A frame device is a catchphrase that instantly conveys a specific meaning and storyline, sparking conversations and trains of thought about why an event might be a problem, who or […]
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Like me, many readers were probably saddened by the news last week that Borders is shutting all of its remaining outlets. In comparison to Barnes Noble, I often found Borders […]
If you are a fan of Big Think, the newly re-launched Science and Entertainment Exchange website will offer you hours of interesting reading and viewing. A program of the National […]
Researchers suggest that happy delusions help when looking at your partner in a general sense and over the long term. But be more realistic on the short term details, they warn.
Poverty means making more trade-offs and resisting more temptations due to limited resources—depleting the very willpower people might have used to lift themselves out of it.
What if it turns out that pornography use actually reduces the desire to commit violent sexual crimes? It is a controversial idea, but one supported by recent scientific studies.
Despite our world now driven by precise measurements of data, being vague, imprecise, unclear and ambiguous may yield benefits in our personal and professional lives.
I wrote severalarticles about memorization on this blog already and last week I learned about a new scientific study that proves once more that the use of the Internet can […]
We like to think the traits that make life sweet are those that make it long. But a recent long-term study of longevity over decades suggests that’s not so.
At the very least, says Marcia Angell, we need to stop thinking of psychoactive drugs as the best, and often the only, treatment for mental illness or emotional distress.
Click here to read the Ukrainian language version of this article. Many scientists believe that a rock about 6 miles across plowed into Mexico 65 million years ago, killing the […]
Through the launch of his 20 Under 20 Fellowship initiative, billionaire entrepreneur and hedge funder Peter Thiel is engaging in one of the most radical experiments yet about the future […]
Next year is the latest deadline set by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (G.P.E.I.), the multinational body charged with dealing with the disease. A new report says this deadline is at risk.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health and a growing number of pharmaceutical companies are sharing intellectual property to make AIDS drugs more available to third-world countries.
Carlo Maria Broschi, better known as Farinelli, was one of the most celebrated opera singers of all time, and the 18th century equivalent of a rock star (“One God and […]
The first book of philosophical essays in years with a shot at being advertised on the evening news asks what big questions are posed by society’s acceptance and men’s use of Viagra.
According to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, bigger brains may have trickled through evolution’s passageway not because of reason and intellect, but due to exercise.
First Lady Michelle Obama plus a chain store and several smaller organizations are trying to make fresh fruits and vegetables available in the nation’s ‘food deserts’ and in poor communities.
An authoritative study shows that the Republicans have recovered from their 2006-08 swoon and have now moved even with the Democrats again. That doesn’t mean they have moved ahead. Party identification […]
Thinkers worried about the Web rotting our brains would find an ally in the ancient Greek sage. But are their fears justified?
The adrenaline rush we all experience when our bodies go in to “fight or flight” mode is an asset if we’re up against a physical threat. But in every day life, how do you overcome fear?
In the male-dominated field of comedy, female comics need to stick together. In the spirit of solidarity, Margaret Cho names her favorite up-and-coming female performers.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, especially in the arts. Paint, sculpt, or build it right and others will try to follow your path. That truth makes Frank Lloyd […]
I’ve been trying to draft the Boss for years. Finally, a survey by Policy Policy Polling shows that New Jerseyans are as likely to support Bruce Springsteen for governor (42%) […]
Current C.E.O. of the British manufacturing firm Umeco, Andrew Moss believes his country can remain a relevant producer of high-tech goods in a range of contemporary industries.
Harvard Professor Clayton Christensen has developed a new way to spot companies making bold bets for the future. At the top of his list of today’s business invotators is Marc Benioff.
Slavoj Žižek is rarely at home in his flat in the Slovenian capital: he is philosophy’s answer to Bob Dylan, frontman of a live roadshow that shows no sign of ending.
Movies are Justin Timberlake’s priority these days, but he also owns a part of MySpace, restaurants, a fashion line called William Rast, a record label and even a golf course.
An army of 800,000 crafters has made Etsy a hot start-up: profitable, well capitalized, growing. Rob Kalin, its on-again, off-again founder, insists on Etsy’s antiquated values.
Most people know that Emily Dickinson was a great poet, but it takes a deep plunge into her collected poems to realize just how staggeringly great she was. Usually represented […]