The largest structures in the Universe are phantasms, in the process of self-destructing. Image credit: NASA, N. Benitez (JHU), T. Broadhurst (Racah Institute of Physics/The Hebrew University), H. Ford (JHU), […]
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Surprising political alliances have formed around the idea of a basic income, which would guarantee every adult and family in America, regardless of eligibility requirements, with a monthly cash flow.
To reduce or undo someone else’s power, observe carefully those who have it and how you’re helping them keep it. Then consider how to alter that pattern with the person in question.
Of the countless natural wonders dotting Iceland’s famous Ring Road, perhaps most notable are the country’s bountiful and majestic waterfalls. Iceland’s unique location and climate have made it home to some […]
In her recent Big Think interview, Perel explains that sexuality and marriage have experienced a radical shift over the past few generations. What was once considered a dutiful bond now serves our more individualistic culture driven by love and desire. Where these two feelings meet and diverge is at the core of eroticism.
When you get down to the bare facts, there’s no genre of art older than that of the nude. The bare human figure—male and female, but more often female—commands attention […]
After millions of years of adaptive evolution, our bodies have become naturally suited to functioning during the day, and certain organic chemicals are released into the blood stream accordingly.
When setting a deadline for yourself or others, setting it in the “present” increases the likelihood that the project will be completed on time.
Leila Janah, founder and CEO of the non-profit business Samasource, describes the organization’s core concept as a way for technology “to unlock human talent wherever it may happen to reside.” Sometimes […]
Fans of Dan Brown (and Tom Hanks) hoped to get an education in the Italian Renaissance along with their beach reading (and movie-going) of The Da Vinci Code. But they’re missing out on a Renaissance master of art and mathematics just as captivating and mysterious as Da Vinci—Piero della Francesca.
The rise of deep learning will revolutionize how companies are managed, argues the Economist, replacing many of the tasks currently done by humans–especially management consultants–with computer programs.
Harvard linguistics professor Steven Pinker argues that while Ivy League colleges definitely aren’t meritocracies, they still represent good opportunities for students and their families.
Blogger and pastor Jeffrey Wright has found a new metaphor which elucidates the blindness that white Americans have about their own privilege.
Sangeeta N. Bhatia, M.D., and Ph.D, runs a bioengineering lab at MIT, has helped to start ten companies, and counts among her close friends some of the nation’s most successful women.
Many take caffeine from tea or mate, an herbal drink popular in South America. But the drug, unlike so many others, didn’t come from a chemistry lab. It came from millions of years of plant evolution.
How Worlds Thought in the 1960s to be Circling Barnard’s Star Turned out to be Illusions. Image via: http://www.wingmakers.co.nz/universe/extrasolar/Barnards.html. In this golden age of exoplanet discovery, it is hard to […]
Big Data is a big deal. Not only is it a major asset in today’s tech-driven economy, it also has the ability to tell stories about who we are as […]
Twitter is currently testing a feature that will allow users to make purchases through its app.
If you’re not particularly connected to international political happenings (i.e. you’re most Americans), it may come as a surprise that Scottish voters will be answering the big million pound/euro question […]
German researchers have found that archerfish, a unique type of fish that shoots jets of water at its above-water prey, possess human-like adaptive capabilities.
At the top of the Teapot, a fantastic cluster dotted with Red Giants awaits. Image credit: © 2005–2009 by Rainer Sparenberg, via http://www.airglow.de/html/starclusters/m28.html. “The most difficult thing is the decision […]
The odds of a large scale terrorist attack were low before that fateful day, and remain low now. But risk perception isn’t just a matter of the probabilities. It’s how the risk feels, and any risk that feels like a risk to you feels scarier than a risk that only endangers somebody else.
If you’re considering becoming a freelancer, you need to take stock of your finances and start marketing yourself before making the switch.
Big Think and the Kellogg School of Management have launched a new executive training program, Ethics in Action. This unique, expert-driven, program is designed to help corporations address the ethical […]
We’re attending the 2014 Learning and Leadership Development Conference this week, and we hope some of you are, too. This annual conference, hosted by the Human Capital Institute, is a […]
Supermoons are both super and common, but they’re only a tiny slice of our nearest neighbor’s magnificent journey. Image credit: ESA / NASA and the International Space Station. “O, swear […]
The Seoul capital area in South Korea is the third largest metropolitan area in the world and the second most dense after Paris. With a population of nearly 26 million […]
Vivek Wadhwa boasts quite the résumé. He is a fellow at the Rock Center for Corporate Governance at Stanford University, director of research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization […]
Until science develops the perfect app for circumventing procrastination, the secret to nipping your own bad habit is to establish mechanisms to control your deadlines.