Asteroid 2011 MD reached its closest point to Earth when it crept within 7,500 miles of the planet’s surface—closer than some satellites—before whipping away again like a slingshot.
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A new study by Google projects that aggressive investment in clean energy technologies would add $150 billion in additional economic output and create 1.1. million new jobs by 2030.
Due to carbon laws, European airline carriers are placing orders for biofuels. Last week, for the first time, a jumbo jet used a blend of biofuel and kerosene on a transatlantic flight.
More than 1,000 new species have been discovered in New Guinea in a 10-year span, according to a new report from the conservation organization World Wildlife Fund.
The human exploration of Mars is not a task for some future generation. It is a task for ours, says aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin. In his new book, he details a feasible plan.
Arguably, the invention of the ATM by IBM nearly 40 years ago was one of the greatest moments in the history of modern consumer banking. These ATMs revolutionized the way […]
And if it’s literature, do we care if it’s violent? “Grimm’s Fairy Tales, for example, are grim indeed,” wrote Justice Scalia, in his majority opinion in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants […]
Rosetta Stone CEO Tom Adams explains why the best leaders embrace the future now and ask questions later.
Astronomers have been actively searching for extraterrestrial civilizations for the past 50 years, but so far have come up empty. Now a top Russian astronomer predicts the “eerie silence” will be broken by 2031.
We talk a lot about the hazards that are present at Washington’s Rainier mostly in terms of what might happen if the volcano erupts. However, remember that even when Rainier […]
I feel badly for a couple I know who have recently divorced after several decades of marriage but are still bound together by the family home that they cannot sell. […]
The Master Chef, part-time Paleontologist, and former Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft, Nathan Myhrvold, offers a scientifically-informed approach to the ancient human art of cooking.
In the case of education, the only question is – and always must be – what skills young people will need in the future to lead happy and successful lives, and how best we can ensure that they acquire them.
Lewis DVorking, Forbes Media’s online product chief, says he is obsessed with measuring the site’s traffic. He insists that traffic statistics inform journalism but do not rule its content.
Facebook has the Like button. Google has +1. Now, Wikipedia is getting a Love button. Its goal is to create a community of support around its many editors who are facing difficulties.
Overturning a California law which prohibited the sale of violent video games to minors, the Supreme Court has ruled that violent cultural expression is protected by the First Amendment.
A conference that recently brought artists and technologists together glimpsed at the future which, among other things, consists of 3-D printing and online graffiti.
As meeting people online has gradually lost its stigma, dating sites are turning to scientists to match people according to the new rules of mating, which are no longer dominated by necessity.
Here are three interesting items that make the process of packing, eating and separating trash a bit more practical, fun, and smart. I love the idea behind the packaging of […]
Friday’s New York Times touts the health benefits of good posture: it helps avoid the pain (both physical and financial) of back and neck problems, improves muscle tone and breathing, […]
When Walmart comes to your town, there are always two different reactions: “No! They’ll kill all the small businesses!” Or “Yes! Big selection at low prices!” A similar phenomenon is […]
Consider the big effort being made to engineer equality at a particular Swedish pre-school. Here’s the meat of the article: Breaking down gender roles is a core mission in the […]
Immolating yourself on the courthouse steps to underscore your belief that you were wrongfully separated from your wife and denied custody of your children is the ultimate self-refutation. Especially if […]
Disputes about evidence in social science can drag on for decades. I bet many a researcher has fantasized about the day when a world-famous panel of judges looks at the […]
We’re still getting little in the way of news about the Nabro eruption from Eritrea – I’ve been looking around and the best figure I’ve found is that at least […]
The 31st annual New York City Pride March was held just two days after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill making New York the sixth and largest state to achieve […]
It has been awhile since the last in my Q&A series, but I think the new Q&A guest will make up for that lapse. Dr. Clive Oppenheimer (top left) has agreed […]
David Ropeik, a leading expert in risk communication, has joined Big Think as a regular blogger. Among his inaugural posts at “Risk: Reason and Reality,” Ropeik discusses a fascinating new […]
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and two of his confidants, citing evidence of crimes against humanity.
Opposition groups in Egypt want to postpone the September elections, fearing that the more unified Muslim Brotherhood and members of the former regime will gain too much influence.