My Google news alert has been flooded with stories about the Reason Rally this week, and quite a few of them come from religious organizations expressing their own viewpoints about […]
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I received an advance reading copy of The First Frontier: The Forgotten History of Struggle, Savagery and Endurance in Early Americaby Scott Weidensaul recently, even though the book was released […]
Cancer institutes from around the world have collaborated to release two databases which catalog data on hundreds of cancer cell lines, giving a boost to personalized medicine.
Where is the intersection of nature and nurture? The world’s largest medical database, which compiles the lives of 500,000 patients from birth to death, will help us understand the answer.
The Data Design Diabetes challenge asks participants to bring human-center design and open data to the diabetes community. Here we examine the competition’s semi-finalists.
In two unrelated studies, researchers found that adults who eat chocolate regularly are slimmer than abstainers and that consuming fast food is strongly linked to depression.
The battle over Bisphenol A (BPA) rages on, and continues to teach lessons far beyond the particulars of the issue itself. Environmentalists argue that BPA (the supposedly dangerous chemical […]
With the Mega Millions jackpot now at the $640 million mark, it’s no wonder that everyday people without any prior interest in playing casino-like games of chance are willing to […]
The Economist hosted its “Ideas Economy” event this week at the Berkeley Haas School of Business to talk about disruptive technologies, entrepreneurship, and economic growth. The focus of the event […]
A new start-up is offering a fast track to satisfying employment by connecting applicants with jobs that offer more emotional fulfillment than a big pay check, though that doesn’t hurt.
What is the Big Idea? Felipe Leonard moved to Brazil from Argentina two years ago. He didn’t speak the language and knew very little about the Brazilian market, but he […]
Under new legislation, start-up companies will be able to raise up to $1 million through small (online) donations without disclosing much beyond a rudimentary business plan.
In a whirlwind interview, Chomsky explains how Richard Nixon is a left-wing radical, how the ultimate expression of science is art and what climate change has to do with communism.
Former Wall Street Journal reporter Pamela Druckerman moved to France in 2003 and discovered that French children were much better behaved than American kids. Here’s what she brought back with her.
What is the Big Idea? The working conditions at Foxconn is about to get a lot better. At least that is the idea behind purported reforms announced last week, some of […]
If you feel that life is uncomplicated, easy, satisfying, carefree, under control – then this post is not for you. On the other hand, if you feel frustrated, anxious, deeply […]
— Guest post by Emma Waldman, American University student. Scientist-turned filmmaker Randy Olson argues that it takes more than literal-minded facts and information to communicate about topics like climate change to […]
An independent study confirms that the businesses of Silicon Valley are some of the most innovative on Earth. They actively create a culture of innovation, which can be replicated anywhere.
Eastern Europeans have child rearing habits that we could learn from, such as teaching independence (Slovenia) and the importance of family (Macedonia).
–Guest post by Amanda Frank, graduate student at American University. Contemporary debates over climate change reveal the inherent complexity of the issue, which the New York Times’ Andrew Revkin refers […]
Big Think expert Roy Cupples weighs in on this crucial issue.
Quick. Grab a pencil. Some crayons. A notepad. Wrap your brain around this Big Enigma from Ivan Moscovitch’s The Big Book of Brain Games. Share a photo of your solution in the […]
Design experts say the furniture of the digital age will be dematerialized, meaning a minimalism no longer imposed by style alone but by the material necessities of digital devices.
In a previous thread, again buried in a huge pile of comments, there was one I wanted to highlight: Now you talk of pregnancy as a real life threatening thing […]
We have devoted a fair amount of attention on Big Think to the ongoing saga of Apple’s relationship with its Taiwanese-owned electronics supplier Foxconn. Why do we care about this story […]
Maybe the brain evolved a lot like the way big pieces of software get developed.
Bano, a mother of five who lives in the ancient quarter of Lahore—the cultural center—was without power for days. She wanted to make goat stew, a family favorite and a […]
Now that SCOTUS deliberation over the constitutionality of portions of Obamacare is going much worse than most liberals predicted, left-leaning pundits are screaming “judicial activism!” which is cute, though I […]
What is the Big Idea? A new mobile app that helps young Beijingers hook up is a runaway hit, according to Economic Observer. Weixin, which means “tiny message” uses geolocation […]
Richard Dawkins, the most famous “atheist” on the planet, has argued “the existence of God is a scientific hypothesis like any other.”