ex astris vita

This fascinating video of captive bonobos making fire, writing...

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 12:01:33 -0400

This fascinating video of captive bonobos making fire, writing symbols, making music, and making stone tools makes it much easier to imagine our early human ancestors.

Experiments show that animals have a sense of equity and...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:55:22 -0400

Experiments show that animals have a sense of equity and compassion.

Even though he seems to punt on the central question of his...

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:01:30 -0400

Even though he seems to punt on the central question of his book, I enjoyed this presentation by Lawrence Krauss explaining cosmology. (Explaining why the laws of physics allows the creation of a universe from nothing still fails to explain why there are laws of physics rather than no laws.)

Earliest Known Domesticated Fire

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:45:18 -0400

Earliest Known Domesticated Fire:

Discovery in South Africa pushes back the earliest human control of fire to one million years ago.

A new fossil shows that another bipedal human species lived at...

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:47:17 -0400

A new fossil shows that another bipedal human species lived at the same time as Lucy (A. afarensis).

Do chimpanzees experience awe at waterfalls?

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 -0400

Do chimpanzees experience awe at waterfalls?

This is why we invest in science

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0400

This is why we invest in science:

An example of how investing in basic research pays dividends in unexpected ways.

Religion is the key to civilisation

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0400

Religion is the key to civilisation:

Did religion provide the means for our ancestors to go from small groups of hunter-gatherers to large societies of anonymous strangers?

This cheery photo helps me think more warmly of my Neanderthal...

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:48:57 -0400

This cheery photo helps me think more warmly of my Neanderthal ancestors.

T. Boone Pickens: Let's transform energy with natural gas

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0400

T. Boone Pickens: Let's transform energy with natural gas:

T. Boone Pickens, world renowned financier, takes a national security approach to energy security.

Zen Computer Go Program Beats Takemiya With Just 4 Stones

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0400

Zen Computer Go Program Beats Takemiya With Just 4 Stones:

I see the coming end of the human dominance of Go.

Fun with Trends

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:00:06 -0400

Fun with Trends:

When naïvely extrapolating from current trends “Absurdity—or calamity—arrives fast at those rates.” This is one of my big beefs with Kurzweil et al. They take an exponential growth curve and believe it will continue at that pace forever.

Corn insecticide linked to honeybee die-off

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0400

Corn insecticide linked to honeybee die-off:

There may be a break in the colony collapse disorder mystery.

A World Without People

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:05:05 -0400

A World Without People:

What will our world look like without us? Ozymandias indeed.

Why the Global Warming Skeptics Are Wrong

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:05:06 -0500

Why the Global Warming Skeptics Are Wrong

David Owen describes how energy efficiency is not the answer to...

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:00:05 -0500

David Owen describes how energy efficiency is not the answer to our sustainability problems and challenges the shallow thinking behind so much of our efforts at conservation. He has important things to say to those of us who want to make an actual difference rather than just feeling like we’re making a difference.

A short video series introduction to critical thinking.

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:00:00 -0500

A short video series introduction to critical thinking.

Worldview altering photo of frost on the surface of Mars!

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:04:05 -0500

Worldview altering photo of frost on the surface of Mars!

Breathing new life into the concept of resilience

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:03:05 -0500

Breathing new life into the concept of resilience:

Parts of our civilization have become very efficient. Our first reaction to the word efficient is usually completely positive, but we often forget that efficiency almost always comes as a tradeoff against resilience.

The concluding episode of Everything is a Remix raises the...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:02:05 -0500

The concluding episode of Everything is a Remix raises the question of how culture grows and what copyright and patent laws were intended to do.