When people recall how virtuously they have acted in the past, they are more likely to permit themselves self-destructive or anti-social behavior, says new research on the dark side of goodness.
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According to the University of Southern California, fMRI brain scans show that both sides of the brain are involved in completing creative tasks. One more brain myth bites the dust.
The first post in a series looking at John Stuart Mill and the defence of individual liberty. The great English philosopher and thinker John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) regarded himself as […]
Research shows that children who attend preschool are less likely to be arrested later in life and more likely to graduate from high school. Preschool is the best leveler of the achievement gap.
International schools are often on the cutting edge of technology use in their schools. In fact, when I think of innovative schools, I often think of international schools. When I […]
After more than two years of writing this blog, I still haven’t learned how to predict how people will respond to my writing. The posts I am most proud of—and […]
A new meta-analysis of research performed in the 60s and 70s shows LSD treated alcoholism significantly better than placebos. Scientists are taking another look at how psychedelics treat disease.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have found that an HIV vaccine could work in conjunction with antiretroviral therapies, prepping the immune system to eliminate HIV-1 viruses.
Article 1, Section 8, Clause 11, U.S. Constitution: “The Congress shall have Power To declare War” Rep. Ron Paul in the U.S. House of Representatives, October 3, 2002: “The process by which […]
BY @Jason_Silva “He who speaks in primordial images speaks with a thousand voices; he enthralls and overpowers, while at the same time he lifts the idea he is trying to […]
Even though AI systems are no substitute for interactions with a real human, they do have the potential to improve our quality of life.
Based on medical standards alone, female birth control should be made available over the counter, says author Virginia Postrel. Not to mention reducing American political invective.
Scientists have engineered an aspirin whose novel chemical compounds have proven effective at shrinking tumors while leaving the healthy cells around it unharmed.
Technological advances on several fronts are quickly bringing down the cost of sequencing a person’s genes. One day, personal genome tests might become as essential as blood tests.
Danny Strong appeared LIVE on Big Think the day before the premiere of his controversial new HBO film Game Change, which dramatizes the decision by the McCain campaign to add […]
What is the Big Idea? While the folks in Congress duke it out over birth control, International Women’s Day served as a good reason to create new dialogue on other […]
Serial entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal says the best way to become a company that is one day over taken is to have a new idea. Witness the history of Kodak and Blackberry, he says.
Might we someday use fetal stem cells, harvested from blood or organs, to boost the brain, treat cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, and reverse the ravages of age?
Within any woman who has ever been pregnant, some of her baby’s cells may live for as long as she lives.
Modern communication technology could be harnessed to give the very best teachers to every classroom. Though teleconferencing, we could become a nation of life-long learners.
What’s the Big Idea? For corporations, growth is a quarterly concern — a hope maybe, but not a necessity. For small businesses and nonprofits, stagnation isn’t an option: it’s grow […]
We all know the standard script surrounding divorce. A young person learns his/her parents are divorcing and their fantasy of a happy family is shattered. Falling into despair they under-perform […]
What’s the Big Idea? There’s a revolution going on in neuroscience, says science writer Kayt Sukel, and it’s happening on two fronts. One way the science is changing: researchers are […]
Scientists have a lot of influence over how we live our lives. This is mostly a good thing – and will help us weed out the snake oil from the spinach – but only a terribly naive optimist could think the “Mozart Effect” won’t strike again.
“Do you think we should get our brains scanned before getting married?” a friend asked me as we browsed a crowded department store, selecting important items for her bridal registry. […]
Earlier this year, Berkeley psychologist Alison Gopnik published an essay entitled, “What’s Wrong With the Teenage Mind?” in the Wall Street Journal. It was a very interesting piece—and one that […]
A collection of the world’s top engineers and tech entrepreneurs will be invited to a hush-hush conference somewhere in the Pacific this May. Eccentric venture capitalists are behind the idea.
A technology company is working to bring virtual machines to your smartphone. In other words, your phone will simulate the software your company runs, so you can work from anywhere.
These days it’s hard enough to get any job at all. If it is part of a good life to have a job that you love then the current situation […]
In addition to in-house R&D, big businesses like Best Buy and Blue Cross Blue Shield are funding start ups to create new product lines and innovate the direction of the company.