Surprising Science — December 12, 2009

Space Tourism

While the NASA space shuttle program ages, Richard Branson’s Virgin group may be set to offer public space flights by 2011.

bigthinkeditor

“As NASA’s manned space efforts falter in the face of the looming conclusion of the shuttle program and by a finding of the Augustine Committee that projects that government-funded space exploration will be significantly more expensive in coming years, private space ventures are soaring. Virgin Galactic — in which Richard Branson’s Virgin group is majority share holder — plans to begin offering sub-orbital space flights for would-be astronauts who can afford the $200,000 ticket as early as 2011.”

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

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Hydrogen Benz

By next spring, Mercedes will introduce 200 zero-emission cars that are equivalent to 2.0 liter gasoline cars but without internal combustion engines.