The Ancient Ocean on Mars

A team of researchers at Nasa's Goddard Space Flight Center have used infrared telescopes on Earth to study water molecules in the Martian atmosphere. The findings indicate that as much of 20 per cent of the surface Mars was covered by an ancient ocean.

Neanderthals Practiced Sexual Division of Labor

Spanish National Research Council
Neanderthals divided some of their tasks according to their sex. A new study analyzed 99 teeth of 19 individuals from three different sites (El Sidron, in Asturias - Spain, L'Hortus in France, and Spy in Belgium), reveals that the dental grooves in the female fossils follow the same pattern, different to that found in male individuals.

Leonard Nimoy: A Man Who Embraced Humanity

Sergio España; Leigh Phillips
Leonard Nimoy's passing reminds us of the spirit of wonder and discovery represented by Spock and the Star Trek series. He not only inspired millions of us to become scientists, but he inspired us to understand the importance of questioning all authority. Part of Nimoy's gift was his ability to project serene confidence and compassion for humankind at the same time that we assumed he knew the deepest secrets of the universe.

Friday Nite Videos -- February 27, 2015

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Jon Stewart challenges Fox to a lie-off. Beethoven and the epigenome. The evolution of religion. Men in skirts protest violence against women in Turkey. 'Chuy' Garcia for mayor of Chicago.

Beethoven and the Epigenome

How is a heart cell different from a brain cell? Just as orchestras can perform one piece of music in many different ways, different types of cells can express the same genes differently.
 

Baba Brinkman - Religion Evolves

Baba Brinkman, a Canadian hip-hop performer with an intellectual bent, sexy beats and sumptuous lyrics, tackles where religion comes from, what purpose it serves and how it evolves. NYT: "like attending the best Ted Talk ever." See him at the Soho Playhouse in NY, or get his album (pay what you want) here.

Friday Nite Videos -- February 20, 2015

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Pussy Riot - I Can't Breathe. Elizabeth Warren: Vaccines Protect Children. The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords. Another Day, Another Time: The Music of 'Inside Llewyn Davis'. Does Bill O'Reilly Have His Own Brian Williams Problem?

Tidbits - February 12, 2015 - Black Future Month, Selma, LBJ, Vietnam War, Labor, Greece, Science and more......

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Reader Comments - Black Future Month, Vanishing Black Professors, Black-Brown Unity, Lynching; Selma, Civil Rights, LBJ; Vietnam War; Immigration: ISIS, Charlie Hebdo; Labor's Bigger Tent, Adjunct Profs and Right-to-Work (for less); Science; Greece, Spain and the EU; Educational Testing; South African women against big coal; movie feedback; Announcements - Malcolm X; Spain; Cuba Embargo; Labor and the Police; Black Men Speak; Debra E. Bernhardt Labor Journalism Prize
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