Blog 118. Can Arctic Ice Cool Your Cocktail?

How come the scientific news seems flooded (as it were) by the melting of arctic ice?  After all, is the arctic really melting?  Should we believe all of the alarm over a little cold water?  Let’s look at the data. Continue reading

Blog 103. Are we terrorizing ourselves?

There’s a social science of terrorism.  Science News magazine* devoted a special article to the research of anthropologist Scott Atran** of the University of Michigan.  Atran has been on the battlefields of ISIS, Continue reading

Blog 95. Gentrification by Zen?

The term “Zen” suggests a process that is easy, masterful, and calming—something most of us are eager to experience. (1)  And “gentrification” sounds like a gentle transformation of a pig sty into a pastoral abode.  However, urban “gentrification” means conversion of decaying inner city housing into a “higher and best use,” Continue reading