With the UK’s Prime Minister reportedly considering ‘shutting off’ social media sites in an effort to stem the rising tide of riots and other violence in London and across the country, the UK government has seemingly acknowledged that merely enforcing the law doesn’t fit their job description. Throughout history, when governments have lacked the finesse to enforce the law, they have often asked for — or simply siezed — bigger and bigger sledgehammers to control bigger and bigger sets of behaviours.

Some of the longstanding and commonly accepted explanations we’ve been given about human nature are simply wrong. Worse, believing them leaves us vulnerable — both individually and as a society — to the manipulations of predators among us. And there are predators among us. They are not “sick.” They are just disturbingly different and unfathomably dangerous.

What can we learn about ourselves, and possibly our future, from contemplating the Mayan civilization? The beliefs and values that our society holds influence the way we live, our evolutionary strengths and weaknesses, and the shape of our fate. If we ask ourselves the right questions, we can learn from history how to confront life’s challenges wisely.

Philip Davies, a British Member of Parliament, caused a stir recently when he suggested that in order to improve their chances of finding a job, disabled people should be entitled to offer to work for less than the statutory minimum wage — theoretically making them more attractive as potential employees. An interesting idea or shockingly ill-advised?

If Japanese scientists can turn human waste into artificial steak — or even if the story is a complete hoax — surely we have the technology to tackle the environmental concerns piling up on us as we barrel through the 21st century. What we’re lacking isn’t technology, but solidarity of purpose and will.

As the latest media circus in the U.S. demonstrates, having some regret simply isn’t enough to make a person mend their ways; and important lessons can be gleaned by distinguishing between selfish, personal regret and genuine repentance.

Vilifying the rich has become popular. Yet a recent survey shows that wealthy individuals don’t feel rich despite their financial standing. What drives the rich to get ever-richer, and what does it tell us about the psychology of wealth?