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Correlation: Sitting Is Bad For Your Health And Exercise Won't Help

Advances in technology in recent decades have obviated the need and desire for humans to move....

It's About Calories, So Kimchi Is Not A Weight Loss Superfood - But You May Eat Less

Fermented foods have become popular in recent years, partly due to their perceived health benefits....

Beekeepers Are Wrong About Overwinter Hive Behavior

Honeybees in man-made hives may have been suffering the cold unnecessarily for over a century because...

Why Does Anyone Still Search For The Loch Ness Monster?

Hugh Gray was taking his usual post-church walk around Loch Ness in Scotland on a November Sunday...

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Peer Review Has Problems And We Need A Fix

Peer Review Has Problems And We Need A Fix

Nov 19 2014 | comment(s)


Where it begins. Nature

By Andy Tattersall, University of Sheffield

Dirty Harry once said, “Opinions are like assholes; everybody has one”. Now that the Internet has made it easier than ever to share an unsolicited opinion, traditional methods of academic review are beginning to show their age.

We can now leave a public comment on just about anything – including the news, politics, YouTube videos, this article and even the meal we just ate. These comments can sometimes help consumers make more informed choices. In return, companies gain feedback on their products.

Interstellar Is A Dangerous Fantasy Of US Colonialism

Interstellar Is A Dangerous Fantasy Of US Colonialism

Nov 19 2014 | comment(s)


A new America? Warner Bros. Pictures

By Peter Bloom, The Open University

"Interstellar" has been praised for its attempt to make the “hard science” of astrophysics both accessible and exciting to a popular audience.

Through cutting-edge special effects, it takes audiences on a journey through space and time. It does so by drawing on groundbreaking scientific theories involving relativity, wormholes, black holes and the power of gravity.

Vaping – The 2014 Word Of The Year

Vaping – The 2014 Word Of The Year

Nov 19 2014 | comment(s)


You're twice as likely to chat about vaping than you were in 2013. Tibanna79

By Robbie Love, Lancaster University

Selfies were so 2013. But vaping’s in: Oxford Dictionaries have announced vape as its international Word of the Year 2014.

The runners up are bae, budtender, contactless, indyref, normcore and slacktivism.

Health Risks Of Nicotine Cast Doubt On 'Safer' E-cigarettes

Health Risks Of Nicotine Cast Doubt On 'Safer' E-cigarettes

Nov 18 2014 | comment(s)


E-cigarettes should not be sold in Australia, as a therapy or a consumer product. gdvcom/Shutterstock

By Ross MacKenzie; Benjamin Hawkins, London School of Hygiene&Tropical Medicine, and Thomas Novotny, San Diego State University

The 27 Club Is A Myth: 56 Is The Bum Note For Musicians

The 27 Club Is A Myth: 56 Is The Bum Note For Musicians

Nov 18 2014 | comment(s)


Jimi Hendrix is a member of the so-called 27 Club. A very exclusive club, as it turns out. EPA/Eduardo Miranda

By Dianna Kenny, University of Sydney

I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member. – Groucho Marx

Now he’s gone and joined that stupid club. I told him not to … – Kurt Cobain’s mother upon hearing of the death of her son

What do Otis Redding, Gram Parsons, Nick Drake, Jimmy McCulloch, James Ramey (aka Baby Huey), Bryan Osper, and Jon Guthrie have in common?

Hard Of Thinking: If You're Bad At Logic, Logically You Would Never Know

Hard Of Thinking: If You're Bad At Logic, Logically You Would Never Know

Nov 16 2014 | comment(s)


You might never know that you're hard of thinking. Robin Zebrowski/Flickr, CC BY-NC

By Stephan Lewandowsky, University of Bristol and Richard Pancost, University of Bristol

It is an unfortunate paradox: if you’re bad at something, you probably also lack the skills to assess your own performance. And if you don’t know much about a topic, you’re unlikely to be aware of the scope of your own ignorance.