Preparing ourselves and our societies for crises—just as Japan does for earthquakes—strengthens communities and helps to calmly pool resources should a tragedy strike.
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Distinguished neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran thinks that neuroscience can explain why humans make, or at least appreciate, art. But do we need a scientific explanation of art?
French writer and philosopher Pascal Bruckner says the values that accompany our time’s ceaseless drive to be happy are counterproductive—what we need, he says, is a new humility.
Update: Following Friday’s shooting in Sanaa a number of officials in the ruling GPC party have submitted their resignations. Below is an up-dated list that continues from this earlier post. […]
Psychologists speak of two modes of thinking: creating narratives and creating paradigms. Naturally, these two would come together in the form of creation myths.
Rolling Stone editor Neil Strauss shares some exchanges New York Timescopy editors from his days as a rock critic, several years ago: Editing an article that quotes the Courtney Love […]
What events precipitated last Friday’s horrific sniper massacre in Yemen, and more importantly where do things go from here?
The ancient Chinese practice of tai chi appears to relieve symptoms of depression in older people, a new study shows. Slow movement, breathing and meditation have clear health benefits.
A specialty known as adolescent medicine fills the gap for parents and young people who feel out of place in the pediatrician’s office, but unready for the primary care physicians who see adults.
Amidst the nuclear crisis in Japan, the F.D.A. is alerting consumers to be wary of internet sites and other retail outlets promoting products making false claims to prevent or treat effects of radiation.
Scientists may have found a molecular bounty hunter—a tiny snippet of R.N.A. called microRNA 31—that can kill wayward cancer cells hiding in parts of the body far from the initial tumor.
The companies that introduced products like Doritos, Miracle Whip, Butterfinger and the venti caramel Frappuccino now maintain that the future lies in the health and wellness category.
While women feel pain more intensely than men, they are better at coping with it emotionally, according to a study in London. Men, on the other hand, feel less pain, but are more afraid of it.
We are living longer despite getting fatter, and there is no sign yet that the increase in life expectancy is coming to an end, according to a study from the International Journal of Epidemiology.
Dr. John Ioannidis, a physician-researcher at the University of Ioannina, Greece, claims that up to 90 percent of published medical research that doctors rely on when treating patients is flawed.
Computers may become biological before humans go cyborg since adding computer chips to someone’s brain is a long way away, but adding neurons to a computer may be just around the corner.
Closer to Earth than any time since 1993, the moon will be 20 percent brighter than usual tonight. Will its fabled effects on the body, such as encouraging crime and fertility, be amplified, too?
For the first time, a Washington Post/ABC News poll has found that by a margin of 53-44 a majority of Americans think same-sex marriage should be legal. It won’t be the […]
“[I]n La Ruche you either came out dead or famous,” Marc Chagall said of the Parisian refuge of bohemian artists from Eastern Europe that he called home during his first […]
THERE are already some on the Left who are arguing against military intervention – in the form of a no fly zone – over Libya. The argument has merit on […]
The majority of people who met their current partner online did not find love through dating sites, but chat rooms (24%), social networking sites (14%), bulletin boards (8%) and a variety of different sites.
Conventional chemotherapy is like trying to turn off the lights in your kitchen by nuking your house. Personalized medicine will try to turn off the lights by flipping a switch.
I have to admit I’ve been warming up a bit to the out-there techno-optimism of Ray Kurzweil displayed so prominently on BIG THINK. He (like lots of people) has been […]
Leaders shouldn’t be afraid to look to past successes for inspiration. Before being elected, Booker did a comprehensive study of successful programs around the country, which he then implemented in […]
Should we seek leaders who are visionary, inspiring, brilliant and trustworthy to follow or those who create change by relying on everyone’s creativity, commitment and generosity?
It’s 10 years since the iPod changed the music industry for good. Back then not everyone shared Steve Jobs’ vision of the future.
“By ‘retiring’ from political life, what the Dalai Lama really is doing is prodding Tibetan exiles to take more initiative and stand up for themselves.
Never has postwar Japan needed strong, assertive leadership more — and never has its weak, rudderless system of governing been so clearly exposed.
It’s vitally important for introverts who wish to be leaders to understand how their introversion is viewed by others, how it may impact teams, and to work to overcome additional challenges.
Christopher Hitchens has a wary prognosis for the Egyptians who thronged Tahrir Square: they likely haven’t got the resources to break the chains of tyranny.