YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    The Sideshow

    • University professor to study life after death

      By Claudine Zap | The Sideshow – Fri, Aug 3, 2012

      Pop quiz: Does life exist after death?

      A University of California, Riverside philosophy professor, John Martin Fischer, has been awarded a three-year, $5 million grant by the John Templeton Foundation to study just this topic—and yes, students can take his class.

      Fischer noted in an email to Yahoo News, "Both I and my post-doc, Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin, will teach related classes over the next three years. I have frequently taught classes on death, immortality, and the meaning of life both at Yale University and UC Riverside."

      So what's the meaning of life? More on that in a moment.

      Fischer noted, "We'll be open both to studying religious and non-religious views about immortality. One thing that we'll study is whether human beings would want to live forever: would it be boring? Would it lose its meaning and beauty and urgency? Does death give meaning to life?"

      According to the university's website announcing the grant award, many anecdotal reports of the afterlife abound, but there

      Read More »

    • A boat  of Alaskan fishermen documented their successful, and risky, attempt to rescue a bear cub who was struggling against the river current and in danger of being pulled into a nearby whirlpool.

      Mike Polocz tells the Anchorage Daily News that the bear was struggling to stay afloat in the Kenai River when Polocz, his son and a fishing buddy went into action.

      "I couldn't watch this defenseless animal suffer," Polocz told the Anchorage Daily News. "I was ready to go in after it if it went under."

      And aside from the obvious risks involved with trying to save even a bear cub, Polocz notes that the cub's mother, along with its siblings, were all standing nearby on the shoreline watching the entire scene unfold.

      "I was so close I could look into its eyes and they were wide open and filled with just sheer terror," Polocz said.

      On a somewhat unusual aside, the bear is screaming throughout the video in a tone that almost sounds like a disgruntled human yelling the word, "bear." But anyway,

      Read More »

    • Earth to Mars rover, Curiosity: Have you landed?

      By Claudine Zap | The Sideshow – Fri, Aug 3, 2012



      Tune in to the Yahoo! live-stream on Sunday, August 5, at 10:31 p.m. PT or 1:31 a.m. ET.

      On Sunday night, millions of miles away, a nail-biter of a landing will be executed—or not—on Mars. The Mars rover, Curiosity, which has been traveling to the distant planet for the past eight-and-a-half months, will land on the red planet by remote control.

      To stick the landing, the car-size rover must successfully slow down from 13,000 mph to zero in seven minutes, or "Seven Minutes of Terror," as the wildly popular video from NASA explains—which you can watch above.

      Due to the long-distance signal from Mars to Earth, researchers won't know for an agonizing 14 minutes if the landing, programmed from Earth, is a success or an epic fail. The event has gotten so much attention that it will be broadcast live in Times Square.

      During the short but tense wait, a sequence of events must fall into place for the landing of the 1,982-pound spacecraft to be successful, including using a parachute to slow it

      Read More »

    Pagination

    1. 287
    (1,636 Stories)

    News for You »

    • Restaurant reopens after bad reality TV experience

      A Scottsdale, Ariz. restaurant reopened for business Tuesday night to good reviews after it temporarily shut its doors following an embarrassing reality TV experience. Wife and husband Amy and Samy Bouzaglo ...

    • Jurors in Jodi Arias case say they're unable to reach decision; judge sends them back

      PHOENIX (AP) — Jurors in Jodi Arias case say they're unable to reach decision; judge sends them back.

    • Yes, Oklahoma Truthers Think Obama Used His Anti-Scandal Weather Magic

      On Sunday, six days after a furious and deadly tornado, President Obama will reportedly head to Moore, Oklahoma. It took less than 48 hours for the truthers to furiously accuse the White House — perhaps by way of George Soros — of creating the tornado itself. If you thought 9/11 conspiracy theorists were bad, or the Sandy Hook and Boston bombing truthers were reckless, Obama's meteorological manipulation — all to distract a country from three Washington scandals — well, that might be a new level of ridiculous.

    • Why We Can't Forget That Oklahoma's Senators Voted Against Sandy Relief

      Nearly four months ago, Oklahoma Senators Tom Coburn and James Inhofe both voted against H.R.152, the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act that eventually sent $50.5 billion in relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. And in the flurry of last night's devastation in Moore, Oklahoma. it was impossible not to forget that fact, knowing the federal government would soon rally to the cause.

    • Florida high school suspends teacher for touching girl on head with banana

      Is a cigar sometimes just a cigar? That debate will remain unresolved, but The Daily Caller can say with confidence that a banana is definitely not always just a banana at North Marion High School near Ocala, Fla.

    • The Gruesome Details of London's Horrifying Machete Attack

      An attack in broad daylight in London on Wednesday is drawing a swift response — and a possible terror link — from the highest authorities. Reports suggest two men chased down another man with their car before getting out, attacking him with a machete, and dragging him through the city streets. 

    • Rare View of Ancient Galaxy Crash Revealed

      Astronomers have caught two big ancient galaxies in the act of colliding, shedding new light on the role such megamergers played in galactic evolution during the universe's youth.

    • Teens Are Turning Away from Facebook Because Tumblr Is Real, and Parent-Free

      Teenagers really are over Facebook. In February the social network warned investors that "our younger users ... are aware of and actively engaging with other products and services similar to, or as a substitute for, Facebook." And in April the investment bank Piper Jaffray reported that products and services like Tumblr and Twitter were further eroding Facebook's dominance among the Justin Bieber set. But why? In a deep report published on Tuesday, Pew Research explains that teenagers departing the social network's blue confines are looking for something more... real. ...

    Show More

    Follow Yahoo! News