“M.I.T. biological engineers have found a way to convert carbon-dioxide emissions to useful building materials, using genetically altered yeast.”
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“Narcissists, new experiments show, are great at convincing others that their ideas are creative even though they’re just average.” Science on business and self-love.
When Frank Welsh wrote his outstanding one-volume history of Hong Kong, he titled it “A Borrowed Place.” In I Like Hong Kong… Art and Deterritorialization, Frank Vigneron, an Associate Professor […]
Imagine if a state defined embryos as people, giving full legal protections and rights to a collection of cells the size of the ball on a fine-tipped pen? Sound like […]
Sorry about the lack of posts today – I’ve been trying to get over a nasty headcold and my ability to concentrate on much has been less than great. So, […]
If a cliché is beautifully wrought does it save it from the evils of being cliché? David Brooks does not like what he refers to as the “Quiet Desperation dogma” […]
August may be behind us, but that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped thinking dangerously here at Big Think. At the end of last month, we asked readers to submit their own dangerous […]
In a special Big Think conversation arranged by Discover magazine and published online today, Dr. Antonio Damasio, a behavioral neurobiologist at the University of Southern California speaks with novelist Siri […]
After watching a few minutes of President Obama’s appearance on the townhall style “Investing In America” forum held on CNBC yesterday, you couldn’t help but get the feeling that Obama […]
When looking at design as a utilitarian problem-solving tool, the smartest solutions are often the simplest ones. That’s certainly the case with Tube Grip – a compact inflatable grip-assistant designed […]
The late strip club owner and bon vivant, Paul Raymond would certainly have approved, as a fair number of old ‘faces’ joined author Paul Willetts for the launch of ‘Members […]
“The notion that without the $700bn bailout we would be reduced to bartering was a ruse by the banks to get taxpayers’ money.” Dean Baker says we were taken in by fat cats.
“Yemen faces a potential national security crisis if its water resources continue to dry up, however solutions do exist.” A Harvard professor of Arab studies explains.
“The only policy technique that has a shot [at increasing demand] is tax cuts—specifically cuts on the consumer side, since that would target the weak demand affecting businesses.”
A proposed international Internet treaty “would enshrine in law the founding principles of open standards and net neutrality, and protect the web from political interference.”
“The ex-president gives a sense of day-to-day life in the Oval Office—and plays the blame game.” The L.A. Times reviews the diaries Carter wrote during his presidency.
“Talking about nature and nurture as separate, clear-cut forces is far adrift from the complexities of developmental science.” The New Scientist on an aging view of development.
“These days many companies are obsessed with fun.” The Economist laments employers who spread the idea of having fun at work like a disgusting disease.
A team of consciousness scientists in Wisconsin are exploring new frontiers, “translating the poetry of our conscious experiences into the precise language of mathematics.”
“U.S. Energy Secretary Chu encourages the peaceful use of nuclear power at this year’s International Atomic Energy Agency gathering in Vienna.”
“Times are tough, but women’s intuition can serve as a tool for sustainability. Relying on it will help you rethink your current business.”
Today’s customers expect more from leading companies and brands than they ever have before. As enlightened consumers empowered by the Internet, they have the power to propel brands to tremendous […]
Last week, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart announced the “Rally to Restore Sanity,” to be held October 30 on the National Mall. “Ours is a rally for the people who’ve […]
How does the problem of asymmetric information affect the billion-dollar market for male prostitutes in the U.S.—and should there be a premium paid to those willing to post pictures of their faces online?
“The main way in which honor matters for what I’m calling ‘moral revolution,’ which are big changes in moral life over a relatively short period, is by mobilizing people through […]
A recent feature piece in The New York Times on the 25th Paris Biennale, currently at the Grand Palais until September 22nd, made the bold statement that “[f]uture historians may […]
Shorter Newsweek: A half-witted, mean spirited, quasi-functional alcoholic would be a great Speaker of the House. [Photo credit: Alli’ Cat’, Creative Commons.]
As if this weren’t bad enough, Douglas Irwin, an economist at Dartmouth, is out this week with a new grievance against France. He says it bears much of the blame […]
I’m still playing catch-up from the field trip, but there is a pile of news – mostly research-related rather than new eruptions – so I thought I’d whip up a […]
In September 1940, a Polish army captain crept into the one place everyone wanted out: Auschwitz. His missions was to file intelligence reports on methods used at the camp.