Society
Culture, traditions and belief systems arising out of the social relationships among a group of peopleEvents January 25-27: Persian Drama, Inuit Face Tattoos and Schubert’s Fantasy
Friday, January 25: A Modest Reception Black comedy, handguns and huge bulging bags of money—three tantalizing teasers offered up in the intriguing trailer for the 2012 award-winning Persian film, A Modest Reception. The story opens on a couple from Tehran who hand out large sums of cash to the residents of an impoverished town and then documents their [...]
January 24, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
Readers Who Bought Lance Armstrong’s Book Want Their Money Back
Lance Armstrong's doping confession has cost him his Tour de France medals, sponsors and his charity. But now, readers who bought his books, want their money back too
January 24, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
This Is What Being a Google Maps Editor Is Like
Google maps is back on the iPhone, and thank goodness because the whole world could basically not function without it. But how does Google Maps get made?
January 24, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Learning From Nature How to Deal With Nature
As cities like New York prepare for what appears to be a future of more extreme weather, the focus increasingly is on following nature's lead.
January 23, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland
Dungeons & Dragons Is So Classic It Now Has Its Own Digital Archive
Guides and books from the past 40 years of Dungeons and Dragons are to be preserved online
January 23, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Sweet Potato Genes Say Polynesians, Not Europeans, Spread the Tubers Across the Pacific
Sweet potato samples preserved in centuries-old herbariums indicate that Polynesian sailors, rather than Spanish or Portuguese explorers, introduced the now-ubiquitous yam across Southeast Asia and the Pacific
January 23, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Ecuador, Land of Malaria, Iguanas, Mangoes and Mountains
The author leaves Peru behind and crosses into Ecuador, where he encounters his first sign of a mosquito
January 23, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Bag Full of Otters Recovered at Thai Airport
Eleven live otters turned up in a scanned bagged that someone had abandoned at the oversized luggage area of Bangkok's airport
January 23, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
In 1974, Someone Ordered a Pizza With a Computer for the First Time
Here, witness a key moment in digital delivery: the first pizza ever ordered with a computer
January 22, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Why Hypercolor T-Shirts Were Just a One-Hit Wonder
Heat-sensitive color made this sportswear a hot item—but it didn't last
January 22, 2013 |
By Emily Spivack
Raw Meat Meets 3D Printing
A bio-cartridge "prints" living cells, one on top of the next, and they naturally fuse to form muscle tissue
January 22, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Stocking Up: Uncovering the Secrets to the Best Broth
What do the experts recommend you do to get the most flavorful soup possible?
January 22, 2013 |
By Twilight Greenaway
Kickstarter Works Best for Game Designers
Games raised the most total money, over $80 million, on the crowd-funding site last year
January 21, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Inauguration Day 2013
All you need to know for the day: where to eat, rest and what to see
January 21, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
At Night, Giant Fields of Burning Natural Gas Make North Dakota Visibile From Space
Locals have a new nickname for their state. North Dakota: "Kuwait on the Prairie"
January 18, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
What to Eat—or Not—in Peru
The roving ceviche carts and meat grills are colorful pieces of street scenery, but eating a creamy cherimoya or a sweet and starchy lucuma could be the truest taste of Peru
January 17, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Star Trek Got Warp Speed All Wrong
Hold everything people. The blast of a star and light that happens in Star Trek when they jump to warp speed? Wrong! It wouldn't look like that at all, according to some physicists
January 17, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
The ISS’s New Inflatable Room Could Pave the Way for Space Hotels
Set to launch in 2015, this new piece of the International Space Station is designed to be blown up like a balloon
January 17, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Latest Fleet of 787s Is Nothing But Trouble
The new 787 Dreamliner fleet has been plagued with issues, including electrical problems, broken windows, fires and engine failures
January 17, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Can a Buzzing Fork Make You Lose Weight?
HapiFork, a utensil that slows down your eating, is one of a new wave of gadgets designed to help you take control of your health.
January 17, 2013 |
By Randy Rieland

