Do we think it is possible for kids to learn to read on their own? A dispatch from a big bold idea in progress.
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In a column this week at Time magazine, Michael Grunwald says he’s on the side of activists who oppose the XL Tar Sands pipeline and chides the “respectable centrist pundits” […]
I had to plumb memories of a SchoolHouse Rock video this morning to sort out exactly what was so out of place at the Supreme Court during Wednesday morning’s oral […]
The underlying rules of 3D printing that help innovators get past key cost, time and complexity barriers.
The camera inside the BallCam compensates for the speed at which the ball rotates to provide a clear, wide-angle, “ball’s-eye” view.
Available for sale later this year, the Myo interprets muscle movements in the forearm and transmits them wirelessly to software-enabled devices that can understand them as commands.
MIT scientists have created a way to amplify ordinary video to reveal normally imperceptible movements, such as the pulse of blood underneath the skin. Applications range from patient monitoring to equipment surveillance to lie detection.
A team of researchers has developed a prototype battery that can stretch up to three times its size and can be recharged wirelessly.
This goes way beyond sell-by dates: Scientists have developed a plastic converter that could pave the way towards the creation of food packaging with monitoring sensors.
Rising inequality means—among other things—that low-income people are pushed further into poverty, and this makes it harder for them to earn their way out.
Here’s the third part of my celebration of Walker Percy’s Lost in the Cosmos. I know I’m annoying many BIG THINK readers. I may even be bad for their health; […]
I have a friend who suffers from chronic pain. She has tried meditation, acupuncture, opioids, yoga and all manner of other remedies. Chances are, if anyone, anywhere, has said something […]
A new paper suggests that it’s much easier to detect oxygen in the atmospheres of planets orbiting white dwarf stars, which are dimmer than the Sun.
By 2017, over half of the almost-1,200 islands comprising the country of Maldives will come under guidelines set by two United Nations programs for preserving natural resources.
One reason, says the founder of the Inspiration Mars Foundation, is that participants are “going to need someone [they] can hug” given the length of the mission.
If we know that we are bad at predicting and can account for the underlying psychology then why do we continue to make bad predictions?
The 3D printing movement just kicked into a higher gear last week with the launch of a wildly successful Kickstarter project – the 3Doodler – that promises to create the world’s first 3D […]
At a conference titled “The Present-Day Habitability of Mars” scientists discussed the possible seasonal existence of liquid water as well as the survival tactics of Antarctic microbes, among other topics.
In order to nurture effective collaboration, Mayer, like any CEO, needs to manage collaboration, and eliminate distraction. That begins with the wisdom of knowing the difference.
Even low levels of certain drugs found in waterways affect fish behavior. A team of Swedish researchers have created a wastewater treatment that reduces drug residue.
We’ve known for some time that there is a great disparity in the number of followers people have on Twitter – 80% of Twitter users have less than 10 followers, […]
Science fiction writer William Gibson famously stated on NPR’s Fresh Air back in 1993, “The future is already here, it’s just not very evenly distributed.” It’s a quote that in […]
Well, if the New York Times Magazine can write a headline like that about fiction in January, why can’t I borrow it for poetry in February? Anyway, it’s true: Joshua Mehigan’s […]
When the College of Cardinals convenes next month in the Sistine Chapel to elect the successor to Pope Benedict XVI, Michelangelo’s majestic ceiling will hang over them while his Last […]
A study of U.S. Air Force drone operators has found they experience post-traumatic stress and other mental-health troubles at the same rate as pilots who are actually flying aircraft in […]
This week, PatientsLikeMe announced the building of an open science platform to allow its users to measure their diseases’ progress and share it with medical researchers.
A survey by office furniture company Steelcase reveals that the influx of smartphones and tablets is changing how workers sit and how designers think about seating options.
On February 20, a conservative Christian group, the National Center for Law & Policy (NCLP), filed a lawsuit against the Encinitas School Board for teaching yoga in public schools. The […]
Information firm NPD’s annual study on online music use credits the drop with the popularity of free streaming services and successful industry litigation, among other reasons.
Holmes has files that he accesses. He doesn’t necessarily remember all of these details.