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Big ideas are lenses for envisioning the future. Every article and video on bigthink.com and on our learning platforms is based on an emerging “big idea” that is significant, widely relevant, and actionable. We’re sifting the noise for the questions and insights that have the power to change all of our lives, for decades to come. For example, reverse-engineering is a big idea in that the concept is increasingly useful across multiple disciplines, from education to nanotechnology.
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Big ideas in the news from around the web
“The nuclear industry, once an environmental pariah, is recasting itself as green as it attempts to extend the life of many power plants and build new ones. But a leak of radioactive water at Vermont Yankee, along with similar incidents at more than 20 other US nuclear plants in recent years, has ...
The United States has exacerbated tensions with Iran by selling anti-missile systems to Washington’s Arab allies in the Gulf region.The United States has raised tensions with Iran by selling anti-missile systems to Washington’s Arab allies in the Gulf region. “The Obama Administration said yesterday ...
The old religion of Voodoo is rising from the rubble in Haiti as, in the aftermath of one of the world’s worst earthquakes, priests and missionaries compete for the souls of the survivors. “Every evening, Monique Henri offers thanks to the voodoo deity Ogu Feray at a shrine in her home for sparing ...
Democrats once again court Senator Olympia Snowe looking for Republican support after the Massachusetts election setback. "Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) said Friday that she has been in conversation with Democrats and Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus about a way forward on health care reform. 'I ...
China produces more renewable energy technology and equipment than any country in the world despite the West's redoubled efforts. "China vaulted past competitors in Denmark, Germany, Spain, and the United States last year to become the world’s largest maker of wind turbines, and is poised to expand ...
Ten Americans are being held by Haitian authorities after they attempted to leave the country with 33 children who didn't have passports. "Ten Americans were detained by Haitian police on Saturday as they tried to bus 33 children across the border into the Dominican Republic, allegedly without ...
Experiments using levitating magnets at MIT mimic the earth's magnetic fields and make clearer the possibility of energy through fusion. “Fusion has been a cherished goal of physicists and energy researchers for more than 50 years. That's because it offers the possibility of nearly endless supplies ...
It is thought that J.D. Salinger has written as many as ten unpublished novels that now, with his passing, may eventually see the light of day. “Was JD Salinger best known, in later years, for being the most celebrated literary recluse in the world? After 1965, he withdrew from engagement with the ...
After the withdrawal of two State Representatives, the first-ever tea party convention is facing some infighting over how to organize the event. "With conservative firebrand Sarah Palin headlining, it’s been billed as an event to fuse and celebrate the tenets of the disparate ‘tea party’ movement ...
TV commercials relating to abortion and a gay dating website that have been scheduled to appear during the Super Bowl are causing CBS to navigate an ideological mine field. "This year, the Super Bowl will be jollified by a side-plot that perhaps reflects the true state of the nation: an angry ...
The Obama Administration is moving to put missile defense technology in Persian Gulf countries to deter Iran, a move that will require the presence of more U.S. troops in the region. "The Obama administration has increased the U.S. military presence near Iran and is accelerating installation of ...
New solar cells that mimic photosynthesis are reaching the marketplace and being put in unusual places in order to recharge electrical devices like cell phones. "A new solar cell that imitates Mother Nature’s way of converting sunlight to energy is making its debut in a variety of consumer products ...
Some of the Indian Independence leader Mahatma Gandhi's ashes have been scattered into the ocean off the coast of South Africa 62 years after his death. "The ashes were sprinkled on to the Indian Ocean in a Hindu ceremony attended by about 200 people to mark the 62nd anniversary of Gandhi's death ...
Consumers and manufacturers helped the GDP grow nearly six percent last quarter, the highest growth rate in as many years. “The surge in U.S. economic growth in the fourth quarter depended on more than manufacturing and investment. Households also played their part. Gross domestic product grew at a ...
The New Republic is one of many liberal publications criticizing Rahm Emanuel’s plan to put Obama’s economic agenda before passing healthcare reform. “Is health care reform dead? Megan McArdle says so, offering two arguments -- one persuasive, the other not. Her unpersuasive argument is that ...