The American media has a terrible track record when it comes to covering drug use and the real risks of imbibing, writes Maia Szalavitz at Substance. The image above comes from a 1914 issue of The New York Times. But, despite the march of progress, media coverage of drugs and drug panics hasn't gotten a whole lot better. Szalavitz explains how a lack of skepticism and a yen for the salacious damages public discourse and what journalists can do to fix it.
Two craters 16m and 18m wide appeared on the moon right next to each other. It's out fault, obviously (obviously?), but the double trouble has scientists aflutter. Astronomers predicted a mysterious object would hit the Moon on March 4 after tracking the debris for months. The object was large, and believed to be a spent… READ THE REST
Below is an image of Thiomargarita magnifica, the world's largest bacterium that scientists just discovered in the French Caribbean hanging out on underwater on decaying leaves from a mangrove tree. The size and shape of a human eyelash, you can see it without a microscope. (The illustration above shows the lil' creature beside a dime.)… READ THE REST
These miniature Brazilian frogs (aka pumpkin toadlets) don't have much balance and thus jump in reallllly awkward ways. Apparently, their inner ears are too small to provide good balance. New research published in Science explains the phenomenon: Miniaturization has evolved repeatedly in frogs in the moist leaf litter environments of rainforests worldwide. Miniaturized frogs are… READ THE REST
For years coffee experts have recommended pourover as the best way to make coffee at home. But now, thanks to an ingenious design that was recently perfected, the traditional pourover has some serious competition. If you're the kind of person who thinks life is too short for bad coffee, say hello to the all-new VacOne… READ THE REST
Let's face it. Most people need an assistant. Who doesn't want a little bit of help from time to time with things like organization? Unfortunately, especially with our current technology surplus, it can be a bit easy to fall behind and feel disorganized. When scanning documents, in particular, it can be tough to figure out how to… READ THE REST
Some computers blast their fan the second you open Excel, but not MacBooks. As compact as they are, MacBooks are workhorses you can put through the wringer for years. That's what you'd get if you picked up this refurbished 11.6-inch Apple MacBook Air. For a limited time, this beautifully refurbished laptop is on sale for $499.99, down… READ THE REST
