Mayor Bloomberg’s latest anti-obesity proposal—ban sales of giant flagons of sugary drinks by next spring—has been criticized as bad politics in support of good policy. In fact, it is the […]
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The neuroscience behind decision-making.
By Chris Arkenberg In what amounts to a fairly shocking reminder of how quickly our technologies are advancing and how deeply our lives are being woven with networked computation, security […]
Would you exchange your personal privacy for an Internet that’s not boring? Companies like Airtime – which launched to a mix of acclaim, hype and skepticism last week – certainly hope so. They hope that you will allow certain […]
Multiple data reports on China’s economic growth tell different stories about the future of China’s economy.
I’m still sorting through all my thoughts and impressions from the Netroots Nation conference this past week. But there’s one image that’s stayed with me vividly, which was a slide […]
NATO seems to feel a bit slighted by the U.S.-Asia alliance in the security defense strategy for the Pacific Coast. Experts believe NATO should recognize the positives of the alliance and be a team player in order to be effective in security efforts.
Government—by making loans too easy to get and too cheap—encourages young people who mean well and don’t know better to borrow huge amounts of money to pay the outrageous tuitions and associated college costs.
The definition of cool is changing as it begins to span generations. In some cases, the word is taking on meanings that seem to contract how it was originally used.
I will be on the radio tonight at 8:00 pm EST with Sean Yoes, senior reporter at The Afro American, sharing my opinions on the unofficial kickoff of the presidential […]
I’m back! Apologies for the radio silence these past few days – as I mentioned earlier, I was in Providence, Rhode Island attending Netroots Nation, an annual convention of liberal […]
Who knew that Jorge Luis Borges, the great Argentine fiction writer and maestro of high literary culture, was a Martian Chronicles fan? Now that you know, doesn’t it seem fitting? […]
The agriculture in America is growing weaker because lack of farmlands and the people willing to tend to them.
Researchers have found that messages which appeal to an individual’s personality are better received than demographic-based ones, which could help advertise public health campaigns.
The United States is an immigrant society, but one that does not truly embrace immigration like other countries around the world. Many immigrants that arrive in America to create a better life are often times met with discrimination.
The software company Luminosity, which makes brain games to improve cognitive function, has measured 169 metro areas across the US to determine which are the smartest.
A global war on tobacco is waging. The pressure is on countries around the world to place stricter laws on tobacco use. One country even plans on prohibiting smoking by 2040. Some believe harsh laws could make the situation worse.
Human beings have the capacity to stop time. It is, in fact, a commonly used capacity. We use our ability to stop time as a bulwark against the threat of […]
Cambridge University researcher and former derivatives trader John Coates says that big profits boost testosterone levels, making traders more likely to take even bigger financial risks.
The human mind wanders nearly half the time it is awake but that doesn’t make us lazy or unproductive. Unleashing the power of the subconscious is a good way to solve problems.
In the second decade of the 21st century, God is no longer “up there” ready to save us. Until very recently, that creative principle was something that we would ask […]
On September 30, 2011, The New York Times reported that the C.I.A. had killed a fundamentalist iman named Anwar al-Awlaki in a drone strike over Yemen. Heralding the strike, President […]
Mr. President, yesterday I told WEAA radio host Sean Yoes that I would write you an open letter challenging you to cut a re-election promo where you look directly into […]
In a battle to end dengue fever and other tropical diseases, which kill thousands of people and children every year, scientists have biologically altered mosquitoes as a way to ward off the spread of the disease.
According to earlier studies, having dinner together as a family can help families eat healthier, have meaningful conversation and keep teens from obtaining drug and delinquency problems. However, later studies revealed other factors that have more to do with adolescent issues, which the amount of family dinners had no effect on.
A case-control study has revealed the first direct evidence that caffeine/coffee intake is related to a lower risk or delayed onset of Alzheimer’s, especially among the people who already have mild cognitive impairment.
A new test will be able to tell doctors and parents if a fetus contains any unfavorable genetic traits. However, researchers believe the test could lead to terminated pregnancies if parents believed a condition would interfere with a child living a normal life.
Many young adults are not seeking the medical care they need. When they hear the costs involved for a specific treatment, they stop listening and usually forgo the process due to fear of medical debt.
Big Think’s Jason Gots talks with Maddie Grant, co-founder of social media consulting firm Socialfish and co-author of the book Humanize: How People-Centric Organizations Succeed in a Social World, about […]
In this third video from our interview with Slavoj Žižek, the philosopher and author of Big Think’s most recent Book of the Month answers the question, “Which summer film are you anticipating most?” Watch […]