August 2007
38 posts
Eternity for Atheists →
Curiously, the doctrine of immortality is more a pagan legacy than a religious one. The notion that each of us is essentially an immortal soul goes back to Plato. Whereas the body is a compound thing that eventually falls apart, Plato argued, the soul is simple and therefore imperishable.
July 2007
32 posts
Marvel Comics vs. Science: 5 of the Most Absurd... →
"Welcome to Richistan, USA" →
The American Dream of riches for all is turning into a nightmare of inequality. But a backlash is brewing, reports Paul Harris in New York.
Tetris Dreams →
How and when people see pieces from the computer game in their sleep tells of the role dreaming plays in learning.
“Estamos todos na sarjeta, mas alguns de nós olham as estrelas.”
– Oscar Wilde
Elefantes aprendem a evitar minas terrestres →
Elephants moving into war-ravaged southern Angola from neighboring countries appear to have developed the ability to avoid the land mines that litter the region, scientists report.
Encontrado: chimpanzé gigante que devora leões →
Deep in the Congolese jungle is a band of apes that, according to local legend, kill lions, catch fish and even howl at the moon. Local hunters speak of massive creatures that seem to be some sort of hybrid between a chimp and a gorilla.
O Islã na "Era da Escuridão" →
Most of us have at least heard of Socrates, Ptolemy, Galen and Pythagoras and of their contributions to philosophy, astronomy, physics and mathematics. But how many of us have heard of Al-Kindi, Ibn Sina, Al-Razi, Ibn Al-Shatir, Ibn Al-Haytham or Al-Tusi? They are all Muslim scientists who made equally great contributions to science, between the 7th and 15th centuries – during the era known as the...
Economista calcula tempo ideal de duração de... →
Rufus Pollock, a PhD candidate in economics at Cambridge University, has just released “Forever Minus a Day? Some Theory and Empirics of Optimal Copyright,” a brilliant new paper on the economically optimal term of copyright. He’s presenting it in Berlin this week, but it’s already online.
Universos paralelos, religião alienígena e Carl... →
Dez verdades politicamente incorretas sobre a... →
The implications of some of the ideas in this article may seem immoral, contrary to our ideals, or offensive. We state them because they are true, supported by documented scientific evidence. Like it or not, human nature is simply not politically correct.
Um em cada cinco norte-americanos adultos acredita... →
Por que os países pobres são pobres? →
“Algumas pistas podem ser encontradas em uma rua quebrada que leva à pior biblioteca do mundo.” Reportagem da revista Reason — They call Douala the “armpit of Africa.” Lodged beneath the bulging shoulder of West Africa, this malaria-infested city in southwestern Cameroon is humid, unattractive, and smelly. Douala, a city of 2 million people, has no real roads.
O que aconteceu antes do Big Bang? →
