Free Republic

Researchers say they've recovered a mineral from deep inside the Earth — one they thought would never see the light of day. Scientists at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, named the mineral "davemaoite," after Ho-kwang "Dave" Mao, a retired experimental geophysicist whose influence on the field is still felt today. "It's an opportunity to give him credit for his big contributions," said Oliver Tschauner, a mineralogist who led a study of the rare mineral, in an interview with NPR's Morning Edition. No one ever expected to see the mineral on the Earth's surface. That's because deep-Earth minerals like davemaoite...

If you need an accurate update on some of the madness at the nation's institutions of higher learning, check out Minding the Campus, a nonprofit independent organization. John Leo, its editor in chief, says that the organization's prime mission is dedicated to the revival of intellectual pluralism and the best traditions of liberal education at America's colleges and universities. Leo's most recent compilation of campus madness leaves one nearly breathless. In a USA Today op-ed, Emily Walton, a sociology professor at Dartmouth University, said that all college students should take a mandatory course on black history and white privilege. She...

Ever since Donald Trump was elected president in November, liberal professors have been taking out their frustrations on their conservative and Trump-supporting students. At the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, College Republican President Jacob Deaville filed a formal complaint against his professor for discriminatory intent and unfair grading practices all because of his politics. The professor, who Deaville wished to remain unnamed since he was informed of his resignation from UNLV on Friday, taught a summer course called “Summer Cuisine,” which he took to fulfill an international cultures requirement for graduation. While the class was completely apolitical, the instructor singled out...

A group of Russian hackers called Cyber Berkut have released a video showing a staged ISIS beheading, hacked from an electronic device from one of the staff of U.S. Senator John McCain. The fake ISIS execution appears to take place inside a film studio and shows a ‘prisoner’ (played by an actor) going through the motions of being ‘executed’ in front of several video cameras. Another actor is dressed as an ISIS executioner who puts a knife to the throat of the prisoner and goes through the motions of cutting him.Recall that since August 2014, the terrorists of the Islamic...