A recent study indicates the evolution from promiscuity to monogamy among humans began in ancient times by the choices of low-ranked men and faithful women. Today humans continue to repeat this cycle, but the variables are slightly different.
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Even if we develop technologies that preserve our lives forever, we should still decline the offer, says metaphysician Stephen Cave. Meaningful lives require a time limit, he argues.
Critics of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to ban the sale of soft drinks over 16 ounces in convenience stores, movie theaters and street carts are having a […]
Many of our cities still bear the scars from past centuries’ segregation policies. So new urban movements want to take advantage of urban population growth to make the city a better place.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not an ideologue. New Yorkers tend to like him and give him the benefit of the doubt because his motivations seem transparently rational. He […]
“Are great musician born or made?” That question was posed by Gary Marcus, who at the age of 38, wondered if he could overcome a lifetime of musical failure – […]
Charging a $100,000 membership fee for an online dating site could be a great way to profit off men who want to signal their wealth to potential mates. But the […]
It was not coincidental that Donald Rumsfeld was in New York City recently on the occasion of Henry Kissinger’s 89th birthday. “An occasional adversary and a permanent friend,” Kissinger looms large […]
Europe’s economic troubles are reaching a pivotal point. In Spain, where austerity measures has caused a 0.3% economic contraction from Q4 of 2011, unemployment has risen to a record 25% […]
Yesterday (5/30/12), Big Think President and Co-Founder Peter Hopkins moderated a panel at the UN Social Innovation Summit, a private, invitation-only forum that explores “What’s Next?” in the world of Social […]
“We don’t really want what we think we want,” says philosopher Slavoj Žižek. It’s a strange, almost exotic thought at a time when many of us are inundated daily with […]
Reflecting on creating a start up while providing for a family of four, Eric Farkas has created a list of priorities that kept his business plans on track while honoring the more important things.
Much to the chagrin of musicians and critics alike, the best music does not always make it to the top of the charts. The market, however, does have a tendency to create an equilibrium.
Critics say film director Wes Anderson has created the most distinct and identifiable cinematic world since Alfred Hitchcock. Anderson says its a team effort, led by long script-writing discussions.
Growing up in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s, “made in Asia” always held a less than positive connotation. Back then, most people believed–mostly because of poorly-made electronics, […]
Abandoning circular growth, the Russian capital has started sprouting limbs across the surrounding countryside
There’s a four-week mission to Mars taking place right now, complete with a Mars landing module known as the LEM, a full-size Mars rover, a mobile quarantine unit, a bio lab and […]
Help the secular community out! Two fellow bloggers have requests that some of you fine people may be able to fulfill: • Greta Christina is writing a new book about […]
The atheist community is abuzz over a discussion at last month’s Women in Secularism conference, in which it inadvertently emerged that there are prominent speakers who have a reputation for […]
To be successful in the 21st century, it’s more important to know what to say to whom, when, and under what circumstances, and for what purpose.
It’s pretty rare that you get to be present at the start of something potentially huge. It’s rarer still when everything about it – from concept, to idea, to funding, […]
I’m so surprised that so many people are convinced that monogamy—heterosexual, human monogamy, in particular—is some type of biological default.
Although I have become increasingly frustrated with Skype over the past weeks due to all sorts of incompatibility issues with other users’ Skype versions, camera problems and painful recording experiences […]
The ultimate goal of any education system should be to give people the opportunity to find and bring to life that which motivates them intrinsically.
Two of the Japan’s major electronics firms, Hitachi and Fujitsu, are working on a new biometrics system which reads the pattern of veins in your hand as a unique identifier.
The nonpartisan yet aggressively reforming mayor of NYC wants to ban sugary drinks of more than 16 ounces from being sold in various public establishments. We Southerners note that the ban would […]
Scientists at a Spanish university have created a material which could be painted on to concrete surfaces to reduce substantial amounts of air pollutants emitted into the atmosphere.
By controlling the delivery of the signaling substance acetylcholine to individual cells, a new chemical chip can regulate muscle function which may have stopped working for some reason.
Improved voice recognition software promises to revolutionize the way we interact with our mobile devices. Expect the technology to spread to your television, your car, your…
Researchers at a British university have turned to Mother Nature to maintain the current rate of progress in the computer industry, specifically a bacterium which contains iron oxide.