Barry Rubin (1950 – 2014), author, scholar, journalist and political analyst, passed away on February 3, 2014 after an 18-month battle with cancer. He was 64. Rubin was an expert on the Middle East and issues related to terrorism. Rubin earned his Ph.D. in Middle East studies from Georgetown University
To begin with, some basic biology. Human beings share fully 99.5 percent of our DNA. In other words, the individual difference between us – in height and weight, in skin color, in hair texture – are shaped by a mere 0.5 percent of our genetic material. This is how Michael
In 1792, the Hankey left Britain full of abolitionists who hoped to establish a colony free of slavery in West Africa. Botched negotiations with local tribes and the failure of the colony sent the Hankey on a trip around the Atlantic with a terrible infestation of Yellow Fever. Billy Smith
Robert A. Dahl (1915 – 2014), eminent political scientist and champion of democracy, passed away on February 5, 2014 in Hamden, Connecticut, at age 98. Named by Foreign Affairs magazine the “dean of American political scientists,” Dahl was instrumental in building one of the first modern political science departments. Dahl authored hundreds of articles and dozens
Goodreads is hosting a February book giveaway of It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens by danah boyd. Enter now to win your free copy of this timely book that analyzes teenage behavior on social networking sites and how it affects the personal development of today’s teenagers. In the meantime, you can
Follow @zephoria Follow @yaleSCIbooks It’s a common sight these days to see young people glued to their smartphones, tablets, and assorted other electronic devices–and that continues to confuse and worry many parents. Why do teenagers text their friends instead of talking to them when they’re in the same room? Are
Read a piece from Alice Marwick on why “social media is making us anxious and paranoid” on Medium.com! (13-min read) Follow @alicetiara Follow @yaleSCIbooks In her new book, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity, and Branding in the Social Media Age, Alice E. Marwick explores how Web 2.0–or social media–encourages a preoccupation with
What makes the economic relationship between the United States and China so fraught with anxiety, tension, and a surprising dependency on the successes and failures of the other? Particularly throughout the economic highs and lows of the 21st century so far, the question of China’s ascendance, even so far as surpassing
Follow @yaleSCIbooks “Global warming,” William Nordhaus declares, “is one of the defining issues of our time. It ranks along with violent conflicts and economic depressions as a force that will shape the human and natural landscapes for the indefinite future.” In his new book, The Climate Casino: Risk, Uncertainty, and Economics
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. – Søren Kierkegaard We constantly seek to delay the inconveniences of mortality for as long as humanly possible, as can be seen in the launch of Google’s startup Calico as well as the deluge of anti-aging products and