A panel of cosmologists recently affirmed that the laws of physics, specifically quantum mechanics, can explain why the Universe exists without appealing to divine powers.
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35 years after terrestrial astronomers received the Wow! signal, a radio transmission unique from the background noise of space, humanity is offering a reply. You can contribute via Twitter.
Researchers from the public and private sectors will come together this summer to create a nuclear fusion-powered propulsion system that could save precious mission time.
By using “Big Brother” as a model, the Dutch company Mars One wants to create the world’s biggest media spectacle. The goal is to attract corporate sponsorship to pay for the mission.
Unthinkable just a decade ago, several companies are putting together packages to take the wealthy into space. As the technology matures, people on more average incomes will be able to go.
Over the last decade, Europe has a seen a rise in the use of so-called ‘Baby Boxes’. As The Telegraph reports: “Often found in the walls of hospitals the boxes […]
Leaving aside a few notable exceptions, the reactions to the latest UN Conference on Sustainable Development—Rio+20, as it’s widely known—read like a collective obituary for global governance. Mark McDonald catalogued […]
Over the last few years, it’s become increasingly clear that there’s no longer any place in Roman Catholicism for any but the most conservative and doctrinaire members. The signs of […]
See children’s roaming rights shrink dramatically, in just three generations
I have already shared my thoughts on note sharing between students here on Big Think and other outlets. But there is also some sharing going on between teachers and like […]
Leadership traits that encourage the production of oxytocin in the body will be even more important in virtual offices, where technology will erect barriers to transparent communication.
What is the Big Idea? Ford and General Motors might be setting the new standard for U.S. companies when it comes to managing pension obligations. G.M. reduced its pension liabilities […]
The human brain tends to jump to conclusions based on limited information.
Just as sharing things in real life, like clothes and music, help us define who we are, a community-based online ethos could overcome the narcissism which people accuse the Web of facilitating.
On June 30-July 1, Bing and Big Think present For Humankind, a weekend-long science, technology and design pop-up expo at 201 Mulberry Street, New York City. Here we will spotlight those […]
Compiled here is a list of five microbes in our bodies to whom we owe our gratitude.
Our species’ history appears to be aligned to the length of our weapons: how far, how much, how long can we keep attacking, killing, damaging? Men with bullets became men […]
I don’t write fiction, at all. I can’t make stuff up. But I used to read more fiction than I do now. And occasionally I wonder why I’ve struggled to […]
by Nika Sabasteanski (guest blogger) Immanuel Kant proposes a one-ingredient recipe for enlightenment: freedom. Provide individuals with the freedom to use public rationality, give them the tools to escape their […]
A new app for the iPad, which presents readers with chucks of text more like flashcards than words in a conversation, claims to be able to increase your reading speed by 30% to 300%.
Researchers at NASA and Tel Aviv University have twisted data streams around one another to wirelessly transmit 2.5 terabits of information per second, creating a network with nearly infinite capacity.
The social networking king is extending its reach by givings all users an @facebook.com email address and testing a mobile app that allows you to find users in the same physical vicinity.
I am beginning to think that Republicans in the House of Representatives need to go whole hog on this Eric Holder contempt of Congress vote and have the U. S. […]
In an illuminating piece, the Washington Post‘s Ezra Klein traces the trajectory of the constitutional argument against the individual mandate from preposterous, fringe position to a real, greatly-feared legal possibility. The concept […]
What is the Big Idea? Pension funds have gone from a state of surplus to a state of deficit in the last decade and no matter what measures are taken […]
Cities live forever, while companies die all the time. As Jonah Lehrer points out in this video, the design ethos of the city is human-centered. The kinds of interactions that happen in cities make us more productive, whereas companies tend to silo knowledge, rely on old ideas, and then die off.
What’s the Big Idea? Unless you are a government or a major monopoly there are very few markets your company can control. Human capital is a notable exception. And yet, […]
Obviously, people’s priorities differ. But it’s fair to say that culturally speaking, the United States leans in the direction of intense productivity at the expense of time spent reading a good book, or in the company of friends and family.
If ideas are the currency of the future, then books are still the best way to trade these ideas with others. To celebrate the 600th blog post of Endless Innovation, I’ve put together […]
Here’s a distinguished political scientist—Jacqueline Stevens—who agrees with me that the NSF ought to cut the funding for political science. The Republicans in Congress think that these “scientists” are covertly […]