Scientists in Germany are using DNA to test the real origins of lumber from around the globe.
Tag: germany
From Tokyo, Japan to Esslingen, Germany, researchers are coming up with ways to make robots more intelligent, autonomous and even sensitive. One test bot knows how to make popcorn – without burning the kernels. Another is being designed to keep senior cit
The conflict in Syria has already cost some 10,000 people their lives, according to U.N. estimates. Rebel fighters must rely on outside help to combat the Assad regime, which means money from Gulf states and fighters with jihadist objectives.
A court in the German city of Detmold is currently trying the case of Arzu Ö, a Kurdish teenager who was murdered last November, presumably by members of her own family. Prosecutors say she “dishonored” her family, followers of the little-known Yazidi rel
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Germany Says Yes To Growth, Yes To Rigor
Op-ed: Germany has been accused of being anti-growth. But Germany’s Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble argues that growth goes hand-in-hand with the budgetary discipline that Europe’s biggest economy holds so dear.
If Athens opts out of the euro zone, the economic union as a whole will probably survive. But it won’t be pretty, especially for Germany, which stands to lose upwards of 100 billion euros, according to economists.
More than two decades after its political reunification, Germany continues to be divided along religious lines. Christianity still holds a fair amount of sway in the West. Not so much in the East, where two thirds of the population – young and old – are d
The Pentagon plans to shutter its air base in Mannheim, Germany, meaning the property – which is significantly bigger than the city itself – will soon be on the market. The local government wants to incorporate the space, but fears it’ll end up in the han
Acclaimed author Ralf Bönt says it’s high time men “claim a place of their own.” In a new manifesto for the “Dishonored Sex,” the trained physicist notes that while men dominate the top of the social scale, mos
Like other workers, those at the German railway company Deutsche Bahn have clear opinions about those running the show. Now, employee satisfaction will actually weigh on the compensation of senior executives.
In Germany, one-tenth of plastic surgery patients are 20 years old or younger. Right now there’s no minimum age limit, but lawmakers from the conservative Union parties say there should be. All, however, do not agree.
Germany’s economy has not quite come “roaring” back. Slowly but surely, however, Europe’s biggest economy is growing, adding jobs and prompting observers to expect even better days ahead.
A handful of top German companies recently participated in a government pilot project designed to test the effect that personal details – things like age, sex and appearance – have on hiring practices.
Ever wonder why rogue nations don’t have nuclear capabilities yet? Because building atomic weapons has remained an enormously complicated and expensive process. A new laser-based enrichment technique could change all that.
Yvonne, Germany’s world famous freedom-seeking cow, is set to make her cinema debut in 2014. A deal has already been struck to produce an animated version of her feel-good story.
Accidents involving drivers over 65 are on the rise in Berlin, prompting one researcher to call for mandatory “mobility checks.” Under the plan, seniors would have to take regular skills tests. The expert says older drivers should also receive required me
Cell phones contain trace amounts of gold, silver, copper and other valuable minerals. Lawmakers in Germany are cluing into these hidden treasures, but haven’t yet come up with an effective way to harvest them.
German political leaders have warned about the growing presence of Salafists, who follow a strict interpretation of Islam. Critics, who have accused them of links to terrorists, have criticized the Salafists’ handouts of 300,000 Korans across Ger
Obituary: The former designer and auto company chairman F.A. Porsche has died at the age of 76 after a long illness. He was best known as the designer of the Porsche 911, an icon of 20th century design, but he also went on to create some much smaller gems
Op-Ed: The 84-year-old German Nobel laureate’s new poem entitled “What Must Be Said” accuses Israel of plotting to destroy Iran, while acknowledging the risk of being dubbed anti-Semitic. Grass’s long-hidden stint as a
Silicone breasts at 80? No problem! In Europe and the U.S., the cosmetic industry is actively courting a new clientele: the bona fide ‘elderly,’ who have plenty of time and money to spend on face lifts and tummy tucks and a final pursui
Essay: You would think having more women in the boardroom would lead to more cautious management, but a new study finds that female financial executives tend to take more risks than men — sometimes in a troubling attempt to imitate their male counterpart
German authors have found a new way of cataloging economic, social and environmental gaps between the Western industrialized world and developing countries. This sucky stuff atlas aims to heighten awareness of our wasteful society, a little bit of trivia
To save time, money and staff, many German health facilities treat dementia patients with powerful drugs that serve no other purpose but to keep them quiet. By some estimates, the practice affects some 240,000 people in Germany.
A surprise victory turns the keys to Frankfurt city hall over to Peter Feldmann, the German city’s first Jewish mayor since 1933.
Is it OK for doctors to remove the organs of people who are brain dead but whose bodies still function metabolically? The German National Ethics Council grappled with the issue this week. One panelist supported the practice, saying the brain dead &quo
Not wanting to risk the wrath of unhappy neighbors, New York’s Guggenheim Foundation has decided against setting up a “mobile laboratory” in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district. The lab, a joint project with BMW, is currently on a tour of major world capitals.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is the daughter of a Protestant pastor. Germany’s new president, Joachim Gauck, is an ordained minister. Coincidence? Overall, Protestantism in on the decline Germany – with one notable exception: politics.
No longer willing to let top management call all the shots, major investors in many of Germany’s top firms are demanding more of a say in how companies go about their business.
New regulations specify that pilots can now fly up to 11 hours straight at night, and 16 hours at a stretch during the day. One pilots’ union official calls the new rules the biggest setback in air travel safety since World War II.
Mega-selling tabloid Bild has bumped buxom “dream girls” from the front page. Readers will now have to dig deeper into the daily to find the signature images, which enjoyed top billing for 28 years. All that’s left on page one a
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Why German Presidents Don’t Have Dogs
Essay: In the United States, a president without a pooch would be as unthinkable as Thanksgiving without turkey. But in Germany, “first dogs” have been the exception since World War II. History may offer an explanation.
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And If The Internet Went Black?
Hacker network Anonymous has vowed to take down the world wide web on March 31 to protest a U.S. anti-piracy bill. Though chances are low they could pull it off, it’s worth considering how far-reaching the effect an Internet blackout would be. It
Authorities in Bavaria want more severe laws to punish teachers found guilty of sex with teen students. In one recent case, a 34-year-old substitute teacher kept up a five-month relationship with his 14-year-old student — and got off scot-free.
A clothing brand popular with Neo-Nazis has caused outrage once again. In Chemnitz, Germany, Thor Steinar has just opened a new outlet called “Brevik,” a name alluding to the infamous author of last year’s Norwegian massacre.
Last month, Rike R. lost her beloved young husband to cancer. She received a second blow four days later when, to her great disappointment, she was denied access to her husband’s frozen sperm.
As their traditional customer base – groups of school children – shrinks, Germany’s hostels are trying to woo a new market: whole families. In places like the Baltic Sea island of Rügen, some hostels have transformed themselves into affordable, kid-friend
The German city of Frankfurt, from where the Frank family fled rising anti-Semitism, will house personal items in its Jewish Museum. The original copy of the girl’s famed diary will remain in Amsterdam where the family hid until they were reporte
The divide between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants” is vast, and a new study of Internet use in the land of Gutenberg finds that twice the number previously believed barely go online at all.
Analysis: The U.S., Europe and Asia all must keep the relationship between population and productivity at the center of social and economic policy. Education is key, but so too are efforts to commit to the long-term well-being of qualified immigrants.