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Passive-Aggressive Snarks Own Wifi Networks

For wifi network owners, things are getting personal. Network names now replace stick it notes as the means of conveying passive-aggressive snarks to annoying neighbors. The BBC did a little digging and found the following gems floating about in local cyber space: “Stop Stealing My Paper!” begins one exchange, to which the reply taunts: “FYI, I Don’t […]

In Canada, People Gladly Trade in Guns for Shiny New Cameras

Give up your pistol, get a new point-n’-shoot camera

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The World’s Happiest Man Is a Tibetan Monk

Matthieu Ricard, a 66-year old Tibetan monk and geneticist, produces brain gamma waves never before reported in neuroscience

How to Shut Off Bad Habits

Habits die hard, but researchers may have the first clue towards neurologically shutting down bad ones

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Newly Uncovered, 6,500-Year-Old Fortified Stone City the Oldest in Europe

This 350-person town is the oldest of its type found to date

How to Tell If Your Kid Will Become a Great Artist

Spotting artistic talent in your own kid is hard - but here are some ways to do it

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Dolphins Go Hunting In Fishers’ Nets

Dolphins deliberately enter trawlers’ nets to look for food—sometimes they get caught

In the Middle East, Female Scientists Face Different Challenges

Rana Danaji, a professor of molecular biology in Jordan, weighed in in the journal Nature on what it’s like to be a woman in science in an Arab world

Is Dancing Uniquely Human?

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Sandy Unearths Skeleton on New Haven Green

Hurricane Sandy delivered a gruesome mystery, just in time for Halloween

A Tale of Two Screams: Which Stock Horror Scream is Better?

Often, screams in horror movies come from stock files. Chances are, they’re one of two stock screams: the Wilhelm or the Howie

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If You Eat Too Much Silver, Your Skin Acts Like a Black-and-White Photo

A complex chemical reaction is responsible for argyria, the condition in which a person turns a deep shade of blue

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Monkeys Totally Not Into PDA

Monkeys engage in “sneaky sex” to escape the burning gaze of voyeuristic bystanders

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The Closest Thing in Real Life to Myst’s Wormhole Book

A hand-built computer-in-a-book lets you play Myst in a replica linking book

The Crystal Ball

Laboratory Test Shows Psychics Aren’t Psychic (But Here’s How You Can Pretend To Be)

A controlled trial found that psychics lacked sight, but here are some tricks to help you fake it

Flooding in Manhattan

In Sandy’s Wake, Watch Out for Pollution

Potentially contaminated water pooled in the streets could be a health risk

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What Should New York City Do to Prepare for the Next Sandy?

After Hurricane Sandy, New York City will likely begin more seriously considering severe storm mitigation efforts

Switzerland

Evidence Discovered of an Ancient Tsunami on Lake Geneva

Scientists believe a rock fall triggered a 25 foot wave that devastated villages on the shores of the Swiss lake

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Why Running in Mud Is a Really Bad Idea

The New York Marathon might be canceled due to the water that Sandy has dumped all over New York City. Which is probably a good thing, because running in mud and water is actually a really bad idea

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What Makes Transformers Explode?

Last night, a transformer exploded at a Con Edison plant in lower Manhattan. What might have triggered it?

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