Discovering Life’s Origins and the Mystery of Homochirality

At a recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society, a team of astronomers announced their discovery of the first chiral molecule outside of our solar system. Their exciting findings, published last week in the journal... Read More
Paro the Robotic Seal – Is the Illusion of Companionship Good Enough?

Technology is fascinating. Throughout history it has changed the way we interact with our work, our environment, and even with each other. Social technology connects us through the cell phones in our pockets, the Internet... Read More
All’s Fair in Love and War, Says Evolution

When I highlighted some great scientific accomplishments in genetics and macroevolution last year in celebration of Darwin Day, I quoted University of California biologist Francisco Ayala who told Smithsonian Magazine, “Darwin didn’t know 99 percent... Read More
Click Me! Black Coffee, Psychopaths, and Twin Peaks

On October 12, Jezebel ran a story with the headline: “Study Says People Who Take Coffee Black Have Psychopathic Tendencies.” Reporting on the same story, Popular Science titled its piece: “Love Beer and Coffee? You... Read More
Poll: Charles Darwin’s Atheist Letter—Who Got It?

A sought-after letter written by Charles Darwin in 1880 has resurfaced after being in the possession of a private owner for decades. In the letter, Darwin responds to a young man who asks him if... Read More
Finding E.T.: Yuri Milner Invests $100 Million to Search for Aliens

Last Monday, on the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, Russian tech capitalist Yuri Milner—who was joined by SETI Institute founder Frank Drake, physicist Stephen Hawking, and astronomer Martin Rees—announced that he would be... Read More
The Anti-Vaxx Movement and the Cult of American Individualism

It doesn’t matter how many works of Ayn Rand you throw at communicable diseases—they will always be communist by nature. For decades, advancements in modern medicine have been slowly chipping away at some of humanity’s... Read More