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It is very difficult and expensive for inmates to keep in touch with their loved ones. Yet, studies have consistently found that prisoners who maintain close contact with their family members while incarcerated have better post-release outcomes and lower recidivism rates. 

Words of wisdom from Vin Scully, who has been announcing baseball games for 66 years: “Good is not good when better is expected.”

Words of wisdom from one of the 20th century’s most fascinating polymaths: “The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation. The hand is more important than the eye … The hand is the cutting edge of the mind.”

A new study out of the UK determined that an inclination to vote for certain parties has as much to do with nature as it does nurture.

Your smartphone’s GPS capability could prove useful — perhaps even life-saving — in the moments before a major earthquake. 

Our fear of making incorrect choices too often prevents us from rationally assessing the decision-making process.

Challenging our assumptions is difficult. And when it comes to redistributing income, all sides tend to come to the table with pretty ingrained notions of what is fair or what is good.

Researchers have found that five-year-olds are not immune to the “bystander effect.” It turns out, in groups, the reason why kids don’t take to helping someone is because they don’t think it’s their responsibility. 

When presented with our own mortality, we become more giving, and happier as a result.

Why would anyone work on the weekend? Turns out some people get a productivity high.

The closest, brightest edge-on galaxy gives us a view like nothing else. “Since man, fragment of the universe, is governed by the same laws that preside over the heavens, it […]

Biologist Edward O. Wilson explains how humans came to dominate all other large animals by adopting eusocial behaviors most often associated with insects.

Recent reports about radiation from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in ocean water off Canada reported the risk responsibly. At low doses, the risk is infinitesimal. More news coverage of radiation needs to say so.

It has become commonplace to see a “worm” based on the reactions of a tiny sample of audience members running across our screens during televised presidential debates. Psychologists tested whether the worm can influence our voting intentions and the results are worrying in the extreme.

When uncertainty strikes, we often fall back on superstition and lucky trinkets to help us succeed. But when we reframe these situations as opportunities for learning, we stop relying on luck and start improving ourselves.

We are living through another gilded age, but unlike the late 19th century, extremely high income inequality has failed to stoke popular fervor.

Sick of yogurt winding up stuck to the underside of the lid? Problem solved. “My love for you would blot out the sun like a cloud made out of yogurt. […]

Words of wisdom from Thomas Hardy, English novelist and poet, author of Tess of the d’Urbervilles.

Nearly half of Americans are “interested bystanders” who are aware of world events yet refuse to vote. A new survey finds that interested bystanders tend to take civic action only when they have a personal or professional stake.

Architect (and Big Think expert) Marc Kushner argues our current age of architecture will be remembered for experimentation and technological influence.

The World Health Organization warns that Ebola survivors are more susceptible to various health issues related to vision, joints, and fatigue.

The Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program features classes comprised of both incarcerated and non-incarcerated students. It is offered at over 100 universities.

A participatory budgeting system in which neighborhood residents vote on projects is getting a trial run in America’s largest city.

An ideological battle over diversity, inclusion, and ownership is being fought over sci-fi’s most prestigious awards.

It’s the question most job seekers dread: What are your salary requirements? The key is to offer the employer a range without shortchanging yourself.

If our “standard candles” aren’t so standard, is dark energy still real? “Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.From what I’ve tasted of desireI hold with […]

There’s a lot of pressure on millennials to start buying homes despite the fact that social norms have shifted in ways that discourage early home ownership.

Originating from kanuka flowers and processed naturally by bees, the resulting product has powerful antiseptic properties that have been brought to bear against the stubborn skin condition rosacea.

Researchers now believe a sudden spike in atmospheric carbon dioxide 252 million years ago led to abnormally acidic ocean conditions, which in turn killed nearly all of Earth’s marine species.

Beating a polygraph test is as simple as understanding its psychological facets and turning them in your favor.