What does the future look like? We essentially rely on science fiction thrillers to give us a taste of what lies ahead for humanity: Avatar; Iron Man; I, Robot; Surrogates; […]
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Nobel Prize-winning physicist William Phillips has used lasers to make atoms nearly as cold as they can possibly be—but he says he still hasn’t gotten them cold enough. “Every process […]
The number one story that has been dominating the headlines for the past two months is the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama is now dealing with […]
Psychologists and economists have long wondered whether increased wealth does indeed translate into happiness, and now new research indicates that to the (small) extent we are made happier by our […]
Dana Goldstein reports in the Daily Beast that the HHS may require all insurers to cover birth control as part of health reform’s focus preventive care: “Experts expect the Department […]
Robert Reich warns of “coming trade wars” in a recent blog, also carried by Big Think. It is an important contribution in as far as it recognises that a debate […]
“Innovation is like a bush fire that burns brightly for a short time, then dies down before flaring up somewhere else,” says Matt Ridley, whose new book chronicles the history of prosperity.
Gerald Dworkin at 3 Quarks Daily asks if three Navy Seals in Afghanistan, who were killed as a direct consequence of their decision to spare civilian life, should have acted otherwise.
“Stem cell ‘pharmacies’ that dispense tissue therapies could be as common as chemist shops in 20 years’ time, according to a top scientist.” The Independent envisions the future of medicine.
“We’re in the grip of a cultural panic and we have no idea whether we’re coming or going,” says The Guardian’s Books Blog. The rapidity of current cultural change can be baffling.
British philosopher A.C. Grayling thinks a new book on current neurological studies of wisdom fails to capture the true nature of knowledge because MRIs are too narrowly focused.
A Massachusetts judge has ruled that the federal gay marriage ban, a.k.a. The Defense of Marriage Act, violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment.
Once known for its cool and revolutionary attitude, Apple now appears to have gone soft, using canned emotional appeals to market its iPhone, says The Atlantic’s Niraj Chokshi.
Christopher Hitchens heaps rare praise on The New York Times for its story on tax breaks given to pro-Israeli foundations who oppose a two-state solution, contradicting stated U.S. policy.
Eliot Spitzer is branded “disgraced” while David Vitter and Newt Gingrich are not. Glenn Greenwald at Salon asks what moral standards the so-called liberal media are applying.
Though oil companies like BP are the target of popular anger—private companies with selfish profit motives harvesting environmentally suicidal energy—the biggest oil companies are state-owned.
Jenny Holzer works in words. Her art flows from the endless river of language that surrounds us. She dips her hands into that river and pulls out a tiny handful […]
Twin blasts ripped through the Ugandan capital of Kampala Sunday while the rest of the world watched Spain claim the World Cup title. A group called al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility […]
“No one has the right to live without being shocked. No one has the right to spend their life without being offended.” This was English author Philip Pullman’s response (speaking […]
Did you hear the one about the cryonics enthusiast who married the hospice worker? It sounds like the setup for a dark joke, but that’s exactly what Robin Hanson and […]
Despite widespread fears of a “double dip” recession, Wall Street is hiring again in droves, a sign that the financial industry anticipates a strong economic recovery. According to The New […]
Feminist attorney Gloria Allred is no stranger to high-profile cases—she’s best known for representing women and families in big-money lawsuits against the likes of Tiger Woods, Aaron Spelling, O.J. Simpson, […]
Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, a woman from Tabriz, Iran, whose sentence of execution by stoning was the subject of an international campaign, has received a reprieve from the Iranian Government. Over […]
I rarely watch Meet The Press since Tim Russert died, and even then, I wasn’t all that regular a viewer. David Gregory, Russert’s replacement, may be a smart guy, but […]
“The Dodd-Frank financial reform bill is a complex, disorderly, politically motivated, and not well thought out reaction to the financial crisis,” says Nobel Laureate Gary Becker.
“The class warfare we need is a conservative class warfare,” says Ross Douthat at The New York Times. Making everyone pay their debts and fewer middle class taxes is his battle plan.
“Knowing more than one language is an asset in the global economy. Schools should be helping all students, English learners as well as English-only speakers, expand beyond one tongue.”
“For the first time, research shows that American creativity is declining. What went wrong—and how we can fix it?” Newsweek says a more active approach to teaching creativity is needed.
The promotion of math and science in Muslim countries would serve American interests better than starting wars, says an Obama science advisor and Nobel Laureate Ahmed Zewail.
The first age-friendly city in the world, New York City is opening a new branch of urban planning: environmental gerontology. The idea is to make cities more accessible to our elders.