Thursday, 9 February, 2012

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?

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?

How do dragonflies fly? How do bats catch insects hidden behind leaves? How do you make a temperature of 2 billion degrees? Why would anyone care?

RFID, radio frequency identification tags are being introduced to Wal-Mart, Defense Department, other parts of the supply chain. What are the privacy implications?

Arctic environment is warming fast, causing harm to wildlife, environment and indigenous people; faster warming predicted in the future. Welcome to the warmer world…

Climatologist instructed to obey NASA minder when talking with media. Political appointee wants to review web postings, journal articles, requests for interviews. What happens when science and politics mix?

Three specific storytelling skills are related to certain math skills, but not to math skills in general. If you can adopt a character’s perspective in a story, does that mean you are likely to be a math whiz?

As Congress, president debate changes to immigration laws, we wonder if immigration-fueled population growth is an environmental issue. Should United States reduce immigration?

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