Alan Lightman: For centuries scientists and especially physicists have believed that we would be able to show why our universe is as it is as a necessary consequence of certain […]
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John Horgan: The United States is an extremely militaristic culture right now and we are armed to the teeth and we are very aggressive in pursuing our interests violently around […]
Peter Singer: There’s been an enormous amount of changing forces on warfare in the twenty-first century. And they range from new actors in war like private contractors, the black waters […]
The Running Chicken is a goofy name for such a beautiful emission nebula. The moniker is a fitting one considering that this “chicken is laying eggs” that may form into […]
What is a sunset like on Mars? The image and question may seem like something out of The Little Prince. Luckily, NASA’s robotic rover Spirit, sent to the “Red Planet” […]
Feeling is a form of thinking. Both are ways we process information, but feeling is faster. That’s the crux of Daniel Kahneman’s mind-clarifying work. It won a psychologist an economics […]
Venus may be an inhospitable planet, but it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes. NASA released this stunning image today of Venus rising in the early morning hours off the […]
“They call a man graceful because he hits a little ball with a certain swing. My father hammered piles on a railroad out of Martinez for 10 cents an hour […]
“The greatest luxury of riches is that they enable you to escape so much good advice.” – Sir Arthur Helps
When people say that an art movement or school “died out,” they usually don’t mean it literally. In the case of the Italian Futurists, however, you can specify the day […]
You’ll frequently hear people say “the science is settled.” Scientifically speaking, can it ever be? “All the problems of the world could be settled easily if men were only willing to […]
The term ‘teacher’ has numerous connotations. The word immediately conjures images of high school biology and history. Culturally we recognize the inherent importance of those who assume such a role, […]
Michio Kaku: In the entire universe the two greatest scientific mysteries are first of all the origin of the universe itself. And second of all the origin of intelligence. Believe […]
Newsweek is receiving heat over luring and then outing the founder of Bitcoin. Satoshi Nakamoto hasn’t held a “real” job in years, he got into financial problems years ago which […]
So here’s an absolutely humorless article from the somewhat humorless liberal Salon that accuses the seemingly philosophic filmmaker Harold Ramis of having been a semi-closeted (well he’s loud and proud in Ghostbusters) […]
Bringing Cosmos back is one of the best things to happen to television since Walter White decided to break bad. The series was rebooted by FOX with the help of […]
In honor of the return of “Cosmos,” which we covered here on Big Think, check out classic footage from the original show. A lot has changed since “Cosmos” first aired. […]
From Earth and beyond, these time lapses show our one-of-a-kind motion through the Universe. “Building one space station for everyone was and is insane: we should have built a dozen.” […]
This stunning image may hold interesting insight into the formation of our own Sun. But NASA scientists have trouble researching NGC 1333 due to the pervasive pesky stardust that hides […]
“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” – Michelangelo
Oxford researchers say we are only a few decades away from a chance at digital immortality.
At a time when we’re stilling debating creationism vs. evolution, it’s critical for science to be brought into people’s homes through a world-class TV show. Carl Sagan’s hit series “Cosmos” […]
Moments of creativity feel like a rush. That spark of insight can make the months or years of drudgery seem worth it. But what if you’re not being as […]
Why is it that athletes have a higher tolerance for pain than the average person? Does their training better prepare them to handle pain or are they born that way? […]
Do you live in a chilly northern climate? Then don’t be surprised to see some bright auroras in the night sky. Dramatic prominences from the sun are expelling hot gas into […]
“I have studied many philosophers and many cats. The wisdom of cats is infinitely superior.” – Hippolyte Taine, French historian
The man who coined the country’s name was expelled from it, and died in exile
We all dream of mastering a skill like a pro—to skate like an Olympian, sing like an Idol, or go to the hoop “like Mike.” What if we could learn […]
Need weekend projects that are fun and educational? Here are ten science stunts demonstrated by our friends at Quirkology. They include classic parlor tricks like creating a floating finger to […]