The total number of stars in the Universe is larger than all the grains of sand on all the beaches of the planet Earth.

If chimpanzees have consciousness, if they are capable of abstractions, do they not have what until now has been described as 'human rights'? How smart does a chimp have to be before killing him constitutes murder?

Philosophers and scientists confidently offer up traits said to be uniquely human, and the monkeys and apes casually knock them down -- toppling the pretension that humans constitute some sort of biological aristocracy among the beings on Earth.

There are lots of ways to communicate what we know, but few ways to communicate what we feel. Music is one way to communicate emotions.

The hole in the ozone layer is a kind of skywriting. At first it seemed to spell out our continuing complacency before a witch's brew of deadly perils. But perhaps it really tells of a newfound talent to work together to protect the global environment.

It is the tension between creativity and skepticism that has produced the stunning and unexpected findings of science.

On the day that we do discover that we are not alone, our society may begin to evolve and transform in some incredible and wondrous new ways.