Andres Breivik, the 32-year-old Norwegian man who killed 77 people and injured 151 others in July, was declared insane by state psychiatrists in Oslo on Tuesday. After planting a car bomb near government buildings in Oslo that killed eight people on July 22, Breivik drove to a political youth camp on Utoeya island and gunned down 69 people, many of whom were teens. In an online manifesto that was found later, Breivik claimed to be defending Europe from an Islamic invasion enabled by Norway's Labour Party and the European Union. Alexander Levi, a lawyer in Oslo, discusses the likelihood of Breivik facing a prison sentence after being declared insane.

On July 23, 2011, Anders Breivik opened fire at a youth camp on the Norwegian island of Utoya, killing 69 people. Breivik’s brutal crime horrified the world. For many Americans, it stirred up memories of Oklahoma City in 1994, Columbine in 1999, and, of course, September 11, 2001. Yet, despite what looks like a proliferation of shooting sprees and terrorist plots in the last few decades, a new book argues that violence has actually declined since ancient times.

Over the course of his 42-year reign, Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi has garnered a reputation for being one of the most eccentric and unpredictable leaders on the global stage. Since assuming leadership of the country at age 27, his rule felt unshakable until the first series of uprisings in February. What makes him tick, and what could he be thinking now, as he continues to hide from rebel forces while his leadership seems to be reaching an end?

Many Americans were frustrated with Congress's inability to agree on a debt reduction plan up until the final moments before the August 2 deadline. As Congressional Democrats and Republicans refused to cooperate, their in-fighting was threatening the economy and holding the American public hostage, helpless to take action. We wondered if there were any parallels between the situation on Capitol Hill and the Stanford Prison Experiment, a simulation study on the psychology of imprisonment that took place at Stanford University in the summer of 1971. So we consulted some of the people involved in that experiment.

Journalist Jon Ronson has made his living writing about real people whose lives read like science fiction. "The Men Who Stare at Goats" is probably his best known work. Centering on the U.S. military’s efforts to develop paranormal warfare techniques, it was made into a Hollywood movie starring George Clooney and Jeff Bridges. Ronson’s newest work explores something just as strange and fascinating. It’s called “The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry.”

Actor Charlie Sheen has publicly denounced Alcoholics Anonymous a number of times over the past few weeks. He has also claimed that he "cured" himself of alcoholism "with his mind." Charlie Sheen is only one celebrity, only one dissenting voice among a chorus of professionals who believe in AA. But, thanks to a number of recent, highly-publicized interviews, some psychologists are concerned that Sheen’s comments about AA and alcoholism might affect the way their patients think of the twelve step program and the disease.

Anticipating the future is a classic (and possibly uniquely) human pastime. For as long as humans have kept records of the past, we have also tried to predict our future...and in so doing, control our destiny. Why do we cling to these predictions? The end of the world, the end of humanity, even our future fortunes…why do we anticipate so much?

(Original air date: May 25, 2010) Everyone knows that looks matter. But should the law be involved when it comes to discrimination on the basis of appearance? Stanford law professor Deborah Rhode thinks it should. She explains why in her book about how much we're affected by physical appearances: "The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law." 

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet…  but what about a song in any other key? Could the Beatles’ guitar gently weep if it were written in a major key? For that matter, would Eric Satie’s nocturnes evoke the same sense of loneliness had the tempo been increased by a few beats per minute?  

This week, NPR senior correspondent Juan Williams was fired, after saying on "The O'Reilly Factor" that he was fearful when seeing passengers dressed in Muslim garb aboard airplanes.

The 33 Chilean gold miners who have been trapped underground since August 5 may be rescued as soon as Wednesday, according to the country's mining minister, Laurence Golborne.

Everyone knows what it feels like to come up with a good idea. It comes from someplace, not completely made out of thin air. Usually it’s being formed in the back of your head among all of the little, unconnected thoughts, memories and hunches until... BAM! It arrives.

What if we tracked the history of the most significant ideas that humans have ever come up with, in order to see if there’s a pattern to these little moments of genius? That'd be a pretty good idea all on its own, right?

In the 80's, the infamous McMartin Preschool sexual abuse trial ignited a hysteria about child sexual abuse. The McMartin trials never found anyone guilty, however, and several of the children, now adults, have come forward, saying no molestation ever happened. Across the nation, though, tens of thousands of people became convinced that they had repressed – and recovered – memories of awful abuse.

Meredith Maran, a journalist and author, found herself caught up in it.  She began to believe that her own father had molested her, and at age 37, she accused him.  Ten years later, she realized that he was innocent and recanted.  But it was almost too late.

"President Obama is a Muslim!" ... "The U.S. government was involved in the attacks on 9/11!" ... "Area 51 is full of little green men!"

We've all heard conspiracy theories with no basis in observable fact; it's that last one we're looking at today. 2010 has seen a significant increase in UFO sightings, and according to various polls, around a fifth of all Americans believe in aliens. Why? We discusses the evolution of belief systems and irrational thoughts with Professor William Ramsey, specialist in philosophy of the mind and cognitive science and an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

In our world where BlackBerries, cell phones, laptop computers and other digital devices rarely provide an escape from constant communication, it's often more difficult to disconnect than stay connected. But, as Matt Richtel writes in today's New York Times, one group of five neuroscientists successfully separated themselves from technology to enter the wilderness and study how the heavy and consistent use of digital devices affect the brain.

People go to great lengths to fabricate military service. 4 out of 5 people claiming they served in Vietnam did not. Pulitzer Prize winning historian Joseph Ellis was famously exposed in 2001 for claiming to have served in Vietnam although he never even went. The Stolen Valor Act, a 2006 law which made it a federal misdemeanor to wear, manufacture or claim unearned military medals, was recently ruled unconstitutional by a Denver judge. But what drives people to lie about military service?

50 million Americans will suffer from a mental health issue this year. But only a quarter of them will seek treatment from a mental health professional. And one in three mental health consumers in the United States report being turned down for a job once their psychiatric status became known.

Share your story: How do you maintain your peace of mind? Have you been able to find good therapy for mental health issues?

Last week, Dr. Richard Friedman wrote an article for The New York Times called “Accepting That Good Parents May Plant Bad Seeds.” It suggested that good parents who have bad kids sometimes just can’t help it.

In other words: Just as some kids are wired to be smarter or shorter, some are wired to be meaner and naughtier, regardless of how good or bad their parents are.

It might be that not everyone in the world is following the World Cup. But the sheer numbers of people tuning into the games show that a lot of people are seriously rooting for their favorite teams. FIFA recently came up with new (wide) estimates that say from 250 million to half a billion people tune in to watch.

A former nurse appears in court in Minnesota this morning charged with two counts of aiding suicide. His weapon? Words. For years, William Melchert-Dinkel, 47, allegedly spent hours in online chat rooms with suicide themes, posing as a young female nurse and befriending vulnerable people contemplating suicide. He encouraged them to end their own lives, gave them tips on how to do it, and entered into suicide pacts with some - pacts police say he never intended to keep. At least two of the people he advised took their own lives – a 32-year-old British man in 2005, and an 18-year-old college student in Canada in 2008. Now Melchert-Dinkel is being charged with their deaths.