Humans have this almost paralyzing fear of death. One thing that keeps it from being paralyzing is this belief in what’s called symbolic immortality. It’s this sense that our symbolic […]
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So we have no idea what happens after we die, and I’ve taken that lack of our knowledge as an opportunity to write fiction about it. I have a book […]
The rapid transformation in public opinion on legalizing marijuana mirrors changes in support for gay marriage in a number of interesting, yet also contradictory ways.
Helmet cams are great when they’re not going through the smoke and haze typically associated with burning buildings. Sensors built into this helmet warn its wearer of objects through vibrations.
The Universe is in a runaway mode, but here is the catch: we don’t know how long that runaway mode is going to last.
Among several companies that have announced plans to bring 3D scanning to the masses is Toronto-based Matterform, which is offering a portable device for less than the cost of some tablets.
Social psychology has demonstrated that the more people think you don’t have free will, the worse they behave.
When you are trying to decide on what kind of doctor that you need for a particular problem first you have to think what kind of problem you have. So […]
Greg Dash made his lo-fi digital fisheye camera by hand, omitting the viewscreen so that users can experience the surprise and discovery of film photography.
1. Living on the Edge: 2,000 Black Holes At the center of the Milky Way galaxy there is a supermassive black hole that everything else has formed around. But it’s […]
While I was writing a column on Victoria’s Secret and their “Bright Young Things” marketing campaign, I learned in the same set of articles about a new worry among adolescent […]
Inspired by the unique structure of the Blue Morpho’s iridescent wings, a Vancouver-based company has created an anti-counterfeiting technology that leaps several steps ahead of holography.
Created by engineering students, the Society Harnessing Equipment (SHE) will literally “shock” an assailant and send a text message alert to authorities or family.
The discovery, announced by NASA on Wednesday, is encouraging but still needs to be corroborated. That’s the job of scientists who are conducting experiments deep beneath the Earth’s surface.
How, our grandchildren will ask, did we come to marriage equality in the United States? And we’ll answer, like Hemingway’s Mike Campbell: “Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” We can grasp […]
In Coming Apart I talk a lot about the American Project and what I had in mind by that is the idea that human beings could be left alone to live their […]
What big data means is we are able to learn things about ourselves at the population level, at a huge scale, that we never could in the past.
The field of 3D printing is advancing rapidly due to a convergence of technologies, or what might be called “a perfect storm.”
The environmentally friendly process, which involves a sugar found in most plants, has the potential to turn hydrogen into one of the most important biofuels in the world.
We can’t toss aside our responsibilities but we can take steps – even small ones – to better manage stress.
Ray Kurzweil is the author of the recent book How to Create a Mind. The first question we have for him is “why create a mind?”
I think a little perspective is order. The incendiary advice of Susan Patton ‘77, a Princeton alumna, that Princeton women find husbands while at college and marry early, has crashed […]
On the occasion of National Poetry Month, Big Think spoke to Robert Pinsky, the 39th Poet Laureate of the United States, about the value of using poetic language in everyday life. Pinsky […]
According to a survey by Pew Research Center, 25 percent of adult Americans had smart phones in 2011. Fast forward a year, and that percentage is now up to 45 — […]
It is hard to imagine a topic in science that Mary Roach won’t touch. After all, as Carl Zimmer put it, the acclaimed science writer “put her head in a […]
Complaints of headaches and ear pain from those living near turbines have largely been viewed skeptically from within the scientific community. A new study may start to change those views.
Do you believe in free will? Some physicists and neuroscientists believe in the opposite proposition: determinism. The mathematics of quantum mechanics have a say in this argument: Determinism is impossible […]
Music, the Dionysian art form, plays a unique role in establishing one’s identity and sense of self-empowerment. And music is particularly significant in the life and career of the Los […]
The hagfish produces a substance that consists of very thin, strong and stretchy fibers. Scientists believe lab-created simulations could eventually be woven into thin and flexible garments, and provide a sustainable alternative to synthetic fabrics.
The agency announced a competition that will award $10,000 in prizes to the person or team who can enhance the sight and dexterity of Robonaut 2, who works on the International Space Station.