Yellowstone supervolcano: Are some disasters too huge to worry about?
An eruption of the supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park could kill millions, according to a new British TV documentary. Why don't Americans seem to care?
Laughter clubs: Just what the doctor ordered?
Flapping their arms, jumping up and down, and laughing hysterically, six grown men and women partake in a weekly "laughter club." Since the first club began in India in 1995, the people have been adopting innovative ways to relieve stress. There are now more than 3,500 clubs worldwide, and World Laughter Day is May 1.
Years later, anthrax attack remains a mystery
In the weeks after Sept. 11, 2001, letters contaminated with anthrax killed four people, sickened 17 more and unleashed a nationwide wave of fear. More than three years later, the case remains unsolved-- a biotech whodunit that has the FBI still scrambling. Theories abound, but many experts have reached one conclusion: biodefense research may make future attacks more likely.
Online poker: easy money for smart people?
The online poker explosion has created a new breed of poker player: dedicated, motivated and intellectual. These novices are drawn by the anonymity and convenience of logging in at home. Some are chess players and mathematicians who find their analytic skills a perfect fit.
Iraq war generates funds for bionic limb research
With more than 200 servicemen coming home so far having had a limb amputated, the Iraq war has lent impetus to the creation of a bionic prosthetic that works like a biological limb. Scientists are working on merging muscle and machine so amputee veterans can resume normal activities.
Aging heavy metal fans refuse to give up their teenage passion
They still rock even if their long hair is getting whispy and their denim jackets--with Iron Maiden patches--fit a little tight around that gut. A look at what happens to heavy metal fans when they refuse to give up the lifestyle in middle age.
Ancient medicine for modern worries
A new front has emerged in the battle against aging: acupuncture. Promoters claim facial rejuvenation acupuncture can smooth out lines and improve coloring, while patients avoid the risks of plastic surgery and the immobilized foreheads from Botox.
Composting toilets bring the outhouse indoors
While wilderness campers have used composting toilets for some 30 years, the indoor version of the outhouse has in recent years become a tool in the green building trade. The odorless toilets conserve water and recycle human waste into a product that is good for the earth.
Amid the anti-carb craze, cereal lovers go against the grain
While many Americans are turning to low-carbohydrate trends like the Atkins and South Beach diets, others say they cannot imagine their lives without another bowl of cereal. Cereal consumption remains a passion that has spawned Web sites, specialty restaurants and research studies.
"Tsunami" restaurants reconsider their once clever-sounding name
As Asian-themed restaurants began spreading across the country, many owners chose the name "tsunami" to evoke the power and exoticism of their cuisine. Now, in the aftermath of the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, they find themselves in a public relations nightmare--with a moniker that is, well, distasteful.
Homeless shine shoes for shillings
A charitable organization called StreetShine trains homeless men to shine shoes, and the former down-and-outers are making London's financial district a little bit shinier--one shoe at a time. Organizers hope it could be a model of social entrepreneurship across England, the U.S. and beyond.
Human cadavers, some of them leaping, star in new science exhibit
An exhibit of preserved cadavers touring the United States for the first time shows bodies in lifelike poses and their skin flayed back to give an un-edited view of their organs. Although the show, a German-based exhibition called Body Worlds, has stirred protests in other countries, more than a million Americans have seen it so far, and already 100 have signed consent forms to donate their bodies to its creator after they die.
Peace is the goal for Israeli soccer team
In the most divided city in the Middle East, a Muslim-Jewish soccer team is playing for peace. Now all they have to do is win.
Plastics: the new frontier in electronics
Reading a 300-page novel off a sheet of plastic? Finding your way out of the woods with a fold-up electronic map? Scientists are looking to plastics as the next wave in electronic wizardry.
Rollersoccer, created in America, is finding fans in Europe
In 1995, Zach Phillips stumbled upon a pine cone while skating in San Francisco. Inspired to replace the cone with a ball, he created a new extreme sport, rollersoccer. Tens years on, rollersoccer has captured a loyal fan base that has taken it from the parks of the Pacific Coast across the United States to the soccer fields of Europe.
The A's have it, much to the Z's dismay
Where people's last names fall in the alphabet is not their fault, yet it can strongly affect their character. For always being first, some A's assume a sense of entitlement, while many Z's cultivate the virtue of patience--waiting for attention 25 letters later. Some try to marry up the alphabet to get an edge, but life doesn't always work out as planned.
Terrorists and criminals beware, lie detection is going high tech
Infrared cameras that detect a lie by looking at your eyes. A laser beam that ferrets out the truth by measuring changes in the vibrations of your muscles. As the threat looms of another terrorist attack, U.S. researchers have accelerated the race to replace the old lie detector with new technology.
Modest Prom: Some teens opt for more demure looks
As boutiques and department stores gear up for a parade of teenagers looking for prom dresses to match the latest in red carpet fashions, designers are marketing more modest alternatives in prom wear. They are catering to teenagers who are coming of age in conservative families and who want to wear their values, quite literally, on their sleeves.
Retirees rediscover their musical talent
Thousands of American oldsters are turning to music later in life with the help of bands that cater to aging musicians, some of them first-timers but also former band stars who long ago put away their uniforms and instruments.
Derby song keeps Kentuckians crying in their mint juleps
The first chord of "My Old Kentucky Home" brings tears to the eyes of even the most hardened bluegrass native. The Kentucky Derby may have thoroughbreds running for the roses, but on the first Saturday in May, it’s Stephen Foster's old song that has Kentuckians hustling for the hankies.
Artist inspires wonder with his glass planets
Thousands of glass spheres the size of eggs lie hidden around the world. Some of the orbs of swirling colors, bubbles and kaleidoscope patterns will lie hidden for centuries, but others have been intentionally placed where they can be found.
I heart everything: the evolution of a love symbol
The famous heart from "I Heart NY" T-shirts has found a home beyond New York tourist shops. From the recent movie "I Heart Huckabees" to sidewalk graffiti reading "I Heart Sweatshop Labor," the double-humped logo has come to mean different things to different people.
How to improve your home by mimicking nature
Objects that stick without glue, houses that use wind for air conditioning, paint that doesn't get dirty--all are or may soon be on the market, thanks to the new and fascinating science of biomimicry, in which scientists take their inspiration from the works of nature.
On the airline menu today: junk food
To many health-conscious travelers, bad airline food is no longer a joke. Instead of selling sandwiches and salads, several airlines have switched to snack boxes that typically don’t meet nutritional standards, according to health experts.
Juan Valdez and his donkey take on corporate coffee
Juan Valdez is back promoting Colombian coffee. This time he has his own chain of cafes where only fair trade coffee is served, ensuring that the farmers back in Colombia get a fair price for their harvests.
Unorthodox rabbis for modern Jews
Fifty years ago, Rabbi Rentals would be the opening line for a Mel Brooks joke, but now it is a Web site where almost 150 Jews a year turn to, literally, rent a rabbi. Religious leaders say it's a byproduct of the transient world, destroying the essential community component of the religion.
Asexuals seek a path to love
In the past, asexuals in relationships with heterosexual and homosexual partners had sex when they didn't want to, allowed their partners to have sex with other people or explained their lack of desire to a partner who probably couldn't understand. Now, asexuals are getting together with like-minded people in newly created forums; it could present a paradigm shift in the way we understand love and attraction.
The next generation of Beat poets
Beat poet wannabes are getting a crash course in the Manhattan neighborhood once known as Skid Row. They study with some of the best and most controversial poets and artists in a program that seeks to keep a fading genre alive.
Voice-over actors are Hollywood's clean-up crew
For voice-over actors, cleaning up the curse words in films is a cottage industry; but it's also a chance to take on the roles of legendary actors like Robert De Niro.
Seeking true love, Japanese women look west
Seeking equality, chivalry and romance, the new Japanese female elite have begun using specialized dating services to find true love with Western men
B my m8!
Text messages are getting steamy as more and more Americans learn how to send them and incorporate the mode of communication into adulterous affairs.
Mass movie dating: hooking up in the dark
Get the popcorn, tear the ticket and find a mate. The latest initiative of dating services is to get online flirters to hook up at the movies in person, even if that means in the dark. But is sitting quietly without seeing each other for two hours the best way to find romance?
It's Down with Atkins! Up with bread! And so New York bakeries are booming
With hints that the carb-counting craze may finally be over, New York City bakers are experiencing growth, and the milling and grain industries are backing a new ad campaign that promotes bread as part of a healthy diet.
Who has the sexiest voice in America? (Hint: It's not you.)
Think you know what the woman with the sexiest voice in America does for a living? Guess again.
Those grand old insane asylums: a shooter's obsession
Chris Payne is a photographer and architect who has spent much of the last three years photographing the country’s abandoned insane asylums. He’s had a bird's eye view of the sad decay of the mansions on the hill.
Shiatsu for your shih tzu
Animal massage is growing more popular as pet owners seek holistic treatments for their dogs and cats. Will petting ever be the same?
Reconciling the heavens and greenhouse gases
For decades, environmentalists have lobbied presidents and Congress for action on climate change. Evangelical Christians are just starting now, and rethinking the Bible's message on dominion over the earth. From New York to Texas, "creation care" means driving smaller cars and learning to use less.
Evangelical exorcists do battle with your devils
Got problems? You could be possessed. Evangelical preachers claim demons cause everything from anger to aneurisms. But are exorcisms putting people's mental health at risk?
Chinese flag ceremony attracts a new breed of tourist
As China prospers, attending the flag-raising ceremony in Beijing at sunrise has become akin to the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. The experience allows foreigners to observe the country’s diversity while mingling with out-of-town tourists.
Locker decorating a rite of passage for teenage girls
Want to know what clique a teenage girl belongs to? Wait for her birthday, then check out her locker
Symphonies court high tech to appeal to a broader audience
A growing number of symphonies around the country--and the world--are experimenting with cameras and multimedia in concert halls to appeal to a larger audience. Will video kill the musical experience?