A decision requiring cellphone retailers to warn customers of possible radiation risk typifies the emotion-based way that democracy can supersede intelligent government risk policy-making.
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These findings suggest that “across the American life course, there is a large amount of income volatility.”
A new study in the journal of Applied Psychology shows that rudeness has a ripple effect, negatively affecting interactions outside the initial one.
Researchers figure out what words would best help move people to support climate change policies.
If you want to understand how a galaxy works, visible light is just the start. “Our knowledge of stars and interstellar matter must be based primarily on the electromagnetic radiation […]
The Americans with Disabilities Act took effect exactly 25 years ago today. What is its legacy?
When the Whitney Museum of American Art decided to stage in 1948 their first exhibition of a living American artist, they chose someone who wasn’t even an American citizen, but only legally could become one just before his death. Painter Yasuo Kuniyoshi came to America as a teenager and immersed himself in American culture and art while rising to the top of his profession, all while facing discrimination based on his Japanese heritage. The exhibition The Artistic Journey of Yasuo Kuniyoshi, which runs through August 30, 2015 at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, DC, unveils an amazing story of an artist who lived between two worlds — East and West — while bridging them in his art that not only synthesized different traditions, but also mirrored the joys and cruelties of them.
An interesting point in case are the twin maps of Africa shown here, one of the spread of Islam, the other the spread of AIDS. Beware of the map that is too straightforward and simple.
Two of the most famously rousing speeches in history, though one is from a dramatic work, address many of the same topics: bravery, fear, camaraderie, and death.
How artist Brian Kane is bringing a moment of peace to one of the most urbanized, ad-saturated areas in the world. “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of […]
After years of their anti-drug rules going unenforced, recent revelations have caused the ESL to take action.
[A Top 15 Podcast on iTunes!] We surprise the world’s brightest minds with ideas they’re totally unprepared to discuss. This week on Big Think’s podcast, we’re joined by renowned physicist and author Brian Greene.
Drones are all the buzz today. They make the news regularly appearing everywhere and often where they don’t belong — baseball stadiums, concert stages and even the White House lawn. Is […]
Even the dead stars still shine today, and will for a long time. But they, too, will fade to black. “As the blackness of the night recedes so does the […]
Our neighborhoods play with our perceptions about the state of wealth, influencing our opinions on wealth politics.
“Teamwork is the signature adaptation of” humanity, says David Sloan Wilson. And our ancestors evolved ruthlessly cooperative means of ensuring productive social coordination.
Yesterday was an epic day: NASA’s Kepler mission announced the discovery of what they called “the most Earth-like planet ever,” the smallest planet ever found that orbits a Sun-like star […]
If you avoid the common errors of reasoning that lead large majorities of subjects to do the irrational thing on repeated experiments, you may justly gloat a little.
Researchers advanced the fields of social science by working together and peer reviewing the evidence. Couldn’t the same benefits be attained by treating religion in the same manner?
Before you tout the next exoplanet as “the most Earth-like ever,” ask whether that’s true, and whether that’s even a good thing. “You can spend too much time wondering which […]
Technology and old age are not typically in the same sentence, let alone discussion. However, the recent White House Conference on Aging highlighted the multiple opportunities to use technology as a force multiplier not just to live longer, but to live (and care) better.
It’s not the fault of the journalists, entirely. Researchers call for better tools to help keep sources safe and secure.
The Internet is a different beast altogether, and instead of catering to the interest of journalists, candidates can/must appeal to the masses.
The emotional support of a simple text may be enough to ease the pain of someone you hold dear.
After 24 hours without sleep, the brain begins to overestimate threat.
How the discovery of the first Pentaquark is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to new nuclear riches. “It was quite the most incredible event that has […]
Her decision to have a double mastectomy helped empower women — to let them know they aren’t entirely powerless against cancer.
What distinguishes real OCD from how it’s depicted in pop culture — a characteristic of someone’s perfectionist tendencies — is that sufferers respond to stimuli in the same way everyone else does.