Virtual robots have “evolved” to cooperate—but only with close relatives. The finding bolsters a long-standing theory about how cooperation has evolved and may resolve a bitter row among biologists.
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What is it about power that changes people – or if not changes, brings out those aspects of them that had heretofore lain dormant? As the old adage goes, power […]
For the first time ever, Intel has fundamentally changed the basic building block of the computer chip: the transistor—increasing speed by 37 percent and cutting half the power consumed.
Some of the founders and leading lights in the fields of artificial intelligence and cognitive science have given a harsh assessment of the lack of progress in A.I. over the last few decades.
Whereas making business green was once a financial burden, companies today have a unique opportunity to design products that tap into the global urge to reduce carbon emissions.
Our government will never pass the burden of proof test concerning the death of Osama bin Laden if there is a general failure to comprehend the nature of evidence.
Have you noticed that something in the digital zeitgeist has changed the way we think about creativity and commerce? Artists are no longer just “artists” – they are now entrepreneurs, […]
The burgeoning field of regenerative medicine, or tissue engineering, seeks to harness the body’s own healing powers.
The experts will do the analysis, but the philosophers will parse the emotions. Leon Weiseltier has this piece, on The New Republic’s website, in which he talks about the difference […]
Regenerative medicine captures the body’s ability to heal itself and accelerates that to a clinically relevant time scale.
I am a big fan of Jane McGonigal’s idea to create platforms, such as games, in order to involve everyone into solving global problems. Similarly, but on a much smaller scale, […]
Your girlfriend loves reruns of Sex and the City, high heels and champagne. You, on the other hand, like to pour over the Financial Times, drink espressos and debate the […]
Larry Flynt is a pioneer of pornography, who has seen it all, and he speaks to Big Think (See the exclusive video) about the nature of truth and the burden of proof in our society today.
Does killing Osama bin Laden guarantee President Obama’s reelection? It’s hard to imagine—short of the unemployment rate magically dropping several points—a single better piece of news for Obama. It’s certainly […]
The official account of the killing of Osama bin Laden has changed. U.S. officials initially claimed that bin Laden went down shooting. Now, they’re saying he wasn’t armed when he […]
No one knows more about life’s ethical dilemmas than Randy Cohen. After spending over a decade answering readers’ questions for the New York Times Magazine column The Ethicist, Cohen has fielded […]
I thought I’d offer some random observations… First off, I agree with my fellow BIG THINKER Kris that it’s most unreasonable to fear terrorist retaliation. That’s not only because the odds […]
Professor of physics at Columbia University, Brian Greene explains how the idea of multiple universes, or a singular “multiverse”, supports other theories of how our universe came to be.
Scientists who claimed to have found evidence of dark matter deep within a mine in the Gran Sassoa mountain in Italy now claim there are seasonal variations in the mysterious matter’s presence.
The long term storage of significant amounts of antihydrogen should soon settle the question of whether antimatter falls up or down. Should it fall up—hoverboards, anyone?
Two Indian scientists have questioned reports that the long elusive Higgs boson, or “God particle”, has been discovered, with one even denying the possibility of its physical existence.
The population of the world, long expected to stabilize just above 9 billion in the middle of the century, will instead keep growing and may hit 10.1 billion by the year 2100, according to a new U.N. report.
A friend of mine sent me a text message yesterday. “Should we be worried about retaliation?” I was in the middle of something, so I gave her a one word […]
The driving task has generally remained the same since the baby boomers learned to drive. That is about to change. New in-vehicle technologies are promising to make us more connected, aware […]
MIT AgeLab is launching a new website. The updated content reflects the expanded research agenda of the Lab in transportation, health behavior, financial & longevity planning, and business & policy […]
The past four decades have seen major transformation in the roles and evolving responsibilities of employerswith regard to the lives of their employees. While business has changed with the ‘times,’ […]
Discussions of China tend to focus on size – a nation of over 1.3 billion people certainly deserves attention from business and investors worldwide. But, ‘total’ numbers reveal little about […]
Ken Gronbach writes on CNBC.com that “Aging Boomers Could Spell Big Trouble for Walmart.” If true, this really is disruptive demographics when the world’s largest company is thought to be […]
Few people can imagine their own old age – old age is always something that happens to parents, relatives and friends met at 30th reunions. Putting denial aside, with any […]
Communications and convenience giant (Nasdaq: RIMM) RIM, the maker of the ubiquitous Blackberry, sees a number of defining trends ahead. These reflect the themes of my own research and are […]