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According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), worldwide military expenditures have been growing annually for the past 15 years, and between 15 and 20 major armed conflicts--yes, wars--are in progress as you read this. All told, upward of 175 million people died in war-related violence during the 20th century, plus another eight million because of conflicts among individuals. Even so, according to a weighty new book, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (Viking Adult, 2011), by Harvard University psychologist Steven Pinker , the "better angels" of human nature have actually brought about a dramatic reduction in violence during the past few millennia.

By Naomi Lubick of Nature magazine Two small, mobile torpedo-shaped buoys plying the waters of the Mediterranean Sea have captured the seismic signature of a magnitude-7 earthquake occurring some 10,000 kilometers away. [More]

By Naomi Lubick of Nature magazine Two small, mobile torpedo-shaped buoys plying the waters of the Mediterranean Sea have captured the seismic signature of a magnitude-7 earthquake occurring some 10,000 kilometers away. [More]

The kiddo is asleep for the night.

The kiddo is asleep for the night. My husband and I sit on kitchen countertops, facing each other

Dear EarthTalk : I’m interested in getting a new tattoo, but recently found out that red tattoo ink contains mercury. Is this true of other tattoo inks as well?

Dear EarthTalk : I’m interested in getting a new tattoo, but recently found out that red tattoo ink contains mercury. Is this true of other tattoo inks as well? Are there any ecofriendly alternatives?

In June Scientific American launched its Great Consciousness Contest intended to get readers involved in testing an idea put forward by leading neuroscientists Christof Koch and Giulio Tononi.

In June Scientific American launched its Great Consciousness Contest intended to get readers involved in testing an idea put forward by leading neuroscientists Christof Koch and Giulio Tononi. Their article in SA 's June issue, " A Test for Consciousness ," postulates that slight variations in the placement of objects that occupy ordinary everyday images can completely befuddle the most sophisticated image-recognition capabilities of today's computers.

Today is Ada Lovelace Day . If you are not a regular reader of my other blog , you may not know that I am a tremendous Luddite .

Today is Ada Lovelace Day . If you are not a regular reader of my other blog , you may not know that I am a tremendous Luddite . I prefer hand-drawn histograms and flowcharts to anything I can make with a graphics program

Thank you for the new way to fingerpaint, Steve.

Thank you for the new way to fingerpaint, Steve.

For every 10 ears of corn that are grown in the United States today, only 2 are consumed directly by humans as food. The remaining 8 are used in almost equal shares for animal feed and for ethanol .

For every 10 ears of corn that are grown in the United States today, only 2 are consumed directly by humans as food.