[New York Magazine]
The benefits of overstimulation.

[Charlie's Diary]
Charlie Stross on what to expect in the 21st century.

[Scientific American]
Why people believe invisible agents control the world.

[CNN]
Patents on two human genes linked to breast and ovarian cancers are being challenged in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, which argues that patenting pure genes is unconstitutional and hinders research for a cancer cure. Knowledge about our own bodies and the ability to make decisions about our health care are some of our most personal and fundamental rights, said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. The government should not be granting private entities control over something as personal and basic to who we are as our genes.

[ScienceDirect]
Average intelligence predicts atheism rates across 137 nations.

[CNN]
The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.

[Tor.com]
Peter S. Beagle, acclaimed author of The Last Unicorn and Tamsin, is making a plea for his fans to help him out of some financial difficulty by signing up for his new year-long project, 52/50, or buying his books through conlanpress.com.

[Reuters]
Afghanistan's only known pig has been quarantined away from visitors to Kabul zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as swine flu.

[ABC News]
New research shows young Americans are dramatically less likely to go to church—or to participate in any form of organized religion—than their parents and grandparents. It's a huge change, says Harvard University professor Robert Putnam, who conducted the research.