Beyond Class Part One: A School Exam, and Middle Class Revolutionaries
An exam that every British child used to take at age eleven often determined a life's path. It may now be making a comeback. Also, a young professional Egyptian woman talks of her hopes and fears a...
View ArticleBeyond Class Part Two: Caste, China's Rural Poor, and Creating a Classless...
In India, society is less bound by the intricate distinctions of caste than it used to be. But in areas like marriage and coming-of-age ceremonies, caste persists. Also, we visit a rural province of...
View ArticleThe World Votes
Only American citizens are entitled to elect the American president. But presidential influence extends far beyond the borders of the United States. The World's Marco Werman visits London, speaking...
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A shifting climate could mean trouble for one of Africa’s staple crops
One of the warnings from the new climate change report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, is food insecurity: It will be harder to grow many crops in parts of the world.That...
View ArticleOil production in North America is booming. And the spills are multiplying
Oil spills happen wherever oil is drilled or transported: pipelines, rail cars, drilling platforms, ships, barges — everywhere. Some are big, most are small.But when they're big, they're really, really...
View ArticleWas it luck or preparedness? What explains the low death toll in Chile's...
Chile is no stranger to earthquakes. It's geographically located on what's called the Ring of Fire: the zone that encirlces the Pacific Ocean and includes areas where earthquakes and volcanoes occur...
View ArticleA trillion different roses would all smell sweet — and different
Scientists estimate that we can see up to 7.5 million colors and discriminate between 340,000 musical tones. But the current estimate for how many smells we can distinguish is a mere 10,000. But a new...
View ArticleLondon commuters deal with a new hardship — clouds of African dust
Living and commuting in any big city can be stressful. But if you live in London, you probably don't expect to have to deal with clouds of Saharan dust on your way to work.But that's what many...
View ArticleThat goat may be a whole lot smarter than it looks
The face of a goat doesn't really inspire. It has a deadpan stare, and it's certainly not the liveliest."That's the common public impression, that goats and most other farm animals are not very...
View ArticleHas the hydrogen fuel car finally arrived? Automakers are betting on it
An old engineering joke goes, “Hydrogen is the fuel of the future - and it always will be.” Within the year, though, new hydrogen fuel cell cars may turn that old gag on its head.Two major car...
View ArticleIs seven your favorite number? We thought so. Here's what it says about you
If you're like the rest of the world, you probably long to feel unique.Sure, the concept is a bit ironic. But we often make decisions based on a desire to stand out, from our sense of style to our...
View ArticleThe discovery of a new 'dwarf planet' expands our view of the solar system
Astronomers report they have spotted a 'dwarf planet' way out on the edge of the solar system. It’s the second one of its kind found in this region of space and it may redefine our understanding of the...
View ArticleDogs get the call to protect rhinos in Kenya from poachers
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is East Africa’s largest black rhino sanctuary. And it's a regular target for poachers.So the rangers at Ol Pejeta are always looking for ways to get an upper hand on the...
View ArticleImagine if you could tell the time by touch? Well, now you can.
Watches designed for visually impaired people often look like any other watch. But they usually have a button on them that tells the time out loud.It sounds like a robot. And the reason why blind...
View ArticleHarrison Ford joins Tom Friedman as climate change correspondents in a new...
Study after study suggests that many Americans don't understand climate change — and many don't yet buy it. They either don't believe that climate change is real, or don't believe that humans are...
View ArticleOil-chewing bacteria may be the future for quickly cleaning toxic oil spills
When the Deepwater Horizon disaster happened in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, oil gushed into the ocean for nearly three months. To get rid of the oil, crews sprayed huge amounts of toxic chemicals...
View ArticleThere's a reason why great music can give you a 'skin orgasm'— chills down...
The conductor lifts a hand, the orchestra begins to play and a shiver runs down your spine.You know the feeling.You just had a “skin orgasm,” according to Psyche Loui, an assistant professor of...
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For Miami's immigrants, some of the cheapest land is the most vulnerable to...
Miami is about six feet above sea level and smack up against the ocean. It’s one of the cities most economically vulnerable to sea level rise in the world.So when there’s talk of sea level rise in...
View ArticleIn the latest UN climate change report, scientists offer us a glimmer of hope...
Climate scientists have warned that we have been digging ourselves into a very deep and dark hole. But the third part of a report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change...
View ArticleRobots on patrol are keeping sports fans safer
Let’s say there’s a suspicious looking package. Rather than send in a person to check things out, send in a robot. Or rather, toss in a robot.Tim Trainer, vice president of robotic products...
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