Category archives: Humanities & Social Sciences

In Economics, an efficiency wage is defined as a wage above the equilibrium price paid to obtain a more efficient job from the employee. For this to be the case, there must be some sort of market failure that prevents the equilibrium from being efficient. One such a scenario occurs when there are some forms […]

Ancient star holds evidence of one of its earliest ancestors Traces of one of the universe’s first stars may have been found in the chemical signature of another ancient star that gobbled up material from the earlier star’s supernova. SDS J0018-0939, a star found in the halo around the Milky Way about 1,000 light-years from […]

Is the intelligence test an “objective”, scientific device or just a way to “execute” social discrimination? This article (based on ) presents the latest steps to trace the history of one of the most problematic chapters in psychology’s history: the application of intelligence testing. By informing about the history of the IQ debate I want […]

A switch for internal, external brain processes Researchers have observed how the brain switches between internal and external information processes in mice. Scientists manipulated thalamic reticular nucleus cells to get the mice to switch information systems. Researchers hope the study could lead to treatments for people with autism or schizophrenia, whose brains have difficulty with […]

I am concerned here with the ways science and the future were interpreted during the interwar years. I argue that we need to come to deal not just with “the view of science”, but rather with sharply contrasting and competing narratives vigourously expressed in a new media-rich world after the First World War. Our vision […]

Glowing sharks living in dark depths evolve special vision Some species of bioluminescent sharks that live in the darkest depths of the ocean have eyes that have evolved to detect complex patterns of light to communicate with each other, locate prey or hide themselves. Researchers found that the eyes of bioluminescent sharks provide better resolution […]

Jon Agar is a Professor of Science and Technology Studies at University College London. He writes on contemporary technologies (such as mobile phones, ID cards) and the history of modern science and technology. He is the author of Science in the Twentieth Century and Beyond published by Polity Press. He is also editor of the […]

Gene-editing method could remove HIV from infected cells Scientists have found a way of eliminating HIV from infected cells. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing system, researchers removed a fragment of the virus. “These properties may provide a viable path toward a permanent cure for AIDS, and provide a means to vaccinate against other pathogenic viruses,” they […]

Common traits in tame animals may be due to neural crest changes Genetic changes that may affect a group of embryonic stem cells known as the neural crest may produce a specific set of features in animals bred for tameness. Common features and behaviors in domesticated animals include patches of white fur, floppy ears, youthful […]

Slonim et al . (2014) discuss the problems of blood allocation in different countries and suggest a mechanism that can improve it. The present article is a summary of their main ideas. In the wealthy countries blood is mostly supplied via voluntary donations. The way blood is collected varies from country to country. Some have […]