Word: phenomenon
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Mickey Edwards, a former member of Congress and Adams Lecturer in Legislative Politics at the Kennedy School of Government, explained this recent phenomenon in an e-mail message. He wrote, "people who have achieved some measure of celebrity sometimes also achieve an over-inflated sense of their own importance...
...Kirshner argues, the discoverer of elliptical orbits and other astronomers may have dabbled in astronomy only when forced to do so by the zodiacally-inclined emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Nor was this phenomenon unique to Western cultures. "For instance, in the Court of China," Kirshner says, "the emperor believed in astrology. And it is documented that people studied the stars as a means of forecasting war, pestilence, or worst of all: a change in the emperor...
...than our own little sun will put out in its 10 billion-year lifetime. Though astronomers have studied hundreds of gamma bursts, they have never determined what they are. Soon that may change. Last week astrophysicists from around the world gathered in Huntsville, Ala., to discuss the gamma-ray phenomenon and plan for the launch of a satellite that will turn the sharpest eye ever on the puzzling blasts...
Believe it or not, that childhood TV classic can be pinpointed as the beginning of a cultural revolution. Ever since kids our age were mesmerized by the sheer coolness of those robotic lions flying through the air, a phenomenon that originated on the far side of the globe has steadily been invading our shores. Now, it's here in full force, and the current symbol of the fad is a bright-eyed child clutching a stuffed Pikachu doll...
...EVERY SEASON A new study confirms an old suspicion: more heart-attack deaths occur in December and January than at any other time of year. Though cold weather can cause a rise in blood pressure, it doesn't explain the phenomenon; the research was conducted in Los Angeles, where temperatures rarely dip below 50[degrees]. More likely, holiday bingeing on alcohol and salty, fatty food is to blame. Another possible explanation: wood-burning fireplaces release particles that can put stress on the lungs and heart...