Urban researchers in Berlin are exploring an eerie phenomenon -- the modern ghost town. From a deserted Cypriot holiday resort to a brand new Chinese city devoid of inhabitants, they are asking why people abandon their communities and exploring the stories that make these empty places so compelling. By Kate Katharina Ferguson more...
Can doctors and investment advisers be trusted? And do we live more for experiences or memories? In a SPIEGEL interview, Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman discusses the innate weakness of human thought, deceptive memories and the misleading power of intuition. more... [ Forum ]
With low unemployment and solid economic growth, things are going better than ever for Germans. But a new study shows they're practically incapable of enjoying it. Not only do they find it difficult to cut loose and experience pleasure, but their "joy gene" is broken, researchers say. By Maria Marquart more...
Most people consider Oktoberfest to be the biggest drinking celebration in Germany. Often overlooked are the country's Father's Day celebrations, which involve oddly dressed men pulling wagons filled with beer into parks and drinking until they pass out. more...
A group of left-wing extremists in Germany has claimed responsibility for an arson attack aimed at the EU task force leader for Greece. His efforts to implement painful reforms there are unwanted, said the group, which has also threatened further attacks. more...
Berlin-born Horst Fass was not only known for his own pictures from both the Vietnam War and Bangladesh. As the long-time AP Photo Chief in Saigon, Fass was largely behind the publication of the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo showing a Vietnamese girl running away from a US napalm bomb attack. more... [ Forum ]
A red panda that had escaped its Dresden zoo enclosure fell 10 meters from a tree after firefighters sprayed it with water in an attempt to get it to climb down. The animal survived the fall, but likely has a concussion. more...
Berlin's five-star Hotel de Rome recently welcomed an unusual guest: a duck who chose the balcony of a luxury suite as the location for her nest. Now five chicks have hatched in a potted lavender plant -- and hotel staff are finding it hard to let go. By Kate Katharina Ferguson in Berlin more...
Roughly 3,500 years ago, folding chairs remarkably similar to ones found in Egypt suddenly became must-have items in parts of northern Europe. Scholars are now looking into this potential case of ancient industrial espionage. By Matthias Schulz more... [ Forum ]
Almost 500 years after the death of Albrecht Dürer, new details about the mysterious life of the Renaissance painter are coming to light. To uncover the secrets of his brilliant works, researchers have used X-rays and infrared cameras, uncovering information even about the sex life of the art world's first international star. more...
