the new shelton wet/dry

Detectives linked him to a rash of unusual burglaries at dental clinics and dental laboratories in Seattle. Prosecutors allege that Carlson would steal gold fillings and raw gold used to make fillings and turn around and sell it at a tidy profit.

Dolphins have been declared the world’s second most intelligent creatures after humans, with scientists suggesting they are so bright that they should be treated as “non-human persons”.

Scientists are studying the babble of monkeys and apes in the hope of finding the key to how human communication evolved.

Antisocial fish are more likely to invade new environments.

The recession was less calamitous than many feared. Its aftermath will be more dangerous than many expect. Plus: America slides deeper into depression as Wall Street revels.

The Federal Reserve earned $45 billion in 2009. Essentially all that $45 billion was earned by one profit center, the New York Fed.

Major U.S. banks paid out $145 billion in compensation in 2009, up 18% from 2008.

In May 2004, I was hired for an unusual job: The U.S. State Department contracted DynCorp International, a private military company, to build Liberia’s army. I was tapped as an architect of this new force. Today the stage is Afghanistan. The lessons of Liberia may help.

As we all know, time flies when you’re having fun. But according to a study in the journal Psychological Science, the reverse is just as true: we enjoy ourselves more when we think time passes quickly.

Morbid warnings on cigarette packs could encourage some people to smoke. Related: Weight gain from quitting smoking linked to diabetes.

Scientists look to tobacco leaves for biofuel.

The intriguing smile of the Mona Lisa was the result of very high levels of cholesterol, according to a medical expert.

Computer algorithm identifies authentic Van Gogh. Previously: 902 letters from and to Van Gogh.

This article in the Los Angeles Times informs us that there’s an art blog that spoofs paintings by posting alternative captions.

The most important medical breakthroughs of the 2000s. Plus: The top 10 stories of the last 4.5 billion years.

Can sex offenders have children? Why have I never seen a female gas station attendant? Unanswered Questions From 2009.

2010: a prediction. We won’t cure cancer or AIDS or poverty. We won’t win the war on drugs. On terror. On adult illiteracy. On unemployment. We won’t win. The year of more of the same. [More] Related: The 10 worst predictions for 2009 and the decade in logos.

2010 predictions for Google and Apple.

Apple vs. Google. Who’s going to win the great mobile-phone war? Related: Part of my main issue with Android, and this applies slightly less to HTC Sense UI handsets, is that there’s practically no human emotion with Google when it comes to technology. Plus: Waterproof case and integrated waterproof headphone system lets you enjoy your music on your iPod shuffle while you swim.

Google threatened to pull out of its operations in China after it said it had uncovered a massive cyber attack on its computers that originated there. And: Google’s threat echoed everywhere, except China.

What my parents did not realize was that they could have nearly eliminated those charges if they had set up their (in this case) iPhone and BlackBerry to take advantage of mobile Internet calling services: That $1.29-a-minute charge would have gone down to a much more reasonable 2.4 cents a minute (or nothing at all if they were on a Wi-Fi network).

Lady Gaga has signed a multiyear deal with Polaroid — not only to be a face for the instant-photography brand, but also to help the company develop new cameras and accessories.

Courtney Love unveils her new flower tattoos.

Examine Netflix rental patterns, neighborhood by neighborhood, in a dozen cities. Plus: The weirdest zip codes on the New York Times Netflix map.

The year of the paywall. Newspapers will try to persuade online readers to pay in 2010.

NYU bought the Forbes building in Manhattan, the publishing company said Thursday, part of the Forbes family’s continuing efforts to offset steep advertising declines at its namesake magazine.

Mag+, a concept video on the future of digital magazines.

The translation gap: Why more foreign writers aren’t published in America.

What the Burj Kahlifa—the tallest building in the world—owes to Frank Lloyd Wright.