Search Results

The problem is that what’s true of magnets is not at all true of romance.

End of life patients face mental health challenges uniquely existential and spiritual in nature — but psychedelics are emerging as a possible solution to relieve the suffering.

Can psychedelics solve the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness? A Johns Hopkins professor explains.

Delaying or refusing vaccines for non-medical reasons is literally a killer choice. When it comes to issues at the intersection of science and society, there are all sorts of things that […]

Find out the truth for yourself. If this past year has shown us anything, it’s how thoroughly we rely on high-quality expertise. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, it […]

Here are the best answers science has to a myriad of commonly asked questions. Over the past 12 months, the status of humans on planet Earth has changed dramatically. The […]

The first COVID-19 vaccines are here. So are the anti-vaxxers. Over the past year, most of us have learned more about coronaviruses than we ever thought we’d need to know. […]

The compound found in “magic mushrooms” has significant and fast-acting impact on the brains of rats.

“The hardest thing is the flying side of things.”

Spoiler: it isn’t the end of the Universe, and it’s not likely to lead to new evidence for the Multiverse, either. On March 14, 2018, the most famous and celebrated […]

An amateur scientist reveals that cosmic debris from space is all over the place.

Whereas European countries were once able to tap into their history for subjects for opera, America’s never succeeded in doing the same. That problem comes in part from the decline in opera as a popular, public art form, but also perhaps from the lack of operatically epic subjects to be found in American history. Now, composer David T. Little hopes to create a modern American opera with JFK, a 2-act, 2-hour opera focusing on the life of President John F. Kennedy, whose life and death became defining moments not only for the Baby Boom generation, but also, many would suggest, the hinge upon which all American history turns for the last half century. Set to premier in 2016, JFK as a work-in-progress already raises important questions about how opera (and art in general) can approach history.

From Eliott Johnson’s Super Bubble gum ritual to Carlos Quentin’s pre-game “aura spray,” baseball players are notoriously superstitious. This naturally raises the question of why. In the second part of […]

This past week at The Hill newspaper, Ben Geman analyzed President Obama’s speech on climate change, highlighting remarks from environmentalists who welcome Obama’s apparent shift in communication strategy.  In the […]

This image depicts the annual “ring of fire” eclipse crossing Queensland’s Cape York in northern Australia.   

In a paper released today by Harvard University, I analyze the career of writer-turned-activist Bill McKibben and his impact over the past 20 years on the  climate change debate.  Below is […]

If you live in an American city, chances are this past summer and fall you have experienced the health effects of climate change.  As Richard Harris reported at NPR News in September, […]

Effectively engaging the American public on climate change—including its causes, impacts, and solutions—remains both a major research question and a communication challenge. Effective public engagement requires understanding the cognitive, affective, […]

Modern campaigns have rarely focused on the issues, but in the 2012 election the level of moral outrage and anger is unprecedented.  Even before the campaign, America was divided, but […]

Gasoline prices have never been higher this time of the year, reports the Associated Press. At $3.53 a gallon, prices are already up 25 cents since Jan. 1. And experts say […]

While the president is “the ultimate authorizer of Armageddon,” what if his mind “is deranged, disordered, even damagingly intoxicated?

Two straight lines connect Glastonbury to Armageddon

Wes Hickman of American University media relations put together an excellent news release on the study of America’s peak oil perceptions discussed last week.  Text of the release is below. […]

In a guest post today, Melissa Johnson considers the challenge in conveying the risks of climate change without resulting to dire messages that might unintentionally seed ambivalence or even strengthen […]

Commentators and advocates tend to argue that the Europe Union has taken the lead in climate policy in reaction to strong public demand across member states.  Yet the reality, argues […]

Changing the conversation about climate change: Graduate students from American and George Mason Universities prepare interview tent on the National Mall. WASHINGTON, DC — How do Americans respond when they […]

Americans under the age of 35 have grown up during an era of ever more certain climate science, increasing news attention, alarming entertainment portrayals, and growing environmental activism, yet on […]

Last week I presented at a workshop hosted by AAAS on “Promoting Climate Literacy Through Informal Science.” There were a number of outstanding presentations and themes discussed including a plenary […]

Below are text of the remarks that I opened with at the Harvard panel last week on “The Public Divide over Climate Change: Science, Skeptics and the Media.” To listen […]

A week from today, at their annual meetings in San Francisco, the American Geophysical Union will be sponsoring a workshop I co-organized on research related to climate change communication and […]