Clik here to view.
Early Concepts
Early Concepts The Austro-Hungarian rocket engineer Herman Potočnik proposed a set of three space stations in his 1928 The Problem of Space Travel -- the first book to provide detailed technical...
View ArticleSpinning Design
Spinning Design Because of the deleterious effects of long-term microgravity on astronauts, NASA has long looked into rotating space station designs. Even a modest spin would provide a small amount of...
View ArticleWar in Space
War in Space Space has always been a place to show off military might. This concept, from a 1960 design by the U.S. Air Force, was intended to test the usefulness of reconnaissance in space. Crews...
View ArticlePower Roof
Power Roof Looking like something a kid might put together with an Erector set, NASA put together this “roof” space station concept in 1984. The roof was covered in solar panels capable of generating...
View ArticleNuclear Power in Space
Nuclear Power in Space The atomic age comes to space in this design from the 1960s or '70s. Powered by a nuclear reactor as part of NASA’s Systems Nuclear Auxiliary Power (SNAP) program, this space...
View ArticleSpace Odyssey
Space Odyssey Arguably the most iconic space station design is the double-wheeled wonder from Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Though more than a decade has passed since the fictional events...
View ArticleApollo Station
Apollo Station Sometimes simpler is better. Conceived during the Apollo era, the Large Orbiting Research Laboratory is based around three small compartments Much in the same way that the later Space...
View ArticleSpider Space Station
Astronauts living and working in space rely on the International Space Station as their port of call. The iconic ISS is a modern engineering triumph, zipping around the Earth every 90 minutes at a...
View ArticleThe Mystery of Monogamous Marriage
The Mystery of Monogamous Marriage Monogamous marriage isn't just strange in evolutionary terms, but in relation to human history: Approximately 85 percent of societies known from the anthropological...
View Article(Im)patience and Culture
(Im)patience and Culture Just as some people are better than others at delaying gratification in exchange for greater reward, so are some cultures. People from the west generally prefer immediate...
View ArticleEconomics, Rationality and Values
Economics, Rationality and Values Economists have traditionally viewed markets as places where people are motivated by rational self-interest. Even when their decisions seem irrational -- like thinking...
View ArticleViolence, Society and Evolution
Violence, Society and Evolution Why do people risk their own safety to avenge grievances against total strangers? As a rule, violence is more common in groups with stronger collective identities, where...
View ArticleThe Male Warrior Hypothesis
The Male Warrior Hypothesis Tribalism is a classic human behavior: We're nice to people in our groups, and suspicious if not downright hostile to strangers. The tendency is so ingrained and...
View ArticleThe Neurobiology of Integrity
The Neurobiology of Integrity The fundamental origin of our dearest beliefs is a centuries-old philosophical question: Do they reflect, as Kant claimed, deep and pure principles? Or, per Jeremy...
View ArticleGroup Intelligence
Group Intelligence When cognitive scientist P. Read Montague of Virginia Tech's Carilion Research Institute administered intelligence tests to people individually and in groups of five, they found that...
View ArticleConflict and Empathy
Conflict and Empathy When groups are in conflict with each other, people are less empathic and compassionate toward their enemies. It's a self-evident truth, reinforced by controlled laboratory studies...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Biology of Conflict
Areas of inquiry once reserved for historians and social scientists are now studied by neuroscientists, and among the most fascinating is cultural conflict. Science alone won't provide the answers, but...
View ArticleAcross the Aisle
Across the Aisle In the month leading up to the 2008 election, researchers led by the University of California, Los Angeles psychologist Emily Falk performed brain scans on self-identified Republicans...
View ArticleSky Lights
Sky Lights A small ribbon shimmers in the sky above Siilinjarvi, Eastern Finland, Finland. Image: Janne./Flickr
View ArticleVideo Lights
Video Lights A time-lapse video of the feathery aurora spotted over the forest in Fairbanks, Alaska in the wee hours of Jan. 22. Video: Micrometeorolgist/Youtube
View Article