Shifts in public opinion follow law of magnetism

To model the consequences of imitation [behavior], the researchers turned to the physics of magnets. An applied magnetic field will coerce the spins of atoms in a magnetic material to point in a certain direction. And often an atom's spin direction pushes the spins of neighbouring atoms to point in a similar direction. And even if an applied field changes direction slowly, the spins sometimes flip all together and quite abruptly. The physicists modified the model such that the atoms represented people and the direction of the spin indicated a person's behaviour, and used it to predict shifts in public opinion.

Galactarium?

The new HOMESTAR claims to be the world’s first optical planetarium for the home. Designed by Takayuki Ohira, who already was known for his ‘Megastar’ line of planetarium systems for museums, the HOMESTAR line can produce a star map with even higher fidelity and brightness. It’s set to launch in July for around $200. (via gizmodo)

Plasteel?

It is called metallic glass. In the past year, researchers have made metallic glass three times stronger than the best industrial steel and 10 times springier.

Charity begins at Homo sapiens

Could competition between small groups of our ancestors somehow have turned them into strong reciprocators? Gintis, Boyd and their colleagues believe so. What's more, subsequent research [...] suggests that as humans came to live in larger groups, their attitudes towards reciprocity may have become even more hard-line. [T]hey found that cooperation can become the default behaviour in large groups provided punishers are willing to punish not only those who cheat, but also those who fail to punish cheats. These findings suggest that true altruism, far from being a maladaptation, may be the key to our species' success by providing the social glue that allowed our ancestors to form strong, resilient groups. It is still crucial for social cohesion in today's very different world. "Something like it had to evolve," Gintis says.

How did this happen?

How did a few renegade New York intellectuals associated with a few tiny publications who converted from liberalism to conservatism back in the late sixties and early seventies give birth to a movement that conquered the focal points of US political debate and convinced the Congress and the president to launch an ill-considered and deeply counterproductive war?