Like millions of other Americans over Thanksgiving weekend, I went to see Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece, Lincoln. I was mesmerized by Daniel Day-Lewis’s portrayal of the great statesman. I was also […]
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Evolution is by definition a difficult concept to grasp since you can’t observe it happening in front of you. Nevertheless, some unlikely converts are coming over to Bill Nye’s point of view.
Why can we face up to our inconsistencies in the past but not expect more in the future?
Changing how we think of the brain may provide novel insights into how it actually works. By mapping larger patterns in brain biology, scientists could imitate the processes with machines.
Social science can be controversial, but it has established some facts beyond a reasonable doubt, which are now part of “what everybody knows.” Like the 20th century’s “great moderation” in […]
“Oy vey!” a Big Think blogger wrote to me yesterday. “Is BigThink.com down?” Oy yey, indeed it was. And we certainly weren’t alone. Amazon in recent years has moved beyond […]
Ethan Nadelmann, a leading expert on drug policy, sees evidence that Obama is willing to move in “a somewhat new direction” on drug policy.
Bob Costas’ Sunday Night “perspective,” his celebrated half-time denouncement of American gun culture, wasn’t just dissonant hectoring. It wasn’t just a burlesque of Murrow or Cosell (USA Today‘s forced, but […]
Joi Ito says the key to innovation is not the ability to see things through a crystal ball, but rather, to figure it out as you go along.
When there is exponential improvement in the price and performance of technology, jobs that were once thought to be immune from automation suddenly become threatened.
The more we learn about the universe, the more we move back to the center again.
Your task, Neil de Grasse Tyson says, is to find opportunities that allow you to express your unique talents in ways that society will value and reward.
For the third year running, here’s a very personal, very subjective, “I can’t read everything, so I probably left out something, so mention it in the comments, OK?” list of […]
The tablet revolution, by making it possible to place advertisements within digital e-books, is about to change the publishing world forever. Imagine commuting to work while reading The Great Gatsby on your […]
We pay special attention to the history of an object – where it has been, who created it, what touched it – because object’s history is what really matters when it comes to its value.
Most companies begin with a flash of foresight that leads to an innovation. They come out with a new product or service that satisfies an unmet need, or better yet, […]
Approximately 20 bears are living on an iceberg off the Canadian coast, challenging assumptions about where the animals normally spend their summers.
Forget the “pivot” or the “reboot” or the once ubiquitous “2.0” – the hot new technology buzzword this holiday season is the “mobile facelift.” From Silicon Valley to New York […]
Do we think it is possible for kids to learn to read on their own? A dispatch from a big bold idea in progress.
Neurological research shows that brains process auditory information ten times faster than visual cues, but our ability to truly listen is being put at risk by digital distraction and information overload.
“China has allowed the Yuan to appreciate in value against the dollar and Euro and other major currencies,” Daniel Altman says, “and now there are very few analysts who would say that it’s artificially depressed.”
It’s been fashionable for a long time now to deny all evidence for human uniqueness, for the singular greatness of members of our species. So it’s refreshing to read Michael […]
A Scottish company claims to have produced 15 liters’ worth since opening a mini-refinery last summer. They’re now looking to expand…but they need more energy to do so.
When painter and showman Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre burst onto the scene in 1839 with his Daguerreotype—one of the earliest forms of photography—“Daguerreotypemania” quickly ensued. The art world quickly took notice of […]
The number of courses have jumped over 30 percent in the last four years, indicating a growing commitment on the part of two-year schools towards encouraging a global mindset.
Americans have always disagreed, about a lot. Somehow though, we’ve managed to get along with each other while we do. Why, then, has disagreeing become so nasty, so fierce, […]
How can the government change the framework of choices that particular people are faced with so that their own small errors in risk perception don’t expose the whole of society?
A short essay argues that most institutions should immediately institute moratoriums on hiring new faculty and building new facilities, and that universities need to focus on clarifying their value proposition in a world of ‘commodity [higher] education.’
We’re having a conference—sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute—at Berry College next Friday and Saturday on POP CULTURE and REAL CULTURE. All the details can be found here. YOU are […]
When true paradigm shifts occur, as with Cloud Computing and NewSpace, there is no buzz phrase that is more appropriate, stigmatized as it may be. When examining existing and emerging […]