The mystery of why some people stay effortlessly thin while others struggle to keep weight off has come closer to being solved with a study isolating a gene that affects appetite.

Does a dirty scoundrel need a bath or a moral lesson? Our brains easily confuse metaphor for reality, often with dangerous consequences, says Stanford biology professor Robert Sapolsky.

"When someone says 'It’s not about the money, but...', it’s almost always about the money." The Boston Globe looks at the phrases we use which betray our true feelings.

"'Quantitative easing' is a pompous, uninformative term for a central bank’s buying debt in order to stimulate economic activity." Judge Richard Posner criticizes new monetary policy.

Male Homo sapiens were historically much faster and stronger than today's modern man. The Australian palaeoanthropologist Peter McAllister explains why in a new book.

While some consider the English-born physicist the heir to Einstein, others are baffled at his staunch opposition to climate science and the environmental movement.

The New York Times website has a budget puzzle widget on it that allows you to decide what to do in order to reduce the budget deficit the United States […]

The sounds of nature, from bird song to waves crashing to the white noise of grass blowing in the wind, have an indisputably soothing effect on the human psyche. While […]

There is often a fine line between hagiography and take down in the most artful examples of journalistic profile. The New Yorker’s seductive piece on politician-scholar-soldier-writer-potential future British Prime Minister […]

Starting a company makes one a free market capitalist and libertarian, though finding the caring, higher purpose in the marketplace is another matter. 

In response to reader requests, you are now able to follow Dr. Kaku's Universe on our new Twitter Account @DrKakusUniverse where you can receive updates on new blog entries the […]

I've always thought New Yorkers lead a hermit-crab existence, with our dance clubs that used to be banks and our townhouses that used to be stables and our living rooms […]

Polemicist and atheist Christopher Hitchens met his toughest opponent yet when diagnosed with cancer. It doesn't yet seem to have altered his beliefs on Iraq, on Islam, or God.

The Independent says Aung San Suu Kyi's release is cause for celebration – but we have to be realistically doubtful about the prospects of change in Burma.

Less-visible insecurities linger from its recent chaotic past and drive this country's politics. China's strengths, and its weaknesses, should be measured with care.

What I do know is that playing football has taught me many things. Perhaps the most important: knowing how to react when chaos is going on around me.

Inside the mind of Albert Gonzalez, America’s most notorious computer hacker. “Whatever morality I should have been feeling was trumped by the thrill."

Historic successes and colossal failure are often fueled by the same impulses: ambition, audacity, passion, and a burning desire to comment meaningfully on the world around us.

Tim K. killed 15 people before turning his gun on himself. His father, the owner of the weapon, is now in the dock. How culpable can parents be if their child kills?

Four movements that gained huge followings and have stood the test of time: est, primal therapy, Transcendental Meditation and lucid dreaming. Where are they now?