Edward Tenner

The New York Times reports that Chinese officials have been trying to appease public anger at the elaborate tombs of the nation's new rich. There are a lot of them. On the other hand -- and I can say this as a long-time cemetery tourist -- the bigger the mausoleum, the more democratic the message. How many people envy Leona Helmsley? The best comment on the whole matter might be an old joke about the schnorrer who is shown the elaborate Rothschild tomb in Paris's… More »

Recent research suggests that there's a good reason why Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison were so healthy. Conscientiousness is tied to longer life. More »

The birthers' urban legends might arise less from fears of race, Islam, or immigration and more from Obama's brand of coolness as a threatening alien value More »

Why those who link suicide and mortality rates to unemployment statistics and recessions are oversimplifying More »

A down-to-earth application of Eric von Hippel's concept, in which (urgently needed) single-person, pothole-filling trucks may soon take to a street near you More »

How military carnage advances civilian medicine, even if it's no consolation to devastated families More »

Greater access to firearms may mean people are at greater risk of killing themselves More »

The country wants to prevent TV shows from featuring time travel and "monstrous and weird plots" More »

Missouri's immigrants brought their state to join the North during America's Civil War More »

Cantor Gaming's mobile devices allow gamblers in affiliated casinos to wager not just before but during games, making possible a series of bets on individual plays More »

One of the 19th century's most striking technological breaks with religious tradition was the non-rise of square, machine-made Passover matzo in Europe More »

The architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright proves impressively sturdy amid the seismic activity of an earlier Japanese disaster More »

The wisdom of 88-year-old maverick Stan Ovshinsky includes the benefits of hands-on education and the limits of conventional domestic finance More »

The terrorist attacks of September 11th failed to hurt New York real-estate prices, even at Ground Zero. Are we wrong to feel so secure? More »

Experts argue against the notion that joy can be easily surveyed or defined in only one way. They've found two kinds: how you evaluate life, and how you experience it. More »

The recent tsunami may affect Japan's ability to quickly produce equipment like microchips and chemicals, which are essential to companies around the world More »

Can we learn from a World War II-era experience? A similar combination of ideas and discoveries might solve today's needs. More »

If we could, at what catastrophe probability would a government order an evacuation: 75 percent? 50 percent? 25 percent? More »

We naturally focus on catastrophic risks like nuclear meltdowns, but chronic dangers like pollutants can be just as significant in the long run More »

Behold an analogue pattern generator that creates designs so fine they remain invisible to the naked eye More »