Science still struggles to define, measure or understand intelligence, let alone definitively nail down its genetic components. Yet one Stanford geneticist argues that civilization was a bad move, and that human intelligence has gradually ratcheted down since leaving its hunter-gatherer days behind.
Is the Peter Principle killing our intellect, or is Crabtree’s model another unripe hypothesis that received too much media attention? Read on to find out.
Whether they are weighing train cars, big rigs or vegetables in your local grocery, scales are the engines that drive global commerce. Without them, there could be no trade, and laboratories and pharmaceutical companies would have to dream up other ways to assay, mete and dose. Yet most of us are oblivious to the physical laws and clever engineering that go into these pivotal devices. It’s time to weigh in on…
Tragic events like the Sandy Hook Elementary mass shooting inspire horror and indignation. They also boost gun sales and energize campaigns demanding more comprehensive (or better-enforced) gun control. But as of this writing, the likelihood of legal reform following the events in Newtown, Conn., remains unclear.
In the U.S., the gun control debate involves deep-seated beliefs concerning constitutional law, individual rights, the proper role of the state and how to build the best and safest society. But it also encompasses an important practical question:
Do Countries with Stricter Gun Laws Experience Less Crime or Fewer Homicides?
Imagine a Mach-20 aircraft capable of flying coast to coast in less time than it takes a passenger to clear security; now imagine the jet lag to follow. If the idea still sounds appealing, bear in mind that the most recent attempt at such a plane flew right out of its own skin before ditching into the Pacific.
Welcome to the world of hypersonic flight.
Of course, that was a military weapons platform; contrary to what some aircraft manufacturers’ flacks would have us believe, passenger planes are likely to remain subsonic or supersonic for the foreseeable future – and for good reason.
Could You Commute From New York to Los Angeles in 12 Minutes?
Weekend circulars and hardware store ads tout “long-lasting” light bulbs that burn for 10,000-20,000 hours, but they can’t hold a candle to the subject of this story: a bulb that has shed continuous light for over a century.