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Facing several controversies involving scientific complexity, the European government created a Chief Science Adviser to provide independent objective expertise and input into policy making. when some groups didn’t like what the science said about genetically modified food, they objected to the whole idea of independent science advice to government. The EU government has caved to public pressure and abandoned the Chief Science Adviser function. We should ALL be scared by a move away from evidence-based policy making, toward a solely values-based approach.

Winter is coming, bringing along with it an icy chill and one more reason not to go to the gym. But there are a few personal strategies and mental hacks you can employee to get yourself geared up for your workout.

Employers who provide their workers with an on-site canteen or cafeteria tend to sport workforces with higher morale and boosted productivity.

Humans weren’t a part of the mosquito’s diet thousands of years ago, and researchers have isolated the genes to prove it.

Every person who ventures into the company of others engages in persuasion.  Granted, at times it may be annoying to engage in conversation that requires you to develop effective arguments, but if such conversations are on the wane or largely absent, then important relationships can slip toward reliance on manipulation, coercion or even toward a lack of any significant communication at all.  

The president of Iceland explains the secret to the Nordic countries’ recent economic and social success. Social welfare programs such as free access to education and healthcare have proved to be a boon to the free market economy.

Tech entrepreneur Brad Templeton returns to Big Think to discuss how Bitcoin disrupts the finance industry.

The severity of a given climate strongly correlates with the extent to which a god intervenes directly in human affairs and supports a clear moral code.

What if money was like food? Life’s limits hold lessons for healthy self-interest (individual and collective).

Slow Down Your Brain to Get More Done, with Steven Kotler The best-selling author discusses hypofrontality — literally the slowing of the brain’s prefrontal cortex — and how it allows […]

“I want to work in revelations, not just spin silly tales for money. I want to fish as deep down as possible into my own subconscious in the belief that once that far down, everyone will understand because they are the same that far down.” -Jack Kerouac

How has President Obama agreed to cut carbon emissions with bitter opposition in the legislature cemented by last week’s midterm elections?

We’ve just landed our first-ever probe on the surface of a comet. Here’s what it means, and what we’ll learn. “I must trust that the little bit of love that […]

Sam Harris: The Self is an Illusion Sam Harris describes the properties of consciousness and how mindfulness practices of all stripes can be used to transcend one’s ego. Ray Kurzweil: […]

A recent study out of Russia concludes there are two new sleep types: those who are most productive at the start and end of the day but feel sluggish during the middle hours, and the reverse.

Rather than clear arable land for solar power farms, engineers have proposed using the millions of square miles of roadway and parking lots to gather in solar energy.

A week from today, researchers will gather for a neuroscience conference in Washington D.C. titled “Gut Microbes and the Brain: Paradigm Shift in Neuroscience.”

Bill Nye discusses the Rosetta comet landing, ruminates on the expanse of potential discoveries it could open up, and explains why this current space adventure may one day prevent a major global tragedy. 

While kind of discount airlines that Europe enjoys have not caught in the United States, an Icelandic carrier named WOW Air will soon offer inexpensive transatlantic flights.

What is Punk? Punk isn’t about mohawks or studded leather, says Henry Rollins – it’s about resistance to tyranny in any form. How Art Can Change Society, with Sarah Lewis Sarah […]

Canadian physician Lt. Col. John McCrae composed this poem after presiding over the funeral of a friend killed at the 2nd Battle of Ypres in 1915. 

What would it take to create a system of principles that guide our behavior without a religious grounding?

The level of education a mother has at the time she gives birth is an accurate predictor of her child’s academic success, especially in the areas of math and reading, according to a new study.

A technology startup plans to market a smart phone accessory that will allow you to zap your brain with an electrical current, helping you feel energized or relaxed, depending on your needs.

What if the Black Plague had killed off almost all Europeans? Then this is what Africa might have looked like.

We all want to be happy. Some have even said that achieving happiness is the goal of life. But we wouldn’t look to a technology company for such wisdom, would we?

For more than six years, Clara Boj and Diego Diaz have been developing a solution that enables kids to simultaneously enjoy the physical and virtual worlds of play. Their invention, HYBRIDPLAY, turns playground objects into game controllers and teaches kids how to work collaboratively.

According to a new study, people want to be interested in brain science – but don’t act on that desire – or don’t get the chance.

It’s the faintest and hardest object to see in the entire catalogue, but the rewards — and knowledge you gain — are priceless! “If there is nothing new under the sun, at least the […]

Facebook is addicting — this idea is nothing new. But take away the numbers and suddenly the site becomes much less appealing.