Search Results

Imagine cancer is no longer an issue, HIV is wiped out, and the signs of aging come on so slowly, one appears young forever. Gene editing promises much. Incurable diseases could become curable, new drugs could be created to battle cancer, and genetic diseases could be corrected. It has potentialities for research too. But we aren’t there yet. And there are lots of pitfalls we need to avoid.   

Planets, Stars, Galaxies, Groups and Clusters are all real. But Superclusters? They’re nothing more than optical illusions. “It is far harder to kill a phantom than a reality.” –Virginia Woolf […]

Albert Einstein gives his surprising perspective on truth to Indian philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.

By Ethan SiegelImages: NASA, Francis Godwin, OSA As part of the Space Glass project — Ethan Seigel, astrophysicist, science communicator & NASA columnist explains how technology, imagination and our desires come together […]

Is inertia of prior ideas the only thing keeping us from the next major revolution in science? This post was written by Brian Koberlein. Brian is an astrophysicist and Senior Lecturer […]

Which makes you wonder what other “candidate worlds” aren’t worlds after all. “These types of systems could be ubiquitous in the universe. This is a really exciting time for planet hunters.” […]

Despite its many weaknesses, the U.N. has been successful in one of its main pursuits: linking the countries of the world in a way that promotes peace. Could a similar model work for religion?

Religion is part of the problem. But the bigger picture is much larger than any one book. 

We really did design the world in our own image. “Every great work makes the human face more admirable and richer, and that is its whole secret.” –Albert Camus Whenever we […]

The most powerful accelerator in the world found the Higgs, but might not find anything else. What should come next? “It is no good to try to stop knowledge from […]

We build tools, and those tools determine, construct, and guide our lives. Should we welcome the assistance that artificially intelligent machines provide?  

There were two periods of exponential expansion in the Universe: one today and one long ago. Are they related? “What is wild cannot be bought or sold, borrowed or copied. […]

Four billion years ago, the Universe was a different place. What would we have seen? “In such moments, offering up his heart at the hour when the flowers of night […]

Today’s video is part of a series on female genius, in proud collaboration with 92Y’s 7 Days of Genius Festival.

Exploring and mapping the Universe? A great plan. But the math of spending billions on asteroid deflection doesn’t add up. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the […]

The internet now plays such a large role in daily life that it’s difficult to imagine many people getting by without it.

Can history offer us clues on happiness? Yes, argues Yuval Noah Harari, if we’re willing to listen.

Traveling to the future is possible, but the “back” part runs into trouble. Mr. Strickland: “I noticed your band is on the roster for the dance auditions after school today. […]

Drones are all the buzz today. They make the news regularly appearing everywhere and often where they don’t belong — baseball stadiums, concert stages and even the White House lawn. Is […]

While we usually associate yoga with flexibility-inspired exercise, evidence shows a lack of psychedelic mushroom tea could lie at the foundation of this discipline. 

Rupert Murdoch now owns 73 percent of National Geographic. What does this mean for the organization’s future? 

Turn on, tune in, drop out, but read on about how Hippies and Hippie Modernism might rise again.

Wanting to believe in the impossible can be far worse than keeping an open mind. “No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man […]

Think your interior decorator is evil? Imagine Hitler’s.

The next wave of retirees will be more tech-savvy than ever.

Why do Vermeer’s paintings fascinate us so? Perhaps the reason lies behind a revolution in seeing in both art and science rooted in Vermeer’s 17th century Holland.

Who will care for you in old age? Given dramatically lower fertility rates and population aging, combined with the high cost of caregiving, the future of eldercare and senior housing may be in for a big change. Can you imagine a future where robots provide care to older adults? Whether you think it cool, or creepy, the future may begin on July 17th when the Henn-na Hotel in Japan opens with a mostly robotic staff — is senior housing next?

The “extraordinary authority” of maps helped perpetuate an erroneous image of West Africa for almost an entire century.

Running to music that is in sync with your pace can make you run faster, for longer, and now, there’s an app for that.

Roll over, Picasso, and tell Kandinsky the news.