Oliver Sacks, professor of neuroscience at NYU, challenges fellow neuroscientists who have capitalized on near-death and out-of-body experiences to justify their belief in God and heaven.
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Researchers at Northwestern University are testing a new chemical formula that relieves the symptoms of depression within hours. The drug works similarly to Ketamine, the animal sedative.
Children begin to show empathy and charity before they understand what those words mean, says pediatrician Perri Klass. And, she says, parents can help cultivate these prosocial attitudes.
In the developed world, the fight against infectious disease has largely been won. Anti-aging advocates say medical research should now concentrate on slowing the process of aging.
Nathan Harden writes with his characteristic techno-confidence that most higher education will be online soon enough. That means that most non-elite private colleges and many mediocre public institutions will soon […]
One consequence of mass killings like this week’s horror in Newtown, according to reporting by Kristina Fiore, is this: Involuntary commitments of mentally ill men will increase for a while. […]
We’re very fortunate at Big Think to have so many great thinkers and writers in our midst, and the woman of the moment right now is Maria Konnikova, author of […]
The field of tissue engineering is close to some big advances after helping to create human tissues that can be stored like data on computer chips and tested to create novel drugs.
An increasingly coveted cancer treatment has Mary Mulcahy, MD, Northwestern University, asking when the harms of tough medicines outweigh the benefits they can realistically deliver.
The most comprehensive report ever on global health concludes that, for the first time, our access to food as a species is more unhealthy than the shortages that have plagued us.
The ability of exercise to improve how our body clocks run may be especially effective in the afternoon, say researchers at UCLA’s Brain Research Institute who studied how exercise affects mice.
The condom has remained essentially unchanged since the 1920s but now researchers at the University of Michigan are proposing a high-tech polymer as the next-generation contraceptive.
There is no way to understand tragedies like these in an ontological framework of the cosmos.
Now that more kids have cellphones at younger ages, teachers and administrators are looking for ways in which they can be used to benefit everyone
We’re talking about diversity in the skeptical community again, this time occasioned by some unfortunate and ignorant comments from Michael Shermer about atheism and skepticism being “a guy thing”, which […]
Last weekend I published a post titled, “The World is Getting Worse (And Other Lies)” in which I shared some inspiring data and anecdotes that have helped me to embrace […]
The killing of 20 schoolchildren in Newtown, Connecticut has shocked a nation that had become numb to violence. Is it even possible to make sense of such a horrendous crime? Michael Stone, […]
If art is designed to provoke the passions, it does not confine itself to the pleasant ones.
As speculations over the future of Hillary Clinton mount, her tenure at the U.S. Department of State is – seemingly – drawing to a conclusion, leaving behind a very distinguishable […]
Most speakers already know how online life has changed the language. What many may not be aware of is the growing effect of hybrids such as “Hinglish” and “Konglish” that, pre-Internet, were confined to specific groups.
A newly published study examining moral beliefs among self-described liberals, moderates and conservatives reveals that liberals are the worst at stereotyping other groups as well as their own.
StraighterLine, a supplier of low-cost online college courses, recently unveiled a new service that allows professors to sell their courses to students and offer amenities, such as office hours, for an additional price.
A team of designers and programmers are creating an iconography for online privacy that would display warnings about individual sites when you enter them.
All throughout this year, I’ve been hearing people excitedly claiming that December 21, 2012, one week from today, will be the date of some major world event. Amusingly, the many […]
Weiwei-isms distills Ai Weiwei’s thinking on the topics of individual rights and freedom of expression.
How confident are scientists that world won’t end on December 21? Here’s a Neil deGrasse Tyson tweet from several weeks ago: Tyson is not alone. NASA scientists are also so […]
US officials continue to maintain as they have publicly for some time that in Yemen the US is only targeting the top 10-15 leaders of AQAP, whom it believes are […]
Close to one-fifth of the world has no access to a power grid, and for many others, access is spotty and inconsistent. A New York startup now offers an affordable, lightweight solution.
Scientists have succeeded in shaping a solar cell into a fiber that’s flexible enough to be woven into a fabric that can be used to power an electronic device.
It’s that time of the year again when techno pundits are once again breathlessly telling us all about the technology and innovation trends that will be big in 2013. That’s […]