Thursday, 9 February, 2012

Use a cellphone? Love nature? Fear cancer? Then how can you hate science? Epidemics, environment, technology: We’ve got questions for the marathoners running (still?) for prexydent.

By marketing to billions of lower-income people, business can do well by doing good: Affordable green goods for “the base of the pyramid” could improve lives and cut environmental damage. Could this work?

A toddler suddenly begins to learn 10 words a day. Does this reflect some innate genius for language, or could it have a less dramatic explanation? New research de-glamorizes the vocab explosion.

The ancients used fire to cook, smelt metal and make pots. It provided warmth, protection against animals, and became a social focus. Fire changed who we are. Could this explain the enduring allure of fire?

Could non-violent video games be (gasp!) helpful? What do we know about the use of video games in the classroom?

What would happen to the global climate after a nuclear war between India and Pakistan? Study says the planet would be dark and cool for 10 years. How much would food production decline?

People pray for the health of friends and family. Can science prove these prayers work? Should it try? Random, double-blind studies tread the natural-supernatural schism.

Study: Drug companies advertise new diseases to push their product. How do journalists respond to the media blitz? How have newspapers reported on restless leg syndrome?

As weapons proliferate, we wonder: exactly how do you make a nuke? How many nations have this ability? How can we track proliferators?

Are software filters for the Internet censorship — or common sense? How do filters work? We take a filter for a test drive and ask, what are the intellectual stakes?