Ed: Brian O’Neill, the co-founder of Waq al-waq, returns home with this piece on today’s attack on the US Embassy in Sanaa. (Before we start, I’d like to thank Greg […]
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We’re simply not good at apologizing. It’s awkward at best, says Alain de Botton, and at its worst an apology could lead to “an escalation in anger.” That is why atonement is effective, as a ritual of mutual apologies.
Is Salman Rushdie a blasphemer or a humanizer?
A team of scientists has come up with a way to make voice authentication simpler and, at the same time, much more secure.
In his blog post yesterday, Big Think’s own Adam Lee called into question the editorial standard that would have us introduce evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa as our newest blogger. Kanazawa […]
A company is taking orders for its new skateboard, billed as “the lightest electric vehicle in the world.” With a small remote and motor-activated braking, it could appeal to environmentally conscious people who’ve never skated before.
Drew Nelles has written a fascinating article detailing our species’ history of tackling “criminal activity” of animals. Today, we commonly hear of everyday stories of dangerous animals being “put down”. […]
The influx of glacial researchers into the Himalayas has angered Nepal’s indigenous population, which claims that its needs aren’t being taken into account.
Ron Lindsay, president of the Center for Inquiry, wrote a column about Atheism Plus. I think he has some valid points, but also some concerns that I think are misguided. […]
Thanks to NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, scientists now have proof that snow clouds, and maybe snow itself, exist on the Red Planet.
The amount of wind available on Earth and in the upper atmosphere could create 20 to 100 times the power our population needs, according to a new study.
Human and animal doctors and researchers are collaborating more frequently, leading to quicker medical advances for both groups.
Now that the gray wolf is no longer considered an endangered species, Minnesota has no shortage of hunters eager to purchase a permit.
When my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, I started to worry. The diagnosis itself was scary enough. But I must admit, I was also not looking forward to dealing […]
Ever since antiquity we have been searching for perfect mathematical equations to explain a perfect Universe. Now a Japanese mathematician may have cracked an unsolved problem “at the center of everything.”
One paradox of creativity is that it’s restricted by the senses. The eyes and visual cortex perceive a narrow slice of the electromagnet spectrum. Our sense of taste and smell […]
In a move that reflects the increasing popularity of large open online courses, the company is offering free lessons…on how to use Google.
The idea of owning one of Andy Warhol’s landmark Pop Art paintings from the Campbell’s Soup Cans series of the early 1960s seems a dream, unless you have some spare […]
Move over, Siri: Researchers at the University of Rochester have taken advantage of crowdsourcing technology to create a prototype of a personal assistant that’s comprised of quick opinions from actual people.
So, here’s something you should know about me: I really don’t care for racists. A few years ago, a simpering neo-Nazi named Kevin Alfred Strom wrote to me, having somehow […]
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Roth resorts to public channels to get a Wikipedia entry changed…and succeeds.
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.”
Google’s offer to provide Kansas City neighborhoods with super-fast Internet failed to fully penetrate poorer areas of the city. In response, citizens are getting the word out by foot and even by ice cream truck.
They remember her in colloquia and symposia, they remember her in the journals. They don’t remember her in the streets, her haunts. Reading her great novel Nightwood, Jeannette Winterson has said, “is […]
The London Zoo is believed to be the first zoo to use “silent disco” events to bring in more visitors and revenue. Its success has encouraged other zoos to try it as well.
DARPA’s 100-Year Starship Initiative aims to make human space travel beyond our solar system possible within 100 years.
So BIG THINK’S book of the month—Mortalilty by Christopher Hitchens—is a moving account of a singularly personal effort to die as a free man. Hitchens wanted to see death as it […]
By the time he put the finishing touches on the Rite of Spring in November of 1912 in the Châtelard Hotel in Clarens, Switzerland, Stravinsky had spent three years studying Russian pagan […]
Effectively engaging the American public on climate change—including its causes, impacts, and solutions—remains both a major research question and a communication challenge. Effective public engagement requires understanding the cognitive, affective, […]
As Rushdie humanised Muhammad – as he was always meant to be – Rushdie also humanised the faith.