In 2008, journalist Jere Van Dyk crossed the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan. An expert on the history and culture of the region, Van Dyk had lived with the Mujahideen […]
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It is no wonder that the Government of the Maldives has been talking about buying up a tract of land elsewhere in South Asia to evacuate its people to if global sea levels […]
“New research from France finds restaurant patrons exposed to music with pro-social lyrics are more likely to leave tips.” Miller-McCune on another delicious French sociology study.
“They sure buy a lot of cars for a society built on collective ownership.” Slate says that while China’s political party is highly centralized, most Maoist concepts have been abandoned.
What happens when you are on ‘the same wavelength’ as someone? New neurological data suggests physical traits are behind feeling a deep connection with someone.
“If we want to protect traditional marriage, we should be prepared to sacrifice our love affair with equal rights and sexual freedoms.” An author at 3 Quarks reflects on the nature of tradition.
Nouns that have changed to verbs, such as ‘login’, ‘text’, and ‘unlike’ have some grammarians in a fuss, but one lexicographer celebrates the changes as evidence of language’s dynamism.
“In many ways, WikiLeaks’ 92,000 Afghanistan documents are no Pentagon Papers.” The Christian Science Monitor says the leaked documents confirm already-available information.
“Before children even take their first breath, common air pollutants breathed by their mothers during pregnancy may reduce their intelligence.” Scientific America reports on urban pollution.
An Illinois particle accelerator is helping to determine the range in which the Higgs boson, a.k.a. “God particle” exists. The special particle is thought to give mass to other elementary particles.
“Anti-luxury politics are often a hit with the public. But Ben Franklin argued that wealth accumulation is a positive, and that government should not interfere.”
The knowledge-based economy is dead because its goals have been accomplished so well, says a British CEO. The new economy will be driven by ideas and value-added products.
I thought I had seen all there was to be seen about Shirley Sherrod, until I can across an article titled Sherrod Story False in American Spectator by Jeffrey Lord, […]
Suomi-Neito is a distant, but weirdly parallel echo of ‘Paula’, the personification of Brazil’s Sao Paulo state (discussed in #471). Female like most other anthropomorphic representations of geographic entities (1), […]
We physicists used to laugh whenever we talked about some of the topics that I mention in my book, “Physics of the Impossible”—some of these include such ideas as invisibility […]
Libyan strongman Muammar Gadaffi has it in for peace-loving Switzerland. He says he’d destroy the country if he had atomic weapons. But since he doesn’t have them, he advocates wiping […]
Playing fugues by Johann Sebastian Bach on the piano is not unlike playing “Mario Cart” on the Nintendo 64, says Hilda Huang, who at 14 years old is Big Think’s […]
The recent assessment of European banks’ stability was a public relations exercise, says Al Jazeera. Banks look unprepared for the long term, but few are being moved to act.
“Google is not making us stupid, PowerPoint is not destroying literature, and the Internet is not really changing our brains.” The L.A. Times tells its readers not to sweat new technologies.
Paul, the World-Cup-predicting octopus, has brought attention to recent research suggesting the octopus is a relatively intelligent animal despite its exclusion from the mammal club.
Those who oppose allowing a mosque to be built near the World Trade Centers have lost sight of America’s tradition of religious tolerance and the simple facts of the mosque’s construction.
Ross Douthat at The Times admits that the GOP is responsible for cap-and-trade’s failure in the Senate, but he thinks his party is demonstrating “the wisdom of inaction” vis-a-vis climate change.
The U.S. needs “a long-term plan that recognizes the interrelated nature of obesity and global food sourcing.” The Atlantic says our culture of cheap is forcing us to eat unhealthy diets.
The Washington Post’s report on the bloated and secretive American intelligence community is more a story of today’s information overload than villains with cloaks and daggers.
“Let’s not have a conversation about race.” Tina Brown at The Daily Beast says that Shirley Sherrod’s firing isn’t a teachable moment, but rather a “dangerous distraction.”
Nobel Laureate Gary Becker and Judge Richard Posner oppose the extension of unemployment benefits. Six months compensation is not enough, says Becker, but two years is too long.
The Guardian condenses the more than 90,000 intelligence documents leaked out of the Pentagon concerning the war in Afghanistan; Wikileaks published the documents online.
Inception is a film that entertains, but also one that may pride itself on making viewers think. It’s your choice. This art of coupling entertainment with (the possibility of) puzzles, […]
“As the 21st century unfolds, perhaps religions will undergo a radical shift: to become more hybrid in nature and flexible in narrative.” A professor of genetics on the malleability of myths.
“Like children with their hands in the cookie jar, dogs steal food quietly to make sure they don’t get caught. The finding adds to evidence that dogs can work out what others are thinking.”