# tech    

the singularity makes it to prime time tv. sort of.

While the Singularity Institute is celebrating their vision on a mainstream sitcom, it's actually become a punchline...
the singularity makes it to prime time tv. sort of.

# space    

the search for alien water hits on gliese 581g

We think Gliese 581g might have liquid water on its surface. How do we check if it really does?
the search for alien water hits on gliese 581g

# politics    

a simple atheist wish list for the real world

What do most atheists actually want? Surprisingly for many theists, it's not the abolition of faith...
a simple atheist wish list for the real world

# politics    

woe be to theologically unschooled heathens?

For appearance of factual correctness, insult both sides of argument regardless of facts, rinse, repeat, sell book.
woe be to theologically unschooled heathens?

# astrobiology    

why you're most probably not part alien

It's not completely impossible that you could have some alien DNA. But the odds are literally astronomical.
why you're most probably not part alien

# science    

the wages of being a nerd in a hollywood world

Step one: paint all scientists as completely un-relatable weirdos. Step two: wonder why so few kids want to grow up to be scientists.
the wages of being a nerd in a hollywood world

# tech    

did cyber-warfare finally invade the real world?

Stuxnet is scary, but we don't yet have clear evidence that it was the first cyber attack by a nation state.
did cyber-warfare finally invade the real world?

# politics    

germany's phantom house of nuclear horrors

Germans are rallying against keeping their nuclear power plants open solely out of fear whipped up by environmental activists.
germany's phantom house of nuclear horrors

# politics    

how much could we really combat poverty?

Today, extreme poverty is not an issue of insufficient resources, but of politics and allocation. And that makes it much harder to address.
how much could we really combat poverty?

# tech    

the technical trouble with humanoid robots

The robots who may assist us and take care of our basic needs in the future don't have to be humanoid to be useful. It may even be better if they're not.
the technical trouble with humanoid robots

# space    

alien planet has alien chemistry. io9 is shocked.

GJ 436b has some interesting chemistry, but it's not rewriting astronomy and chemistry books, nor is it a huge surprise to scientists.
alien planet has alien chemistry. io9 is shocked.

# politics    

ratzinger finds a new scapegoat for his troubles

According to the pope, his senior advisers, and ardent supporters, the Catholic Church molests kids because... atheists were literally Nazis?
ratzinger finds a new scapegoat for his troubles

# space    

the ongoing search for a simpler, neater universe

While many physicists are trying to dive deeper and deeper into the complexities of space and time, others are looking for a much simpler explanation of the universe's mysteries.
the ongoing search for a simpler, neater universe

# space    

could a geocentrist even screw in a lightbulb?

There's here, they're loud, and they somehow missed the last 600 years of science...
could a geocentrist even screw in a lightbulb?

# science    

why millions of deaths can be "just" a statistic…

The bigger the crime, the less inclined we seem to emphasize with each victim.
why millions of deaths can be "just" a statistic…

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