Water on Mars: Score One for Amateur Research

"The information has been on my website since 2001, and I presented my seeps paper at the 2001 Mars Society Convention at Stanford U. While it has been gratifying to have NASA validate that work, it is also frustrating that no credit was given to the paper and its authors."

Student accused of being a terrorist for reading book on terrorism

Staffordshire added that the official who had questioned Farooq had only had a few hours’ training in December 2013. The university also warned that making a distinction between the “intellectual pursuit of radical ideas and radicalisation itself” was a significant challenge.

South Africa's new human ancestor sparks racial row

The finding "seems to be calculated to affirm what apartheid and colonialists did to say that we are subhumans who develop from the animal kingdom and therefore gave us the status of subhuman beings to justify slavery, colonialism, oppression and exploitation."

PETA sues photographer over monkey selfie copyright

"Naruto has the right to own and benefit from the copyright," PETA's lawsuit asserts, "in the same manner and to the same extent as any other author."

Neuroscience's New Consciousness Theory Is Spiritual

Pondering questions previously deemed appropriate only for pot smoking college dorm-dwellers is now a task for the best and brightest scientific minds. Most rational thinkers will agree that the idea of a personal god who gets angry when we masturbate and routinely disrupts the laws of physics upon prayer is utterly ridiculous. This theory doesn't give credence to anything of the sort. It simply reveals an underlying harmony in nature, and a sweeping mental presence that isn't confined to biological systems.

Graham Hancock’s Magicians of the Gods

In a very real way, it is this eclecticism (in higher education it is referred to as “border crossing”) that causes academics to dismiss his work. The boundaries between the academic disciplines are furiously guarded, and a researcher from one discipline, working outside of their home discipline, or more importantly criticizing, another discipline is considered a “breach of etiquette”. By using that criterion, Hancock is an extremely rude man.

The Economic Benefits of Alien Abduction

“We’re speculating based on our own cultural perspective,” Weinstock says. “It’s possible they are using modes of transportation that are not linear, that could involve the use of space structures, wormholes, which make travel much more efficient.”

Have humans made dogs stupid?

'These results suggest dogs' heightened social response may, in turn, interfere with independent problem-solving behaviour.'

Racist Indian Editor Fooled By White Guy In Yellowface

"Racist people accuse person who exposed them as racists of being racist."

Antidepressants Scientifically Linked to Violent Behavior in Youth

Most of the age groups did not show an increase in crime and violence, however, the 15-24 year-old group showed a 43 percent increase in their risk of committing violent crime while on SSRIs. The researchers also observed an increased risk for younger people to be involved in violent arrests, non-violent convictions and arrests, non-fatal injuries, and alcohol problems when they were taking antidepressants. The results also showed those who took lower doses had an increased risk of being violent.

Why Futurism Has a Cultural Blindspot

Take away the object from the historical view, and you lose sight of the historical behavior. Projecting the future often presents a similar problem: The object is foregrounded, while the behavioral impact is occluded. The “Jetsons idea” of jetpacking and meals in a pill missed what actually has changed: The notion of a stable career, or the social ritual of lunch.

‘Magic’ Will Replace Normcore, Trend Forecasters Report

How does this all relate towards brands and the fashion landscape? "In the broadest strokes, it is saying, 'This is about people’s experiences.'" Segal says. "It is saying, ‘What’s important is how people are experiencing the world, experiencing their spirituality, experiencing anxiety, so there is a motion back toward the emotional landscape of consumers instead of their pocketbooks."

Send aliens modern messages of Earth's equality and diversity, say scientists

There’s also the possibility that rather than an advanced alien race, our messages might find a civilisation slightly behind us. Sandberg said: “If we got a message from aliens in the 1930s it might have freaked us out a bit, but would it have crushed us? No. Unless we had received transmissions of Big Brother, perhaps.”

Chess President Claims Sport Came From Aliens

Is Ilyumzhinov telling the truth about his abduction and belief that chess came from aliens? Well, he’s running to replace Sepp Blatter as leader of an organization notorious for corruption, bribery and other nefarious behavior and he himself had a similar reputation as head of FIDE.

Many animals can become mentally ill

Mental disorders seem to be the price animals pay for their intelligence. The same genes that made us smart also predisposed us to madness. There's nothing shameful in that.

Has 'Conspiracy Theory' Lost Its Negative Connotations?

How did the term lose its negative sting? Wood speculates this may reflect the "romanticized image of conspiracy theories in popular media," such as films in which the lone hero takes on a sinister cabal. Or perhaps the meaning of the term has been diluted "to include mundane speculation regarding corruption and political intrigue."

Rise of the Cultural Libertarians

Social surveys show that millennials are the least racist, least sexist, least homophobic generation in the history of the species. Yet in the absence of overt racism, progressive culture warriors invented “microaggression theory”, frightening millennials with allegations that they are still racist, sexist, and homophobic, just on a subconscious level. It was only a matter of time before the anxiety culture warriors created was replaced by irritation.

Western leaders not attending China parade – ‘moral mistake’

"It is not Russia and China that are pushing the Western world away – it is the Western world that is trying to push everyone else away from the scene... I think that Mr. Obama or Mr. Cameron are becoming sort of no fun persons..."