Hunger Games - World Food Programme.

The Hunger Games portrays a grim future in which the "bottom 99 percent" must ration its food to reduce the chance that...

You might ask yourself, "What in the world is this guy in the white lab coat talking about?"

Something potentially very cool, and possibly beautiful -- although mostly fictional -- but it is lost in translation. This is a startling example of why we as scientists must be better communicators!

This scientist is about as effective a communicator as Charlie Brown's teacher:

Thanks, Cara Santa Maria, for sharing!

A version of this article was published at Dean's Corner at...

The idea of Ice-9, although fictional, has always fascinated me. Its properties are so powerful, so influential, that one "seed crystal" can direct its entire surroundings, freezing oceans. A recent discovery of one component...

MetLife Stadium: NY Giants vs. Washington Redskins, Dec. 18, 2011

This may be a sign of football withdrawal syndrome, but the day after the NY Giants won...

Do you have a favorite animal? Chemist Sir Harold Kroto does. It is the dung beetle. Why?

Because it is:

an insect that has evolved to eat animal excrement. "If there...

MetLife Stadium: NY Giants vs. Washington Redskins, Dec. 18, 2011 (my own photo.)

The New York Giants-Green Bay Packers divisional playoff last night had a whopping 40.1 million viewers,...

This article was co-authored with Jessica Wyndham, a human rights lawyer.

As we mark Human Rights Day 2011 on December 10, it is impossible to ignore a clear theme that has emerged during the year -- the use, misuse and abuse of technology in support...

This article was co-authored with Dr. Morad Abou-Sabe, president of the Arab American League of Voters of New Jersey.

The Egyptian revolution of January 25th, 2011 created widespread euphoria of the kind only wide-eyed optimists enjoy. It was a moment in Egypt's history that should never be forgotten. It evolved...

Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestine's President Abbas gave back-to-back speeches last Friday at the United Nations General Assembly, a highly controversial event with Palestine's bid for formal recognition. As a scientist, such matters are far too complex for me, as they are embedded with layers of subtlety and inscrutable...

On a hot August Saturday afternoon, bright sun beating down on a crowd of over 20,000, my young daughter and I had our attention focused intensely on an enormous iron gate. It was supposed to open at 6 pm, and it was now 6:10 with no sign of movement. The...

This article was co-authored with Mohamed El-Sherbeini, President of Bio-therapeutics Technologies and Adjunct Professor at Kean University.

With the prevailing sentiment against the United States committing to yet another war in the Middle East, President Obama carefully attempted a new approach in the Libyan conflict, founded upon multilateralism and military...

On Friday, Aug. 19, National Public Radio's Melissa Block interviewed Syrian activist Alexander Page (a pseudonym used for protection).

I conducted an interview with Alexander Page on July 31, via email. In this brief discussion, I learned quite a bit about his background and his motivation for continuing...

This piece was co-authored with Sir Harold Kroto.

New legislation suggests a more appropriate name for the U.S.A.: The Unenlightened States of America.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder recently announced the "Defending Childhood" campaign, focused on violence prevention, offering an opportunity for us to reflect upon sectarian violence, religious indoctrination...

The Universal Periodic Review "has great potential to promote and protect human rights in the darkest corners of the world." - Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General

Should nations open themselves up to scrutiny by the United Nations? The Universal Periodic Review, adopted in 2006, takes a very close look at...

How educated is your state legislator? The answer varies considerably from state to state. While many lawmakers hold a college degree, support of public higher education, it seems, has always been a challenge. Consider this scenario:

Sufficient funds have been raised to support initial construction of the academic buildings and...

Photo source.

This venomous lizard, Heloderma suspectum, harbors a billion dollar secret: a special protein in his saliva and tail. That protein, exenatide, is highly effective in treatment...

Does the agricultural use of antibiotics contribute to their diminishing effectiveness in people? The debate over Big Agriculture's use of antibiotics is becoming a culture war of facts.

This conflict is of personal interest to me, because I have been deeply involved in research on antibiotic resistance.

Liz...

We encounter functional foods every day. Cereals promising to lower your cholesterol, milk to improve brain function, vitamin-enhanced water to boost your immune system. Not surprisingly, it is a big business -- U.S. sales in 2009 exceeded $37 billion. Manufacturers have become adept at tip toeing towards the...

Imagine you have two months to live. What would you do, what would you write to your friends and colleagues? I don't know if I have two months -- do you? No one does. Life is an ongoing risk, an opportunity to embrace challenges, to coast, or to be numb....

May 12 was a glorious day for our graduates, some 2,730 students celebrated the completion of their undergraduate education. Our commencement speaker, John Legend, a Grammy Award winner, shared an...