There are fair quarrels with the details of the Obama Administration plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. But beyond the details, the fact that such a major step is being taken in the first place is a hopeful sign that our leaders can lead with reason and wisdom, and not just follow public opinion and emotion, as we try to find a more sustainable path to the future.

Recent trends in the tech sector suggest the liberal arts degree is making a major comeback.

Most likely not, though Bill's not ruling it out completely.

The rats, which are trained to sniff out TNT, are among the most efficient tools available to Cambodians trying to rid their country of over 4 million landmines left over from the Khmer Rouge.

A look at our galactic plane in the infrared reveals nebulae, explosions and new stars as never before. “That, then, is loveliness, we said,Children in wonder watching the stars,Is the […]

They only get stronger as time goes on. “Your problem is to bridge the gap which exists between where you are now and the goal you intend to reach.” –Earl […]

Travel around the world in half an hour, with time to spare for an ice cream.

A vaccine that did not exist a year ago has proven 100 percent effective at preventing people who are at extremely high risk of infection from contracting the Ebola virus. 

There is no sense whatsoever that we are on the same page here, working toward some roughly agreed upon vision of a better future.

Photojournalist Lynsey Addario believes in the power of images. They engage in a way text and writing can't. That's why photographs are so vital in educating the public about conflicts, war, poverty, and other troublesome issues worldwide.

The internet now plays such a large role in daily life that it's difficult to imagine many people getting by without it.

The separation between our reality and the reality of the rest of animal life — the "man given dominion" nonsense — is a façade that’s slowly eroding.

“When I think of art, I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life,” minimalist artist Agnes Martin once explained. “It is not in the eye; it is in my mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.” In the first comprehensive survey of her art at the Tate Modern, in London, England, the exhibition Agnes Martin strives to guide viewers to that “awareness of perfection” Martin strove to embody in her minimalist, geometrically founded art. Rather than the cold, person-less brand of modernist minimalism, Martin’s work personifies the warm humanity of Buddhist editing down to essentials. At the same time, surveying Martin’s art and thinking allows us to revisit the feminist critiques of minimalism and shows how Martin’s stepping back from the bustle of the New York art scene freed her to find “a beautiful mind” — not just for women, but for everyone.

And are there independent ways to check? “Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art.” –Stanislaw Jerzy Lec Each week at Starts With A Bang, […]

Does the typical college student understand the sort of mental health care options available to her? Dr. Victor Schwartz of The Jed Foundation continues our series "Big Thinkers on Mental Health."

Are your family trips an exercise in pleasure or comfort? Behavior economics guru Dan Ariely notes that there's a vivid difference between the two… and it may mean the difference between a fantastic vacation and one that's just okay.

Adolescent friendships are often fleeting, but what causes some teens to drift apart?

Facebook has released information on the first full-scale drones designed to deliver Internet services to underserved populations across the globe that lack developed infrastructure.

People adopt a "protective" gait when they're distracted.

Our unique capacities were created by a major transition in evolution, which built a need for teamwork and inclusive economics deep into our nature. But many economists — quite unnaturally — exclude its logic from their ideas.