Topic: Nobel Prize

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Get irrational: 3.14 things to do on Pi Day

March 14 is Pi Day, which celebrates the mathematical constant measuring the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (beginning with 3.14). Pi Day is celebrated internationally, and in 2009 it was decreed an official holiday by the US House of Representatives. Here are 3.14 ways to celebrate.
T. S. Eliot: 10 quotes on his birthday

Here are 10 quotes by the 20th-century literary giant T. S. Eliot.
Fall books: 19 smart nonfiction picks

Here are 19 fall 2012 nonfiction titles worth checking out.
Maria Montessori and 10 famous graduates from her schools

Maria Montessori stands in many ways as the mother of alternative education. The Italian physician and teacher invented a new kind of school, one with self-directed learning, classrooms with mixed age groups, and no grades. Now, on what would have been her 142 birthday, thousands of schools bear her name. These Montessori schools have some very famous alumni, many of which credit the free-flowing classes with teaching them to think differently and allowing them to change the world. Here are 10 of the most prominent.
George Bernard Shaw: 12 memorable quotes on his birthday

July 26th is George Bernard Shaw's birthday. Here are 12 of the playwright's memorable aphorisms.

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What Oprah has done for books

Her impact on the book world was called the "Oprah Effect" for good reason – everything she touched became publishing gold.
Lives and Letters

This essay collection by former New Yorker editor Robert Gottlieb pairs insights on art with a taste for scandal.
The hunt for antimatter begins at the space station: Will dilithium be next?

A $2 billion particle detector, newly installed on the International Space Station, begins its search for antimatter, dark matter, quarks, and more.
If Strauss-Kahn is out, who might become IMF chief?

Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested only two days ago, but the jockeying for his post is under way. Could a non-European win the influential job?
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 05/16
Opinion: Democracy's demise in Latin America: Ecuador on brink of a 'perfect dictatorship'

If voters approve Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa's proposals in the May 7 referendum vote, he will be allowed to designate judges and magistrates, and the remaining independent media will come under his authority. He will have established a 'perfect dictatorship' in Ecuador.
Climate change needs alarmists

An early warning system for climate change, even if it seems over the top, can help minimize damage that might come later
Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea" – a "beautiful story" but also "a lie"?

Greg Mortenson, higly esteemed author and philanthropic constructor of schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, has had his integrity called into question by a "60 Minutes" report.
Leftist Humala leads Peru election polls, but undecided voters could cause upset

Eleven percent of the electorate was still undecided ahead of today's Peru election, a fact that could swing the vote away from leading candidate Ollanta Humala.
Peru election: How a president, a criminal, and a Nobel winner are deciding the race

Imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori, current President Alan García, and Nobel Prize in Literature recipient Mario Vargas Llosa are replicating, in some ways, their own electoral circus from 20 years ago.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu: 'Imprudent' to close US nuclear plants

US Energy Secretary Steven Chu discussed Japan's nuclear crisis, the clean-energy transition, and the future of nuclear power in the US at the Monitor breakfast April 1.
Is Japan crisis becoming a slow meltdown? No, says US Energy secretary. (video)

At a Monitor breakfast Friday, Energy Secretary Steven Chu was asked if the 'bleed and feed' process being used in Japan's nuclear emergency was the equivalent of a meltdown.
Energy secretary: Planned GOP cuts could cost US in clean-energy race (video)

Energy Secretary Steven Chu called on Congress not to cut his department’s research-and-development budget. It's 'vital for our future prosperity,' he said Friday.
Portugal: strike three for the eurozone?

An EU bailout of Portugal now seems inevitable.But at some point, EU taxpayers are likely to tire of bailing out nations like Portugal, which seem unwilling to curb their spendthrift ways.
9 books Bill Gates thinks you should read

Nonprofit group TED asks some of the world's most fascinating thinkers to share both ideas and reading lists. Here's a list of the nine books recommended by Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates.
Alien fossils found in meteorite? Scientists urge skepticism.

Alien fossils have been discovered in meteorites from outer space, claims a NASA astrobiologist. Other scientists are urging caution.
Ivy League diplomas still worth price of admission?

Other schools may provide comparable educational value. But Ivy League schools provide an incomparable social network that can help graduates throughout their careers.
Oscars 2011: How the year's top films reflect the times

Many of this year's top movies portray dark themes or flawed characters. Why one culture watcher says they mirror this moment in history.
Carl Menger still woth reading

It's the 171st birthday of the founder of the Austrian School of Economics, and his work is still relevant.
Behind Libya: rising food prices and US debt

Behind the popular discontent in the Arab world is food. And behind soaring food prices is Ben Bernanke.
In Pictures: Real-life wonder women
In Pictures: America's dark movie heroes past and present
American Innovation: 13 Born-in-the-USA inventions

There is a long history of innovation in America's relatively short existence; from lone inventors experimenting in garages to collaborating and competing with international scientists. Many of the following 13 inventions have become fixtures in daily life.
How ethanol production could make for crumbly corn chips

The side-by-side production of corn for food and corn for ethanol raises a spatial externality issue.
Mubarak's legacy – and his downfall: A stale stability

Unlike his iconic predecessors Anwar Sadat and Gamal Abdel Nasser, who left clear imprints on Egypt, Hosni Mubarak will probably be remembered more for unfulfilled expectations.