It seems impressive that the terrible earthquake in Italy was forecast by scientist Gioacchino Giuliani. Or was it? He predicted one in the general area but not the exact place, and he thought it would come a few days earlier. … Continue reading →
I hadn’t previously been aware of these facts about controversial Harvard ex-President and current National Economic Council head Larry Summers: Born in New Haven, Connecticut, on November 30, 1954, Summers is the son of two economists, Robert Summers and Anita … Continue reading →
Google “did bush ban stem cell research?” and you get this gaggle of articles. Some of the titles announce that Obama has ended Bush’s stem cell research ban, while others refer to Bush’s policy as a funding ban. What a … Continue reading →
If you ever had any doubt, it’s becoming more and more clear every day that Obama meant every single radical thing he ever said. Including that one about bankrupting the coal companies. Don’t recall it? Well, let me refresh your … Continue reading →
Evidence comes that the polar oceans, once thought to be relatively barren, are teeming with an “astonishing richness of marine life.” Many thousands of species found to be living in the water at each pole include many that have never … Continue reading →
Wendy Hill, a psychology professor at Lafayette College, is interested in kissing—the science of it, that is. Her research found that kissing (of the romantic variety) has a measurable effect on certain hormones: [Hill’s team] found that kissing reduced the … Continue reading →
It’s not been a real good week for The Lancet, the well-known medical journal based in London and New York. Remember the famous Iraq casualty study, researched by one Gilbert Burnham of Johns Hopkins, and published in Lancet’s pages back … Continue reading →
We sometimes speak of having a “good cry,” reflecting the common assumption that crying when upset can lead to a release of tension and make us feel better. This NY Times article reports on research that indicates that this is … Continue reading →
Long-term psychotherapy, especially of the Freudian type, has gone out of style. Perhaps that’s because we’ve become more impatient these days. Or perhaps it’s due to the fact that psychotherapy seems more an art than a science, and an expensive … Continue reading →
This article mentions that the world has passed an important milestone: more than half its population lives in cities. That means that city life is having a greater and greater effect on our culture, bodies, and psyches. So there’s reason … Continue reading →
I’m rather fond of dogs. But I can’t quite imagine cloning a beloved pet to the tune of $155,000. Some people can, though. And not only can they imagine it, but they’ve paid to have it done. Is this the … Continue reading →
It’s that time again—time for revision of the DSM, the diagnostic bible of therapy. This will be the fifth edition, and although it won’t be out for three more years, the controversies and jockeying for position are intense. For those … Continue reading →