concept remains strong.

The latest look at fast-food menu labeling suggests it’s not changing attitudes at the counter, but experts hope it may make a difference earlier in the decision chain.

New research finds physical suffering reduces feelings of guilt.

Observers thought heaps of anonymous cash would flood U.S. campaign coffers after the controversial Supreme Court decision. They were right.

New research suggests previous studies supporting widespread use of cholesterol-lowering drugs is flawed.

The relationship may be changing in Europe’s best-armed nation, which next month votes on how to store guns for its standing militia.

A study of football fans finds that when we desire a given outcome, we are biased to believe it will occur.

Obsessing over the role mental illness played in the Gabrielle Giffords shooting avoids the larger issue of gun violence, argues the former head of the American Psychiatric Association.

Researchers find marriages tend to be more satisfying for both spouses when the wife is thinner than the husband.

An old American idea to capture and use waste heat from electricity generation, adopted by Europe, needs to come back home for a visit.

Political scientists have long wondered if violent political speech can be linked to political violence, a question given urgency in the wake of the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords.

New research finds using bargain-brand products may deflate your self-image.

Newly published research finds people give more generously to relief efforts following natural disasters, effectively penalizing the people caught up in man-made catastrophes.

A UCLA researcher argues that rather than assuming people are basically selfish, government could more profitably encourage pro-social behavior.

Airport security in Europe tends to be more discreet than in the U.S. But an industry group wants to change that.

Republican attempts to ensure legislation conforms to the Constitution won’t end the ongoing debate over what the document means.

Researchers find physical elevation seems to trigger pro-social behavior.

A new documentary finds that Robert E. Lee, the beau ideal of the Confederate officer and gentleman, also represented some of the less savory aspects of the Lost Cause.

A look at swimmers competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics concludes they gave their best performances when their efforts were essential for a team win.

Despite this year’s bitter politics, the government found some new ways to encourage nonpartisan innovation and transparency.

Peasants in Mexico’s jungle state of Oaxaca show that conservation need not take a back seat to development.

USA.gov has tapped guidance from across government agencies to help you keep that New Year’s Resolution to manage your debt better, or quit smoking, or drink less alcohol.

Newly published research suggests keeping a potential romantic partner guessing can pique his or her interest.

Somali immigrants in America have followed European patterns of integration, and not the ideal of the melting pot.

A new study finds only the middle class — not the rich or the poor — are likely to change their behavior with a soda tax.

Obstetric fistula, a devastating consequence of childbirth that is both preventable and treatable, draws nongovernmental organizations and health care companies to pledge to fight it.

Concrete concerns about saving and expanding slavery, and not the nebulous theology of states’ rights, ignited the U.S. Civil War. Why does that message keep getting lost?

Our resident skeptic takes a look at some of the mythologizing that has arisen around the West’s winter holidays, from poison plants to phantom Der Bingles.

Remarks that stop the conversation cold at social gatherings can instantly elicit deep-seated feelings of exclusion.

A new look at classic 19th-century novels reveals an understanding of behavior that largely mirrors the findings of modern psychological research.

Secular European governments give money to Muslim congregations in an effort to defang radicalism imported from foreign sources.

Asked what they would pay to guarantee representation in Congress by one party of another, a majority says not a red (or blue) cent.

Looking to goose American participation in science, math and technology, President Obama’s “Sputnik moment” lacks the urgency and clarity of the original.

Retired military officers consistently report better health than their lower-ranking counterparts.

While visiting Oaxaca’s forestry cooperatives, Kristian Beadle considers the link between remembering the dead and managing living resources — including new climate policies to reduce deforestation.

It’s a long and sorrowful history. But is the new Islamophobia also “anti-Semitism”?

Desegregation of public schools peaked about two decades ago, and no one at the federal level is doing much to reverse the decline.

Research shows the names of Israeli military campaigns are cleverly designed to push the citizenry’s emotional buttons.

Newly published research suggests whether infidelity ends a relationship depends in part on whether the affair was gay or straight.

American shoppers owe sales taxes on online purchases whether Amazon and its friends assess them or not. States are trying various gambits to recoup those lost dollars.

The murders, intrigues and expanses of Pakistan’s first female prime minister seem made for the big screen, and a new documentary is a game first step in that direction.

German politician and banker Thilo Sarrazin scared his countrymen with unsophisticated analysis and a eugenics-based argument about native intelligence.

Looking at the math behind profiling meant to nab terrorists, computer scientist William Press realized it may be less effective than purely random sampling.

White college students exposed to images of a Confederate flag judged a black person more harshly and expressed less willingness to vote for Barack Obama in 2008.

In examining what’s ailing American teaching, a blue-ribbon panel decided that teachers should be trained the same way we train doctors — through clinical practice.

Why has anti-Muslim sentiment risen in lockstep in America and Europe?

A better economy saw people leaving the Midwest and Northeast in droves, taking their votes with them. But bad times mean they stay put — just in time for redistricting.

New research finds that the quality of early maternal caregiving impacts a child’s emotional relationships once he or she arrives at early adulthood.

Miller-McCune.com’s resident skeptic, just as you might expect of a Scorpio, will have no truck with horoscopes or astrology.

A startling proportion of the population, the existentially indifferent, demonstrates little concern for meaning in their lives.

Participants in a study were far more likely to “remember” a fictional news event when a headline was accompanied by a tangentially relevant photograph.

The U.S. government’s deficit was created piece by billion-dollar piece. The bipartisan debt commission’s suggestions offer specific incremental steps to reverse that process.

A University of Illinois study shows that healthy gut flora and daily doses of broccoli — even when it’s been cooked to within an inch of its life — help fight cancer.

New research finds that within the U.S., those states with cooler temperatures tend to have populations with higher IQs.

Europe, the cradle of the nation-state, wasn’t “founded” as a place for poor, tired and huddled masses yearning to breathe free. So might it take lessons from Uncle Sam on welcoming immigrants?

Arguing that while government may not be the answer, it can be part of the answer, the newish Office of Social Innovation leverages issue-oriented entrepreneurship with federal dollars.

Researchers find that assuming a powerful body position helps you feel powerful, act more self-confident and raise testosterone.

The people who jumped to their death from the Golden Gate Bridge over the past decade are significantly older than their counterparts of a generation ago.

New research finds our minds wander much more frequently than we realize, and our inability to stay focused in the present leads to unhappiness.

Talking out our differences on controversial scientific and technological issues may be just the wrong way to reach agreement, new research suggests.

New research finds physically attractive people are viewed both more positively and more accurately.

In what seems like a never-ending story, the European Union is at its worst in dealing with nomadic populations. The EU should look to the old Yugoslavia.

After seeing female participation as candidates stagnate over 30 years, a new initiative from Rutgers University tries to draw more women into politics.

Artists and industry insiders discuss how to make music green, both for fans and businesses.

Disney’s animated films perpetuate the stereotype that beautiful people are smart, superior and successful, according to new research.

New research links fears of terrorism with authoritarian parenting practices.

There’s likely one area of agreement for both the main political parties in Washington, D.C.: We expect to get little done in the next two years.

Eliot Spitzer, the shooting star of New York state politics, takes part in the documentary “Client 9,” which looks at the sex scandal that doused his light.

A new study finds the value system of the early colonists, which links hard work, conservative sexual behavior and spiritual salvation, still has a hold on Americans’ psyches.

Germany’s Angela Merkel stirred up a hornet’s nest when she decried “multiculturalism,” but that reaction suggests the hornets hadn’t been paying attention.

The Wesleyan Media Project has studied the glut of U.S. midterm congressional TV ads and determined we’ve set a new low in negativity — and perhaps a new high in information.

New research suggests that when faith in government decreases, belief in an all-powerful deity rises.

Hating government and dismissing its work force as incompetent has become second nature, much to the chagrin of a work force that doesn’t share those opinions.

The new administration was expected to usher in a new era of scientific learning infusing government policy. It hasn’t exactly worked out that way.

With the president’s permission, the Pentagon can now fight cyberbattles inside the U.S. — and why that’s worrisome.

Gas stations are plentiful in the United States, but what if your ride needs a different kind of juice? A public-private partnership plans to jump-start electrics in six cities.

Mythology aside, not everyone who listened to that famous ‘War of the Worlds’ radio broadcast went bonkers.

Cars that share the general traits of a baby’s face trigger the ‘Isn’t it cute’ response in consumers.

New research finds that as income inequality rises in a given state, the voting patterns of that state’s senators become more polarized.

After journalists swept over the trove of WikiLeaked documents from the Afghan war with a broad-toothed comb, historians and social scientists consider what might be of more lasting value there.

Particularly if NATO recognizes cyber-attacks as a trigger to start shooting.

New psychological research finds credit cards make people more likely to bolster their fragile egos by purchasing luxury items.

Researchers find that infant media does not expand vocabulary

Researchers report that different lighting schemes at stores influences consumer perceptions of the outlet’s quality and pricing.

When simple things like turning on the lights become too complex, Philips designers decided it was time for them to make a move.

New research suggests one reason our political discourse is so loud and angry: Planting seeds of doubt leads people to more vigorously advocate for their cherished beliefs.

The Center for American Progress fears a potential loss of academic control as major oil companies pay for much of the energy research done at universities.

A design researcher suggests people look for the same qualities in products as they do in their partners.

Abandoning sticks and taking up carrots, those concerned about climate change got a little sweaty on Oct. 10. Ecologist and blogger Kristian Beadle argues their Global Work Party had genuine results.

Ohio has reached a Turning Point with a solar-energy project that uses land that once was home to a strip mine.

Microsoft, without a touch of irony, says that a healthy Internet is one that quarantines infected computers.

Industry might seem like a universal language, but how different cultures are husbanding their robots shows there are several dialects.

Companies have had an open field when it comes to making assertions about how environmentally friendly their products are. Now the feds want a little more honesty in those claims.

Solitary study of word spellings and origins is a better predictor of performance at the National Spelling Bee than either being quizzed by others or engaging in leisure reading.

New research finds confronting a man about his sexist language can have surprisingly positive results.

With white-nose syndrome continuing to plague North American bats, the federal government is sending some academics to the rescue.

New documentary on schools shines a spotlight on the plight of low-income and minority children, but the film flops when it comes to solutions.

“Carlos,” a monumental feature film about the 1970s terrorist Carlos the Jackal, covers the bases historically and still provides a crackling good experience cinematically.

New research finds the elderly have a psychological incentive to embrace cultural conservatism: Such beliefs prop up their self-esteem.

Just in time for midterms, cyber-epidemiologists create a tool to examine the questionable memes making the rounds on Twitter.

A collection of studies shows that any HIV vaccine, while highly sought by doctors to battle the epidemic, would only be requested by some.

Fuel economy is a great idea, unless you’re counting on the taxes that fuel sales generate to pay for something. Maybe there’s a better way …

“The Social Network” is a film about Facebook’s founding, true, but in many ways it’s also a story of American meritocracy trumping European-style aristocracy.

Efforts to introduce malware into computer systems are less precise than building a secret portal right into the architecture.

Women are more likely to engage in problematic shopping behaviors during certain times in their menstruation cycle, according to newly published research.

Aussie researchers find a new reason to take up the violin: Increased levels of exhaled nitric oxide have been found in wind and brass musicians.

For men and women in leadership positions usually occupied by the other gender, a single mistake is seen as evidence of incompetence.

New research compares coverage of overseas news on Edward R. Murrow’s CBS and modern-day NPR, and finds public radio superior in numerous ways.

Even with rocket ships and cuddly critters on the screen no one comes to federal movie night. But a privately run effort is flicking open the door to the movie trove.

New research finds that, under certain conditions, a dip in self-confidence can increase one’s performance level.

After a decade stored away in the basement of the White House, a new commitment to rooting out toxic messes dumped on poor communities has begun.

Stuxnet, a sophisticated computer worm, was aimed (perhaps) at Iran’s nuclear program — welcome to the 21st century.

Psychologists link happiness with less small talk and more substantive conversation.

New research finds we trust experts who agree with our own opinions, suggesting that subjective feelings override scientific information.

The proposed DREAM Act’s effort to allow the foreign-born children of parents who entered the U.S. illegally fights the headwinds of the immigration debate.

Newly published research finds men are as willing as women to apologize. But they’re less likely to believe a particular incident warrants contrition.

There are a lot of shoddy polls out there. Some are frank about their shortcomings and some aren’t. Here are some ideas for getting an accurate picture of what a poll can tell you.

Early retirement, bah! The people who measure our life spans say Social Security should be less something that kicks in at 65 and more something Americans tap for, say, their last 20 years.

Leave those fears about global Internet shutdowns to Hollywood. But be very afraid of regional disasters launched from an innocent thumb drive.

New research finds people tend to assume their Facebook friends agree with their political views — and they’re wrong much more often than they realize.

A new movie looks at the seminal 1955 obscenity trial centering on Allen Ginsberg’s epic Beat poem ‘Howl.’

A new study of factors that contribute to a film’s popularity suggests the sex appeal of stars outweighs identification with the lead character.

Walking the streets of Mexico’s capital on the occasion of the nation’s 200th birthday, Kristian Beadle sees both chest-thumping and hand-wringing.

In the same vein as the popular Do Not Call list, privacy advocates would like a Do Not Track that would allow people to opt out of having their online behavior monitored.

The quicker, easier solution isn’t always the wisest choice when it comes to many things in life, including heart disease.

Fresh from the European Union photovoltaic conference, our John Perlin takes on some of the misconceptions clouding the solar power movement.

While it’s right to be skeptical of treaties on cyberwarfare, argues Michael Scott Moore, international conventions on cybercrime are quite appropriate.

New research on alcohol and aggression finds intoxicated people are more likely to believe an ambiguous act is intentional.

How exactly is the U.S. federal government leading by example on reducing greenhouse gas emissions? A collection of reports lists a zillion specific items, from double-sided printing to thousands of solar panels.

Invoking the golden rule — the adage of “do unto others” — has no effect on Christians’ anti-gay attitudes, according to a new study.

Despite the belief that happiness has remained constant in modern societies, recent research says otherwise, citing rising democracy and increased basic freedoms as the cause.

John Perlin, sitting on a solar energy panel at the European photovoltaics conference, laments America’s lost lead in the field.

A poll tries to get a handle on how far Americans are willing to take a chance on the brave new world of synthetic biology.

New research finds Jewish-American families are more likely than those of other faiths to give to charities focusing on basic needs such as food and shelter.

The “two cultures” are one: New research finds no significant differences in the problem-solving patterns of arts and science students at one British university.

European and American governments find different reasons to restrict the Internet.

New research finds people’s taste in entertainment remains remarkably consistent, regardless of whether they’re reading, watching or listening.

A conservative thinker argues encouraging more federal government employees to work from home could save taxpayers money.

As it’s announced that thee-quarters of new photovoltaic systems are going up in Europe, it’s fair to ask what happened to the former U.S. dominance in solar.

Our blogger looks back at his voyage through coastal Mexico and sees that the problems, and solutions, there are mirrored throughout the globe.

When the world turns its mean side to the public, rumors amplified in the Internet/cable news age often slip past our critical thinking skills.

Those who experience nature through the windshield typically donate less toward conservation than those with no exposure to nature.

The federal government has unveiled updated designs for those informational stickers on new cars. The hope is to nudge buyers into choosing more fuel-efficient models.

Lawmakers struck down a bill that would have made California the first state in the union to ban plastic shopping bags.

Nancy Baron’s new book is an excellent guide for academic researchers on how to effectively communicate with the press, public and policymakers.

A program to ensure all American children get at least one good meal a day may lie behind their expanding waistlines. Oddly, a breakfast program does not.

German researchers, analyzing the content of text messages sent on 9/11/01, report that while sadness and anxiety levels remained stable through the day, anger steadily increased.

A short digression on the meaning of a word that apparently has no generally agreed-upon political definition.

Having completed his 5,000-mile voyage, Kristian Beadle weighs his trip’s carbon use and examines whether the benefits balance the costs.

New research finds that among the elderly, functional limitations are associated with an increased risk of dying — but only for those who don’t do volunteer work.

Researchers suggest limiting liability issues to make playgrounds and other recreation areas on school grounds accessible as a cost-effective way to promote public health.

The new documentary ‘Bag It’ reaches from the plastic sacks stuffed under your sink to the malign role disposable plastics play in global life.

A stealthy flash drive attack emphasizes that hackers are toying with cyber warfare between sovereign states.

If Americans aren’t routinely getting the broadband speeds they’re being sold, the FCC may change what they’re being told.

Splitting the European Union into separate “achievers” and “laggards” clubs may not be a good idea, but it may be inevitable economically.

Hammering on how a candidate seems different from a voter opens the door for smears to adhere.

New research suggests that, in terms of influencing key judicial decisions, public defenders are as effective as their private counterparts.

New research on responding to sound may have found a key to reversing, or even preventing, one of the effects of aging.

A sense one’s life has meaning increases one’s allure in social situations, according to new research.

There’s been some heavy breathing from several states on the U.S. administration’s plans to regulate greenhouse gases, and their bluster may butt up against White House bluffing.

A master-planned and ecologically sound tourist mecca meant to learn from Acapulco and Cancun has not nailed the concept yet.

Social scientists have determined that desperation is a poor substitute for the bandwagon in getting the base out on Election Day.

A cheap euro, plus the “short work” plan, allowed the Germans to make lemonade from lemons. But tomorrow may be sour.

Want to get those creative juices flowing? Try having someone scowl at you.

Recent scholarship and popular journalism both suggest an unappealing future for American boys: You’re screwed.

Flight attendants benefited emotionally when their primary focus shifted from courtesy to safety, a new paper suggests. Steven Slater may be an extreme example of that ability to unwind.

“A Film Unfinished” shows the pains that Nazi documentarians took to ensure that their take on the “Jewish problem” came through.

The framers of the 14th Amendment were well aware that it would make citizens of the children of immigrants.

New research finds scant evidence for the notion that, in terms of personality, couples grow more similar to one another over time.

In the spirit of lighting a single candle rather than cursing the darkness, the innkeepers at Playa Viva are shining a light on ‘regenerative design.’

New research links diabetic symptoms with a reduced likelihood of forgiving others.

In living through the euro’s teething troubles, it’s worth remembering the adolescence of the American dollar.

The Pentagon was counseled to act quickly and decisively on allowing gays in the military. So why is it being slow and dilatory?

New research finds children learn less from pop-up books than they do from old-fashioned volumes illustrated with photos.

Researchers report effects of the “trust hormone” get negated when a partner is perceived as dishonest.

New research shows that consumers identify with and choose brands they see as the underdog.

John McCain and Tom Coburn’s snarky listing of reputedly dumb stimulus projects manages to ‘misunderestimate’ some important research.

University of Cincinnati researchers find common cause for bankruptcy in world’s leading economies.

German researchers find evolutionary logic behind the way we lay out our bedrooms.

A newly published study finds the issue of gay marriage has been framed quite differently in The New York Times compared to the Chicago Tribune.

New York will likely be third state to start counting prisoners as coming from their hometowns, and not where their cell is located.

A new study reveals that the color red makes men more alluring to women.

With the pan-European currency trading in the middle of its historical range, perhaps the doomsayers should reduce their caffeine intake a bit.

A mile-and-a-half-long ice cube tells a story about Earth’s climate.

The various data points collected so far in the Kiri’s voyage demonstrate how environmental decisions affect the resilience of human habitats and ultimately their cultures.

The system used to elect presidents of the United States is pretty bizarre, and six states so far are bucking Electoral College tradition to improve it.

New research from Mexico finds music of Bach and Mozart helps ease the pain of people suffering from depression.

An 8:30 a.m. high school start time helps students get more sleep, stay alert in class, a pilot study finds.

Problems with student loans revolving around for-profit universities draw moves to reform the federal footprint.

New research finds women who kill their cheating lovers receive shorter sentences than men in the same situation.

Tales of bandits lead our Kiri blogger to reflect on the environmental causes of poverty and poverty’s relation to crime.

New research finds suppressing thoughts of smoking just increases the likelihood you’ll light up later on.

History lessons address whether the European Central Bank should print more money to end the debt crisis.

Merely protecting America’s fossil fuel lifeline adds a heap to the greenhouse gases that petroleum ultimately contributes.

After initially being denied an American visa due to journalistic ties to rebel fighters, Colombian journalist Hollman Morris is allowed entry into the U.S. to study at Harvard.

New research from France finds restaurant patrons exposed to music with pro-social lyrics are more likely to leave tips.

The U.S. government opts takes an easy step toward reducing — in a small way — global warming and energy use.

Big projects — one to preserve and one to promote coastal Mexico — bring with them both dreams and nightmares.

In Googling “search” and “gross national product,” the government intervention homepage doesn’t show up — so far.

At the highest levels of academic ability among seventh-grade students, boys still outnumber girls by more than 3-to-1 in math and science, a study finds.

A new study compares teachers’ assessments of schoolchildren with interviews given by those same people as adults. It suggests our personalities are pretty much set early on.

The case of Colombian journalist Hollman Morris, refused entry to the U.S. for a prestigious fellowship, suggests reporting on terrorists may be confused with being one.

The late Stephen Schneider was one of the most influential and eloquent advocates for human-caused climate change.

Europe gets it just about right by not strictly capping pay but regulating how the payout wends its way to a banker’s pocket.

If something has been around longer, it must be better. New research suggests we hold onto that bias even in instances where quality has nothing to do with longevity.

‘Countdown to Zero,’ a documentary history of nuclear weapons and possibility of radioactive terrorism, offers a cautionary tale for atomic powers.

New research suggests one reason women are underrepresented in science and math is they see such careers as impeding their desire to help others.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac try to block a municipal program that makes solar roofs affordable for homeowners.

Beyond the human carnage of Mexico’s drug conflict, another innocent bystander — the environment — has long been a victim.

Fear of unemployment leads places blighted by oil or coal to hold on all the tighter to those industries.

How do you get a group of 4-year-olds to cooperate? New research suggests the answer may be as simple as a singing lesson.

A Swedish idea that creates an insurance fund for preserving big banks — but not necessarily their bosses or shareholders — needs to return from the dead.

An online game that tasks players with reining in government spending suggests the public is more willing to make hard choices than they get credit for.

Is a white person more likely to spot a gorilla if he or she been thinking about black people? New research on the pervasiveness of unconscious prejudice suggests the answer is yes.

Whether chain letters or Bernie Madoff, scams that rely on ever-greater numbers of gullible people eventually founder.

New research acknowledges that money doesn’t buy happiness all on its own purchasing power, but rather happiness comes indirectly from the higher status money provides.

Arriving in Mexico’s mainland, our ecological blogger is brought face-to-face, almost literally, with Mexico’s cartel-driven politics.

Genuine access to pertinent — if mundane — public documents celebrates a milestone, as Elena Kagan’s Clinton-era e-mails are made easily readable by the public.

New research suggests viewing the television drama ‘Lie to Me’ increases suspicion of others, but lessens one’s ability to detect lies.

If every adult American had to vote, perhaps the extremists on both ends of the spectrum could be shushed out by the silent majority.

New research suggests men opt for foods associated with a masculine identity — even if it means passing up something they prefer.

How naughty-sounding behavior on financial markets became an international fiasco.

At the tail end of Baja California, our Kiri blogger learns the perils of attacking global environmental issues as if they exist alone.

New research finds that attractive people in the business world or academia may be at a disadvantage when they’re evaluated by a member of the same sex.

Our Kiri blogger asks if a master-planned monstrosity, perhaps with a bit of greenwashing to hide the problems, is better or worse than an unworkable city that arises higgledy-piggledy?

A look at U.S. Supreme Court nominees’ actual answers during their Senate grilling finds the perception that they’re getting cagier isn’t actually true.

Proverbial sayings such as “we’re all human” reduce feelings of regret and hypocrisy after men get into trouble. But new research finds they don’t have the same soothing effect on women.

Taking a vacation from the Baja sojourn, our Kristian Beadle reflects on how his boyhood idylls led him to want to conserve coastlines.

Home-schoolers have it in for the U.N. Convention for the Rights of the Child, which only the United States and Somalia have not ratified.

French researchers confirm that alcohol-related cues increase aggressive thoughts and behaviors, even if one hasn’t actually imbibed.

A generation of couch potatoes may be perfect to fight the next PlayStation war, but the Pentagon wants to know who will do the actual rough stuff on the ground.

New research suggests women think more about sex, and engage in intercourse more frequently, as their fertility declines.

Fresh from surveying the detritus of storms past, our Kiri blogger reviews the case for and against human action making tropical storms bigger and more destructive.

Miller-McCune’s European Dispatch columnist is out promoting his new folk history of surfing.

The Pentagon’s budget has become sacrosanct in American politics, although iconoclasts across the spectrum suggest a reformation.

Author and now documentary filmmaker Sebastian Junger brings AfPak to the big screen with polish and pathos in “Restrepo.”

One observer suggests that efforts to rescue American journalism are generally more efforts to rescue American journalism companies.

Crucifixes in Italian classrooms, like a cross in the Mojave Desert, attract legal trouble.

A picturesque Baja town has been hammered repeatedly by the escalating tempo of flooding from tropical storms.

In honing your home logic skills, try reducing any argument to its basic premise at the extremes of its subject.

What are the fundamental forces that drive human behavior? A group of evolutionary thinkers offer an answer by revising one of psychology’s most familiar images.

For believers, religion acts as an emotional buffer, making it less likely one will feel anxious after making a mistake.

Forests of trees that live in the salty and submerged tropical coastlines provide a wealth of benefits, although humanity is spending that wealth recklessly.

Offering some idea of what cap-and-trade might cost average Americans, the EPA estimates between $79 and $146 a year.

The “meager targets” of the House energy bill suggest some hot air on greenhouse gases, as we learned in mischaracterizing the House energy bill of 2009.

New research finds humans are equipped to assess the physical strength of a potential adversary by listening to the sound of his voice.

A nationalist refrain helps to win electoral gains in Europe.

A new study from — where else? — France suggests listening to love songs may increase women’s receptivity to amorous advances.

Uncle Sam’s work force makes on average lots more than its counterparts in private industry.

Dependency and balance, two attributes that aren’t immediately associated with human fishing, prove their value on a remote corner of Baja.

A look at Maryland students’ achievement levels finds a correlation between music instruction in grades six to eight and success at algebra.

Mexico’s Sea of Cortez has always had a wealth of whales, but even protected areas can’t stave off other pressures on the leviathans.

Watchdog groups see acceleration in the glut of former federal legislators and regulators flocking to their former charges.

To stop or to speed through? That is the question.

Although some set-up hurdles remain, a market in scientific predictions may help us forecast innovation.

The perception that a politician is hungry for power apparently lessens support for female, but not male, candidates.

It’s not just because of Israeli military confrontations, even though incidents rise in tandem when it’s active.

Foundering development plans for a yachters’ paradise in remote Baja have created opportunities for conservation groups.

A legacy of corruption leads the citizenry more toward resignation and connivance than to activism, a new study looking at Mexico reports.

A lush desert — there is such a thing — teaches the value of water management in an almost waterless environment.

Parents and grandparents lecturing the “Me Generation” how easy they have it get research to support their argument (at least when they’re talking about college).

A new report concludes some majority-black legislative districts are penalized because of the way the census bureau counts their imprisoned residents.

Looking for lesson in cross-cultural psychology? Look no further than the different ways Americans and Chinese react to good, bad movies.

U.N. special rapporteur Philip Alston, Miller-McCune’s most recent Wonking Class Hero, takes on the arms-length warfare of drones.

If Americans don’t want the dubious comforts of a full-fledged nanny state, then they can’t come running for comprehensive succor when some milk, or oil, spills.

A new generation of Muslims brings Western governments to revisit old ideas about school prayer.

A fruitless ascent to collect climate data at an observatory teaches that not all lessons can be viewed through human prisms.

A researcher finds focusing on humans rather than animals helps students grasp some of the fundamental concepts of evolutionary theory.

A new meta-analysis finds that today’s college students have far less empathy than their forebearers.

Water issues inland present a challenge and a threat to agriculture and the economy.

An overturned fishing boat symbolizes the plight of the world’s fisheries.

Researchers fear that a lawsuit aimed at the developer of the “hockey stick” temperature map is actually a political salvo at science.

How you ask, what you ask and when you ask can all affect what you get in conducting polls.

Researchers find that heavier-drinking American college students are more likely to study abroad or intend to study abroad.

Brain-scan research suggests celebrity faces evoke specific happy memories, and those positive feelings rub off on the products they endorse.

Innovators are being asked to friend Uncle Sam as the next good ideas for the government are being sought through social networks.

Might a burqa ban herald a new fashion for outlawing religiously inspired dress championed by other faiths?

Assuming the role of a violent policeman in a video game softens one’s judgment of police brutality in real life.

The importance of including cell-only households in phone surveys continues to grow alongside the difficulty of getting accurate results if you don’t.

Again, money can’t buy happiness. New research finds having money, or just thinking about it, impedes our capacity to savor the joys of everyday life.

In deep geologic time, it may have helped turned the sky from orange (!) to blue, a new study shows.

India is considering allowing Western universities to plant satellite campuses directly in the subcontinent’s fertile soil.

Congress is preparing to take up reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, but the recipe for success is far from simple.

A new analysis finds that parents are less likely to volunteer when their children attend larger schools.

Feeling let down by that financial firm you invested in? New research suggests class-action lawsuits should go after the people responsible for your loss, not the company.

A survey of American social values over recent decades finds an increasing emphasis on self-respect, while security and a sense of belonging decline in importance.

Researchers report the shame evoked by miserly behavior may have negative long-term health consequences.

Religiously inspired polygamy creates a financial burden on the state, something both the United States and France agree on.

The minority education gap, if not addressed, will have a huge impact on the U.S. economy in the future as good-paying jobs increasingly require college degrees.

One drink of alcohol may make a smaller guy more drunk, but research suggests it makes a bigger guy more aggressive.

Network news anchors and correspondents are a far more diverse group than they were two decades ago.

Research has shown that “sin taxes” help reduce consumption of addictive substances like cigarettes and alcohol. Could the same be true for tanning?

In the bright lights of the big city, we learn that conservation of coastal resources uses the same words but has a different meaning.

A look at who boycotts whom in the United States finds that those on the margins are the most likely to participate.

El Hippo, the water horse, finds a waterfall in the dry and dusty Valle de Guadalupe.

If money equals fun, the adage that blondes have more of it appears to be true. Research suggests that blond women make more and marry richer than women with a different hair color.

New research finds a link between musical rhythm and visual processing, and offers a tantalizing clue to the art form’s origins.

A tenuous compromise that promised to move a U.S. climate bill forward may be part of the Deepwater Horizon’s collateral damage.

Be prepared for a search of what’s on your laptop as you cross into the United States these days.

Continental and United’s proposed merger entails a relocation of Continental’s headquarters to Chicago. Houstonians (rightfully) fear that this means a relocation of charitable contributions, too.

Bob Bennett’s fall in Utah adds evidence to research showing polarization truly is the worst it’s ever been in Washington, D.C.

New research suggests the use of red ink by teachers to correct students’ work may result in harsher evaluations.

In the north of Baja California where grape vines are tended along the Ruta de Vino, population pressure is making water even more valuable.

New research finds unconscious racial bias makes anti-Obama rhetoric seem more persuasive.

How might climate change affect homes and businesses built helter-skelter on a seaside cliff.

The White House is using competition as a soft-power method to drive change from offices to schools to statehouses and beyond.

The top predator on California’s northern Channel Islands might start dining on recovering foxes and seabirds, scientists warn.

Hand washing may help us emotionally disconnect from past decisions. But it may also increase feelings of moral superiority.

Evolutionary theory suggests younger siblings take more risks. New research finds that is true — at least on the baseball diamond.

It may seem unlikely, but new research says that increased TV watching alone isn’t likely to harm children’s thinking or schooling.

European officials aren’t the only Westerners wrestling with what Islamic women wear — leaders in Quebec have joined the fray.

Predators dance around a wounded “El Hippo,” but the vehicle manages to limp to safety in Rosarito.

As hundreds of thousands of teachers and staffers brace for layoffs, there might be a federal bailout in their future, too.

New research suggests compassion helps buffer women against the physical consequences of emotional stress.

The Voyage of the Kiri enters Mexico — at least the Tijuana watershed — before even leaving the U.S.

Universal broadband Internet probably won’t help people find jobs, but it may improve their health outcomes (and music libraries).

“El Hippo” approaches the Mexican border but on the way south learns about the Aztecs and water in separate Los Angeles exhibitions.

If I’m going to help pay your health care bills, you could at least try and eat better.

New research from Australia finds racists mistakenly tend to believe they’re less prejudiced than their neighbors.

How did such an un-American-sounding idea as banning someone’s religiously inspired clothing choice take root in Western countries?

Despite the heavy breathing about the constitutionally mandated U.S. Census this year, participation rates are pretty high.

Scientists at Tel Aviv University are bioengineering tissues that can take the place of lab rats, saving untold lives.

How do you get kids to do their homework? Help them shape a positive but realistic image of themselves as successful adults.

Can some forms of physical contact make you more likely to exhibit risk-taking behavior? So maybe the meltdown is mom’s fault.

The U.S. Library of Congress is blazing a trail in determining how to store an ever-expanding trove of information that never had physical form.

New research finds visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial helps vets suffering from PTSD. But a single visit isn’t enough.

Welcome to the Voyage of Kiri, an overland educational and research journey from Miller-McCune’s home city of Santa Barbara, Calif., along the Pacific Coast of Mexico.

New research finds exposure to Native American mascots increases one’s tendency to stereotype a different ethnic group.

Stung by the U.S. Supreme Court’s affirmation of corporate free speech, some are seeking to give shareholders more control over the firms’ political spending.

A grand explanation for the Great Information Gather on anyone who crosses an international border. …

Newly published research on belief in ESP suggests a public disregard for — and perhaps even hostility toward — the scientific consensus.

President Obama visited Cape Canaveral to address his critics and clarify his canceling of the Constellation program meant to send Americans back to the moon, and his vision for the future of space exploration.

When did being a qualified eminent jurist of the president’s choosing become insufficient to make it to the U.S. Supreme Court?

Whether a government or a private company gathers data, Europeans get nervous.

New research indicates Transcendental Meditation may help reduce symptoms of depression, which could also lower the risk of heart disease.

New research links economic globalization with the decline in voting turnout in established democracies.

A good day in court for Internet providers may lead regulators to a nuclear option those providers dread.

As the globe catches World Cup fever, our Peter Nardi sees a little hidden scamming among the confetti.

Will your child finish college? The answer may be as close as your bookshelves, or lack thereof.

Why is the West Bank’s most notorious militant hotbed being touted as a model of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation?

Post 9/11, the United States has been chasing foreign-born scholars away, much to the nation’s detriment.

Two new studies — one sociological, another using brain scans — document and help explain our lack of empathy for perceived outsiders.

Will it give European intelligence agencies access to U.S. banking records?

The emergence of a video showing pedestrians mowed down in Baghdad by U.S. gunships illustrates how traditional media’s watchdog role is being usurped.

The Yankees look to be the dominant team in baseball for 2010, according to a New Jersey Institute of Technology mathematician (and Mets fan).

Innovation, and not just drilling the same well deeper, could make energy in America as common, as, well, salt.

This just in: Drinkers more likely to pair potato chips than apple slices with beer.

Should the U.S. and Europe bring back the visa? Because “visa-free travel” to America no longer exists

From breast pumping to adoption tax credits, the leviathan known as the U.S. health care bill is loaded with little goodies.

New research finds exposure to a bare, illuminated light bulb — a universal symbol of bright ideas — is a catalyst to reaching insights.

It’s better to light a single solar-powered streetlight than curse the insurgency.

The debate about health care often focused on the legislative circus tricks employed by all.

Put down those program notes: New research suggests describing a piece of classical music may diminish the pleasure of listening.

A new analysis finds racial resentment is a major reason behind Americans’ support for harsh sentences for criminals.

New research investigates how underage college students obtain false identification to gain access to alcohol.

No sooner are new electronic identification methods out on the street than do electronic tricksters (and presumably cyber bad guys) hack them.

Without instituting a fifth-period forestry class, federal officials want school kids to get outside and observe what’s there.

Researchers examining depictions of the most iconic meal of all time find portion sizes dramatically increased over the last millennium.

A new study finds exposure to fast food increases impatience in unrelated areas of our lives.

A University of Louisville researcher data-crunches and theorizes about the ‘greatest’ American cities.

More data comes in proving that, for American workers, specifically the older ones, job insecurity is bad for your health.

Ongoing efforts to improve measures of poverty in the United States must thread the needle between pragmatism and politics.

U.N. body comes down heavily against ban on fishing for iconic bluefin tuna.

A newly published meta-analytic review states emphatically that players of violent video games are at greater risk of engaging in aggressive behavior.

High quality doesn’t ensure longevity in the tumultuous print magazine industry.

The Obama administration’s stated push for more government openness hasn’t fully manifested itself in the Freedom of Information arena.

How it happened, who will benefit, and how hard will it be to counterfeit these things.

Experiments on canines suggest self-control, in both humans and animals, is related to blood glucose levels.

Judy Hoy’s lonely crusade to determine if farm chemicals are deforming deer boosted by falling populations

New research suggests sexual objectification hinders some women’s cognitive ability.

The mass of Americans still accept reality of climate change, but a glut of complex polls manages to make that difficult to discern.

Wines made from organic grapes are often high-quality, but a new study suggests the eco-friendly label is a turn-off.

Even if you do have a mostly private Facebook profile, others can glean vital information about you — just by looking at your friend list.

Don’t laugh: New research on baseball players suggests that the wider your smile, the longer you may live.

Nudge-meister Cass Sunstein sings the praises of open government and transparency.

Europe’s newly empowered Parliament’s first muscle flex involves privacy and tracking terrorist finances.

Former Mexican President Vicente Fox may be a conservative, but certainly not one recognizable in El Norte.

Newly published research describes two innovative methods to inspire creativity: Compare and contrast different cultures, or think of yourself as a 7-year-old.

A documentary examining the life of Veit Harlan, a film director responsible for films favored by Nazis, provides back story for a new and controversial feature film.

Globally, moviegoers’ tastes are becoming increasingly homogeneous, which is a very good sign for Hollywood.

One way for the U.S. Postal Service to save itself might be for letter carriers to lay down their bags.

Research indicates that even underused carpool lanes have a smoothing effect on freeway traffic.

GLOBE at Night invites the world to measure light pollution.

Sen. Tom Coburn says it is. Even if that’s not absolutely true, the U.S. government can do a much better job of encouraging better meals on its dime.

Maybe not, but they should offend most passengers.

Researchers from Oregon State argue that when it comes to carbon emissions, not all forest fires are created equal.

An analysis of titles of Harlequin romance novels provides evidence that evolutionary impulses help explain our choice of mate.

The apparent connection between vaccines and autism didn’t reveal much about medical safety but did reveal lots about thinking.

New research suggests news of impending large-scale unemployment results in fewer males being born.

While the big health care summit was kind of artificial, it still let real people participate (at a remove) in real time.

Research shows that in Canada, health determines who sees a specialist, but in the U.S., income does.

A new study of stressed students finds a link between positive expectations and immunological health.

Climategate and some other high-profile, if ultimately rare, scientific embarrassments lead academics to study transparency.

… And how not to. The rules are changing, just as the human memory of Nazism fades.

A psychologist argues the enormous creativity of guitarist Jimi Hendrix can be traced to the high level of integration between his brain’s two hemispheres.

Scholars assess whether the widely accepted notion that the current political polarization in the U.S. is due in part to ‘safe’ political districts is accurate.

‘The Art of the Steal’ paints of picture of moneyed, but likely well-meaning, interests having their ways with a cloistered collection of art.

Tiger’s Wood’s apology kabuki included the now de rigueur appeal to religious values — but not to the Christian ones Americans usually hear.

Tarred by misperceptions, with no wallet and ambiguous successes at best, the federal faith-based initiative still treads uphill.

Mudslinging may get results for campaigns, but new research suggests that these negatively tailored messages should not be delivered in person.

New research suggests creativity in the workplace is enhanced by concern for others’ needs, and a willingness to walk in their shoes.

While the Pentagon gathers new information to support repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, academics say there’s plenty out there already.

The politics of remembering Allied bombing raids in Dresden pokes at the sensitive spots in Germany’s democracy.

Surprising new research suggests non-experts’ receptiveness to modern artworks may be lessened when contextual information is presented.

Despite the weight of scientific evidence, many TV meteorologists are global warming skeptics, survey shows

The administration’s latest dot-gov wants American drivers to focus on the road. But how will the populace react to chiding while driving?

A collection of academic musings on Valentine’s Day traditions to keep you warm in bed at night (in the event that you don’t find a date).

Nobel laureate Walter Kohn is bullish on renewable energy but sees the answer to global energy woes as population stabilization through the education of women.

Researchers have found a protein that may be the immune system’s fountain of youth.

New research suggests locating polling places in churches may affect how people vote on social-values issues.

To engineers, every problem is just a solution that hasn’t occurred yet, our Michael Haederle learns at the El Paso innovation conference.

In El Paso, our Michael Haederle reviews innovative ideas suggested for arresting the wear and tear on roads, bridges and other infrastructure.

Freakish snowstorms warm the hearts of both believers and skeptics of global warm … err … climate change.

Nazi revisionism in America revolves around the idea that anyone you don’t like gets to be a fascist.

Reporting from the El Paso innovation conference, our Michael Haederle explains how a toy frog may have hopped over some biomedical manufacturing obstacles.

Our Michael Haederle reports live from El Paso, where academics gathered at a conference looking for practical innovations to address the big problems.

New research finds subsidizing healthy food is no answer to the obesity epidemic.

The first comprehensive analysis of its type finds food and beverage products appear in more than two-thirds of popular movies.

Overweight is the new normal in America. So why do we still share an immediate, negative reaction toward the obese?

Blocks of ice are joining molten salt and compressed air as ways to deliver yesterday’s energy when it’s wanted today.

Highly math-anxious female teachers may lead girls to conform to the stereotype that, when it comes to math, they just can’t compete with the boys.

National security blueprint finds climate change “inextricably” linked to energy and economic concerns.

New research finds upward physical movements inspire positive memories.

Obama administration gains another first — most divided debut year since polling began.

Adolescents are aware of the serious consequences of climate change. So why don’t they do anything about it?

Facebook friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your earbuds. But don’t ask me to name the Speaker of the House.

With the general public overwhelming in support of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, why is it still politically contentious to overturn the policy?

East and West remember World War II in different ways.

New research finds a sense of purpose developed during college years sticks with you and helps shape adult behavior.

Research shows that nutritional information about fast food inspires parents to make healthier choices for their kids.

Having learned that corporations are people, too, one company takes the logic to the next step and runs for Congress.

Amending the unmutated part of the mutated protein that causes a neurodegenerative disease may lead to a cure.

Legislation named for a missing 31-year-old man would tie together the various data threads on the nation’s missing persons.

Perfectionism can be positive or negative, depending upon whether you’re striving to live up to your own high standards or straining to meet the expectations of others.

If you can’t get a chuckle across the aisle, how could you have gotten health care reform across?

Obama’s State of the Union speech addressed the problem of student loan debt.

Reforesting efforts in Haiti may not provide immediate relief, but could create a renewable and sustainable supply of food and fuel for desperate villages.

Rebates for energy-efficient appliances don’t stand up to the economic analysis that, until now, no one bothered to do.

A new meta-analysis finds gender differences in sexual attitudes and behaviors are smaller than you may think.

The European Union wrestles with ways to foster minority viewpoints without subsidizing tomorrow’s Hitlers.

Charging a nickel for every bag at the grocery store has created ‘a behavioral economist’s dream.’

Wonking Class Hero wins grant to continue work on preserving Montana’s evaporating indigenous culture.

Research suggests a possible specific target for drugs fighting the most common type of breast cancer.

The military commonly enlists science in its efforts. But when science is humanity, the relationship gets a little stickier.

How to change minds about the need for health care reform? Get out your handkerchief.

Two new studies of music and the brain give us insights into the mind of the improvising musician, and the conformist leanings of teenagers.

Why do bloggers blog? It sounds like a trick question, but a study of top political bloggers finds their motivations evolve over time.

The question of ‘net neutrality’ will impact how you visit Miller-McCune.com in the future, but it’s a hot topic of debate today.

The case of an avant-garde architect, who defied then assisted the Nazi machine, makes hard and fast judgments difficult.

A new study finds that using motor skills while being asked to change behavior makes it more likely you’ll follow the advice.

Getting Americans out of their cars would be nice, but their hometowns and mean streets would still favor motorized transport.

A national gathering of transportation wonks try to square the circle, fitting private cars into a low-carbon economy.

The scent of an ovulating woman is linked to higher testosterone levels in men.

Russia wrestles with rehabilitating its great Soviet-era wartime leader and homicidal maniac.

Big Bird meets big bands: PBS President Paula Kerger is renewing the network’s commitment to arts programming and arts education.

Despite the good intentions of the U.S. Forest Service setting aside “protected areas” isn’t enough- housing growth in an near these areas can effectively diminish these forests and severely hamper the natural ecosystems.

Researchers are using cockroaches as inspiration for robots that run.

New research on hamsters suggests steroid use produces greater long-term behavioral problems in males when the drugs are administered during adolescence.

Think tanks on both ideological sides agree — legalizing undocumented workers in the United States would be an economic boon.

As arts education is pushed further to the margins by the current emphasis on standardized testing, a tool for nurturing children’s social and emotional development is being lost.

It’s long been noted that power corrupts, but it also makes people hypocrites, too.

The final wave of Nazi trials focuses on now-octogenarian pawns of the end game that was the Holocaust.

New research suggests the contemplation of compassion can negate the power of threat to increase support for conservative values.

Your genes may determine whether you cling furiously to your political beliefs or cast them aside at a shift in the breeze.

A new study of college students finds a correlation between body art and deviant behavior, but only for those with multiple tattoos or piercings.

The passing year has brought some technology and good ideas that just may improve the delivery of government services in the United States.

As time erodes the ephemera of genocide, the purpose behind preserving every physical bit of atrocity becomes a question for archivists and ethicists.

Cristi Hegranes, a Miller-McCune Wonking Class Hero, expands the Global Press Institute to Kenya, where women will become the eyes and ears of the developing nation.

How do you best measure a decade, and what do you measure if you do?

Here’s a thought for the New Year: Binge-drinking mice could help pave the way for exercise-oriented alcohol addiction treatments for humans.

As the legion of home-schoolers rapidly grows, sensible government oversight seems to be a reasonable option — or it’ll invite a firestorm of opposition.

Many scientists breathed easier as a new U.S. administration took charge, but not all of their hopes have yet been realized.

Stem cells might be able to prevent blindness caused by macular degeneration.

A patient’s attitudes and beliefs don’t appear on any medical chart, but new research finds they influence the course of recovery.

Beyond the humanity, there’s a business case for tackling the persistent gap in health for most U.S. minorities.

Why are suicide rates in the military going up? A new analysis suggests combat training meant to override feelings of fear and pain may be a key factor.

Social psychology finds a thread linking opposition to health care reform and climate change — and a possible way around the problem.

After two big recent speeches, the president is teasing toward elucidating his administration’s foreign policy parameters.

Like dogs chasing cars, Western powers cruising for Somali pirates are a little stumped about what to do when they’re captured.

Just how toxic is the term “tax?” A newly published study suggests its use decreases support for climate change initiatives.

When you say a little prayer for someone, new research suggests you may be changing your emotional relationship with that person.

A volunteer effort to make federal and state data more accessible to the public makes efforts to be transparent more genuine.

Framing international conflicts as comedies could help to resolve them.

A little self-awareness, and a lot of illustration, breathes some life into the justifiably maligned segment of entertainment education.

The world of carbonate chemistry is rocking over claims that a new kind of cement can sequester carbon.

The partisanization of just about everything in D.C. leaves a scientific advisory panel on bioethics moored in ideological shoals.

New research finds fathering children leads men to behave in more altruistic ways.

A Lloyd’s of Haradheere? Or, how Somali pirates are imitating the West through ad-venture capitalism.

In a troubling corollary to the truism that a picture is worth 1,000 words, a new study suggests stereotypical imagery can largely negate the central point of a lengthy text.

The perception that a veneer of certainty must reign over all levels of climate change has led proponents to come a cropper.

A new Pew poll finds Americans are at record levels of isolationism, although large numbers are unilateralist and a plurality see China as the world’s leading economic power.

A mouse model suggests a possible treatment for Alzheimer’s-like dementia in aging Down syndrome patients.

Advocacy groups en masse ratchet up their messages in the lead-up to the global climate change conference.

Despite some successes in thwarting Somali pirates, itchy trigger fingers may serve no one’s interests except for private security agencies.

New research finds the presence of Mexican immigrants in the United States is good for democracy in Mexico.

Becoming a captain of industry suggests you’ve probably sailed a bit too closely to the ethical shoals, a new study suggests.

And you thought carbon only came in basic black!

The U.S. Senate’s balkiness at passing a weak-kneed symbolic climate plan leaves an open door to a genuine and meaningful American bill.

A new look at the link between religiosity and long-term health finds devoutness does delay death — but only for women.

Do Europeans and Americans have different reasons to fear Somali pirates?

The miracle berry’s astounding ability to turn the sour sweet makes it a party favorite, but its properties may help dieters and cancer patients, too.

New research finds black women are more likely to go unnoticed and unappreciated than black men or whites of either gender.

Things are tough all over, but the National League of Cities suggests when improvement comes, cities may be among the last to know.

A new analysis of five years of box-office data finds nudity and sexuality do not, on average, increase a film’s profitability or prestige.

Can compulsively searching, instead of merely surfing, lead to greater cognitive benefits for netizens?

Pirate-fightin’ navies find that parking off the Horn of Africa provides cover for counterterrorism and protects scofflaw fishermen.

The realization there’s a lot of competition out there for a mate appears to increase one’s religious intensity.

The documentary “The End of Poverty?” takes an impassioned if clunky look at international capitalism over the last half millennium. Guess what it finds?

In a less remarked-upon aspect of climate change, tropical diseases like dengue fever — once restricted to warmer or moister climes — are infiltrating the United States.

Blog chatter has helped flat-lining album sales, but does that chatter even matter?

Trying to take the pulse of how much race matters, a study looking at prejudice and the president finds a persistent residue of racism in how health care reform is viewed.

The administration’s imperfect tally of stimulus-created jobs sculpts new vistas for the punditocracy to survey.

The 2007 Virginia Tech massacre resulted in widespread psychological distress among the university’s students — whether or not they witnessed the incident firsthand.

An algae conveyer belt on the ocean’s surface may be more than just a scientist’s dream.

Life-threatening illnesses can disrupt even the most stable marriages, but new research suggests that men are far more likely to divorce a terminally ill spouse.

Counterpiracy strategies, old and new, find historic precedence for both passivity and aggressiveness.

Is it possible to feel less pain if you look directly at the affected area? Take two drops of Murine and call us in the morning.

A public option for U.S. health care has been refashioned as a decision for individual states. Might some states most in need spurn the offer?

Can ADHD stimulants like Adderall be the answer for college students looking to increase academic performance? They think so.

A new study illuminates the motivations behind religious sacrifice among a very devout population — adolescents.

In tandem with the news aggregator NewsTrust, Miller-McCune.com is searching for the best journalism on psychology, especially the psychology of the culture wars, out there. Give us a hand.

The fries children see on TV may determine their weight as much as the ones they’re eating.

Talking on your cell phone can distract you from your surroundings — even if they include a unicycling clown.

Adobe’s laudable push for open government butts up against the difficulty that machines have sussing out what’s in its products.

The Obama administration’s tech czar wants a Silicon Valley value transplanted to the Beltway: customer experience design.

Working to accomplish your goals may cause you stress in the moment, but will increase your overall happiness.

In the new season of piracy, both sides show they’re eager to evolve.

Biologists have discovered a gene that may keep naked mole rats cancer-free, a finding they hope can have implications with humans.

Although political participation is increasing, there’s more evidence that the moderates have left the building.

The tendency to fault others for our own failures can spread like a virus.

The fight over a public option means nil to the majority of Americans — who won’t have the option to buy it anyway.

With the right parenting, the mischievous — but not the outright evil — may be on the fast track to a leadership role.

The verdict is in: Center for Court Innovation honored with national nonprofit award.

The gushing effluvia of spreadsheets and thick reports that flow from government are dissected, reconstituted and displayed by a dedicated band of coders.

A new study from neuroscientists at UC Irvine suggests that bad driving may be in your blood.

New research suggests people who enjoy gazing in the mirror have reason to like what they see.

Whether meaningful mass grassroots action or silly stunt, the political theater of the International Day of Climate Action made a splash.

Students on island of Yap learn that climate change is not an abstraction in their futures.

Health care will change an essential American debate, and it’s unlikely to take its cue from anywhere else.

So, the rather nerdy constitutional pursuit of counting everybody in the country once a decade has become a political issue like everything else.

In a German study, the notion of ongoing Holocaust-related suffering among Jews apparently increased feelings of anti-Semitism.

As some high-profile corporations publicly embrace the reality of climate change, are they moving faster than the American population as a whole?

A new survey indicates broad interest, but not commitment, in purchasing an electric vehicle.

A pill or two might be able to prevent future devastating spinal cord injuries from turning into paralysis, suggests new research on mice.

Henry George and his 19th-century manifesto have a renewed relevance during the current U.S. health care debate.

Vice President Joe Biden expands idea to use special district bonds to pay for your solar power dreams.

A wine-tasting experiment finds that in judging one item against another, the first and last have a distinct advantage over those stuck in the middle of the pack.

Research suggests certain mental games may help chocolate lovers resist the temptation to overindulge.

The hidden costs of all energy choices aren’t posted on the pump, but, nonetheless, they’re just as real.

A transgenic rodent named for a philanthropic football coach is front and center in the effort to solve the multiple sclerosis whodunit.

New research supports the idea that memories of negative emotions, and the events that triggered them, can be suppressed.

Population growth is the real driver for higher greenhouse gas emission, so why don’t more mainstream solutions start there?

Slow and steady even in tallying the tragic proves its worth.

A new study suggests body fat may moderate post-menopausal mental decline.

Yes, sort of, answers our correspondent as he compares the landscape of Europe’s smaller states with the ‘United’ ones.

In our introductory post to The Idea Lobby, Emily Badger looks at the numbers and sees the furthest right any Democratic senator reaches is still a ways from the furthest left of any GOP colleague.

Creativity is a product of the left and right brain hemispheres working together — an alliance that comes more easily to the ambidextrous.

The founder of pioneering Internet musical-taste-diviner Pandora sees his service as unlocking hidden potentials in the moribund music biz.

Members of the music industry reflect on making their green good intentions a marketable proposition.

While adolescents today work less and have more leisure time than previous generations, how do they invest these valuable hours?

The looming LCROSS mission’s lunar bomb-run could spur humankind’s effort to live on the moon — if it does find reasonable quantities of water.

While the purpose of informed consent laws is to educate women considering an abortion, they apparently do little to dissuade them from proceeding.

New research suggests workers paid an hourly wage are more likely than salaried individuals to associate money with happiness.

Emission standards will help manage rising temperatures, but the time to act is now.

One way America resembles the old Communist bloc can be found in the nexus of abortion and public health care.

Two social ills come together in Miami for a positive outcome, at least on a small scale.

Guest blogger Tom Jacobs says psychology provides some suggestions as to why so many artists transgress ethical boundaries.

Two new studies suggest older people have difficulty suppressing stereotypes, which means many may become prejudiced against their will.

A ‘bazaar’ approach to health plans might be the least bizarre way to maintain America’s accidental tradition of medical insurance.

What’s your idea of an ideal mate? The answer may depend upon whether your stomach is rumbling.

Industry responds to produce safety scares with a tracking system from farm to fork.

The murky waters of the debate over chemical exposures and health just got murkier. And a bit nastier.

A new study links bullying behavior by adolescents to the perception they are not treated fairly by their parents.

Our European correspondent concludes his look at health care options in Europe by trying to strike a balance between individual and centralized concerns.

New research suggests a ban on alcohol ads aimed at minors reduces drunken driving among teens.

A generally risk-averse population in the Western world has so far been surprisingly welcoming of nanotechnology, a new meta-study finds.

Arcane bits of the tax code provide a huge tacit subsidy for the producers of fossil fuels, according to a recently released study.

In a sequel to an experiment from the days of silent film, a multinational team of psychology researchers has shown that we perceive emotions based on what we bring to the table.

The U.S. government’s regulatory focus on automobile fuel efficiency and emission reduction is very big news.

Does absurdist literature make you smarter? Giraffe carpet cleaner, it does!

The health plan wonderland of middle Europe has some issues of its own that Americans might factor into their own debate.

Even if you’re agnostic on the matter of death panels, why is it OK to off grandma and not gramps?

The media are belatedly acknowledging a racial subtext to many anti-Obama protests, thanks to what one scholar calls the ‘drip’ factor.

Does acting violently make us animals? A study finds that idea reduces right-wingers’ support for war.

A pioneering nonprofit Chicago news source has gone the way of many old-fashioned for-profit predecessors, but wants to resurrect itself as for-profit.

Weightlessness experiments using superconductors sweep mice off their feet.

Why do people visit art museums? The answer depends on the type of art on display.

Expedition to New Guinea highlands brings back wild and wooly news on giant rat.

Some opponents of the president’s health care efforts liken it to totalitarian states. But what was health care policy like under, say, the Nazis?

Researchers have found that greater use of flu shots was accompanied by a reduction in prescriptions for antibiotics — a blessing for those concerned about overuse.

As summer comes to a close in the Northern Hemisphere, we take a look at the benefits of the unofficial required beverage for the Southern United States.

Researchers have a new way of tracking where disease hot spots are occurring, and, once again, it concerns an Apple a day …

Hot on socialized medicine or cool with private payer, take the temperature of your favorite U.S. health care option with our handy-dandy Miller-McCune meter.

New research finds love inspires creativity, but thoughts of sex stimulate analytical thinking.

New research finds males mistakenly believe aggressive behavior is admired.

As an anti-party’s pre-eminent politician, Joschka Fischer took Germany’s Greens out of the wilderness and into real power. But has he become what he once eschewed?

Weighty new research suggests holding a heavy object engages the mind.

New research suggests our brains react almost instantaneously to statements that challenge our moral values.

A windswept Danish island shows that solar power needn’t be the sole province of sunnier climes.

Germany’s new clean coal “Schwarze Pumpe” plant is not clean yet …

New research finds those who feel a strong connection to the natural world have a more caring attitude toward others.

Researchers studying itchy mice determine that separate neurons deliver sensations for itchiness and pain.

A new study finds 18-month-olds who were subtly introduced to the concept of togetherness were far more likely to help someone in need.
 

Germany’s upcoming election has put an unforgiving light on the nuclear phase-out promised in 2001.

New full-bodied research finds beer drinking increases bone mass in older women.

Ancient Greek wanderers knew something modern mortgage agents and serial snackers don’t: It’s easy to overestimate your willpower to resist.

Growing a new tooth in the jawbone of a mouse provides the first fully functional organ grown in any animal by transplanting so-called ‘germ cells.’

Sailing from the Atlantic to the Orient across the roof of the world has been the dream of Arctic explorers and world traders for centuries. It saves fuel, too, so what’s not to like? Well …

America’s still-undecided policy on nuclear waste means the spent rods just keep a-piling up.

Power tends to bend a person’s moral outlook, making one less likely to believe bending the rules is acceptable behavior.

Wondering if she is gay? Your first instinct is probably right.

A new study finds listening to Mozart can indeed provide a boost for the brain — but only in non-musicians.

If you want to be greener than green when harvesting woody biomass for energy production make sure to leave a little bit behind.

Germany’s vaunted salt mine solution for low-level nuclear waste has proven to be full of holes.

We predicted that Hispanics would feel more pain jobwise this recession than some other demographic groups. We were right.

A ‘virtual census’ finds that, in the fictional universe of video games, white males still rule.

A stimulus package launches with low hopes for qualitatively changing the pace of car buying and little real expectation of cleaning up the air.

"If this document is forged, then they all are," concluded one probe into a fertile ground of conspiracy fans, about whether Barack Obama was born in the U.S.

Even as species disappear at an accelerating rate, intrepid researchers are finding rodents previously unknown to science.

In demonstrating that embryonic stem cells may not be the experimental bottleneck as they are often seen, researchers have created live mice from mouse skin.

While the passing of Frank McCourt shone a light on memoirs, more literary biographies have been doing land-office business of late.

A new study finds people forced to decide between two unpalatable choices are judged harshly, no matter which option they pick.

Seeing an angry face on a black man makes whites more likely to view other African-American males as threatening, a new study finds.

America’s crowded prisons are seeing a larger number of lifers cluttering their halls and cafeterias, according to a new report from an organization opposed to life-without-parole sentences.

Where did Desertec come from (and why did it take so long)?

The stereotype of the self-absorbed orchestra conductor appears to be off-key.

In preparation for colonizing space, a crack crew of middle-aged rats is colonizing a patch of Barcelona.

Whether it’s from Irish-American high school teachers or vice presidents reporting from underground bunkers, Americans have a taste for others’ personal experiences.

It takes two to tango, but do it poorly and you end up dancing with yourself.

Pumping pleasant tunes into patients’ headphones hastened the healing process.

A hallucinogen derived from the Salvia divinorum plant — Sally D on the streets — is the latest worrisome drug, however research shows that the buzz, no pun intended, isn’t quite living up to the hype.

USC is looking for new approaches to cultural coverage, the best of which will be showcased at the National Summit on Arts Journalism.

A new Pew survey finds Americans on the whole like science and even scientists, but aren’t willing to give it, or them, the last word on science-related questions.

Driving a sports car is linked to higher testosterone levels in men.

Biomass-powered villages in Germany’s heartland may offer a model for U.S. towns questing for energy self-sufficiency.

From a new book by William Julius Wilson to the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, the primacy of race in the American dialogue hasn’t weakened, but the subject matter has.

Newly published research shows the meaning of liberty and freedom depends on whether or not a culture values the group or the individual.