Miscellaneous: Ellen P. Goodman (Rutgers): Animal Ethics and the Law. A review of Animal Rights: Current Controversies and New Directions, ed. Cass Sunstein and Martha Nussbaum. A review of The Mysticism of Saint Augustine: Rereading the Confessions by John Peter Kenney. From The Situationist, an article on Dan Gilbert and his work on happiness; a look at how beliefs about the self shape personality and behavior; and a new study explores ineffective forecasting in the context of college couples who break-up. A look at why you shouldn't stereotype stereotypes. A review of Self to Self: Selected Essays by J. David Velleman. A review of The Lost World of James Smithson: Science, Revolution, and the Birth of the Smithsonian by Heather Ewing. Taner Akcam, author of A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility, is the historian at war with "history".
Thom Brooks (Newcastle): On the Importance of the Phenomenology's Preface. From Accelerating Future, here are 10 reasons to Live as Long as Possible; Enhance Human Intelligence; Develop Molecular Nanotechnology; Develop Artificial Intelligence; and Learn About Science and Technology. An interview with Lifeboat International Spokesperson Philippe Van Nedervelde on safeguarding humanity. A cultural and medical history of the human heart: A review of The Heart. A review of Blind Faith: The Unholy Alliance of Religion and Medicine by Richard P. Sloan. The Evolution of the White Mustache: Our love of milk goes back thousands of years. But today, does it do a body any more good than bad? A review of The Cambridge Companion to Adam Smith. Radio astronomers have found the biggest hole ever seen in the universe. The void, which is nearly a billion light years across, is empty of both normal matter and dark matter.
Maria Petrova (Harvard): Inequality and Media Capture. Farmageddon: Did an extraterrestrial impact set off a catastrophic chain of events that led indirectly to the dawn of agriculture in the Middle East nearly 13,000 years ago? Ahoy there, me hearties: A review of In Search of the Buccaneers by Anthony Gambrill and Empire of Blue Water by Stephan Talty. A review of An Illuminated Life: Belle da Costa Greene's Journey from Prejudice to Privilege by Heidi Ardizzone. A review of Cavalier: a tale of chivalry, passion and great houses by Lucy Worsley. A review of Breaking Murphy's Law: How Optimists Get What They Want from Life - and Pessimists Can Too by Suzanne C. Segerstrom. The Book of Life: The words we use to describe genetics matter, according to the author of a new book - for instance, "genetic code" should really be "genetic cipher".
