Hive Mind: New Approach Could Improve on Crowd Wisdom
The most frequently quoted example of the crowd wisdom phenomenon comes from a 1987 study in which researchers asked 56 students to estimate the number of jelly beans in a jar. The average of the gues…
How the Panda’s “Thumb” Evolved Twice
The two species share a common ancestor that lived more than 40 million years ago. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are distant relatives of other bears, whereas red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) are …
In NASA Study, Twin Astronauts Show Stresses of Space Travel
From the lengths of the twins’ chromosomes to the microbiomes in their guts, “almost everyone is reporting that we see differences”, says Christopher Mason, a geneticist at Weill Cor…
Trump: Mattis’ view on torture will override his own beliefs
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that his defense secretary’s opposition to torture would override his own belief that enhanced interrogation “does work,” q…
Lemongrass: The Herbal Remedy That Works Wonders
Share Tweet +1 Reddit EmailLemongrass is one powerful natural ally to have on your side, and can be used for more health and culinary benefits that you’d even believe. Scientifically known as Cy…
Three Economic Lessons From 2016 — And Three Questions For 2017
This is In Real Terms, a regular column analyzing the latest economic news. Comments? Criticisms? Ideas for future columns? Email me, or drop a note in the comments.More EconomicsThe past year has tau…
Three Economic Lessons From 2016 — And Three Questions For 2017
This is In Real Terms, a regular column analyzing the latest economic news. Comments? Criticisms? Ideas for future columns? Email me, or drop a note in the comments.More EconomicsThe past year has tau…
West Africa Now Has Own Blockchain-Enabled Digital Currency
Senegal will soon begin using a digital currency, ushering in the use of blockchain technology by the central bank. It’s another opportunity for financial technology to help emerging markets lea…
President Obama says he could have beaten Trump — Trump says ‘NO WAY!’
“If you think you’re winning, then you have a tendency, just like in sports, maybe to play it safer,” Obama said in the interview with former adviser and longtime friend David Axelro…
The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country. Here’s what we’re buying.
American health-care spending, measured in trillions of dollars, boggles the mind. Last year, we spent $3.2 trillion on health care — a number so large that it can be difficult to grasp its scal…
Putin’s Hit Teams Of “Chechen Killers” Head For Syria
Having recently won the crucial battle for Aleppo, which has changed the layout of the ongoing Syrian proxy war between the Assad regime (with the Kremlin’s backing), and “rebel” for…
Argentina ex-leader Cristina Fernandez charged in corruption case
Former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has been charged over corruption allegations.A federal judge approved charges of illicit association and fraudulent administration against Ms …
Europe Proposes Confiscating Gold In Crackdown On “Terrorist Financing”
Hot on the heels of China gold import restrictions, and India’s demonetization and gold confiscations, The European Commission proposed tightening controls on cash and precious metals transfers …
Scientists in Germany, Peru and Taiwan to lose access to Elsevier journals
Thousands of scientists in Germany, Peru and Taiwan are preparing for a new year without online access to journals from the Dutch publishing giant Elsevier. Contract negotiations in both Germany and T…
When it comes to reducing hospital readmissions, financial penalties work
Hospitals that were financially penalized for too many readmissions were more likely than non-penalized institutions to subsequently reduce readmissions for all conditions, according to a new study by…
Lawsuit dropped: Jawbone can sell devices in the US (if it can sell devices at all)
Valentina Palladino – Dec 27, 2016 7:05 pm UTC Rival fitness companies Fitbit and Jawbone have been fighting over a few lawsuits for the past couple of years, but Fitbit recently put one to rest…
U.S. Retains Title of World’s Top Arms Dealer, Reaping Half of $80-Billion Global Sales in 2015
By Thom Shanker, New York Times WASHINGTON — The United States again ranked first in global weapons sales last year, signing deals for about $40 billion, or half of all agreements in the worldwi…
Reid: White House options for 2020 resemble ‘an old-folks’ home’
The likely 2020 class of Democratic presidential candidates is starting to resemble “an old-folks’ home,” according to retiring Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. Reid recently told …
From Delay To Action: The Supreme Court To Take A Conservative Turn In 2017
It was the last time the 79-year-old Scalia would announce an opinion. Three weeks later, on a hunting trip in Texas, the conservative icon died in his sleep.Since then, the year has been one long rol…
A Peer Recovery Coach Walks The Front Lines Of America’s Opioid Epidemic
“I went toward a bad group because those were the people that accepted me,” he says. Drugs became a substitute for real friendships.He started drinking, popping pills, cooking meth and sho…
Mesmerizing Fractals
Introduction Do you ever wonder what mathematicians study—and why? Most of what they do is complex and difficult to understand, but fractal art might give us a glimpse. Mathematicians study frac…
Monkeys Make Stone “Tools” That Bear a Striking Resemblance to Early Human Artifacts
The monkey is a wild capuchin in northeastern Brazil’s Serra da Capivara National Park, where these animals have long been known to use rocks for a wide range of activities, from cracking open n…
Teen Wins Big for a Homemade Polymer
Nirghin set about brainstorming on how to ensure that crops have access to water—even during the most severe stretches of dry weather. Her simple solution earned her the grand prize at the Googl…
Could Gene Therapy Cure Heart Disease?
From Scientific American: Continue Reading…
Daughter: Actress and author Carrie Fisher dies at age 60
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Carrie Fisher, the daughter of Hollywood royalty who played Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” and turned her experiences with addiction and mental illness …
Trump: Mattis’ view on torture will override his own beliefs
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that his defense secretary’s opposition to torture would override his own belief that…
