In theory, scientists could’ve produced a deadly virus that accidentally infected lab workers. In practice, we know that didn’t happen.
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In “Enough Is Enuf,” Gabe Henry traces the history of simplified spelling movements and the lessons they teach us about language.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
Planets can create nuclear power on their own, naturally, without any intelligence or technology. Earth already did: 1.7 billion years ago.
One of the most original and optimistic thinkers in America sketches some big ideas about what’s possible with AI in the next 25 years.
Pessimissts are never disappointed, but are they also kinder?
The most famous Hubble images show glittering stars and galaxies amidst the black backdrop of space. But more was captured than we realized.
Hugo-winning author Ken Liu explores what early cinema and Chinese poetry can teach us about AI’s potential as a new artistic medium.
By looking outside the current wave of hype, we can create a framework for weighing up the practical impact of AI on any business.
25 years ago, our concordance picture of cosmology, also known as ΛCDM, came into focus. 25 years later, are we about to break that model?
Spotify’s Co-President, CPO and CTO chats with Big Think about the science of discovery, Swedish innovation, C-suite podcasting, and more.
In around 7 billion years, we expect the Sun to run out of fuel, dying in a planetary nebula/white dwarf combination. Is that for certain?
That Nietzsche quote might not mean what you think it does.
Exoplanets can exist anywhere around their parent stars, even so close that they evaporate or disintegrate. Even the rocky ones.
It’s difficult to project a sphere onto a flat, two-dimensional surface. All maps of the Earth have flaws; the same is true for the cosmos.
Most people think that writing fantasy or science-fiction requires a strong imagination. Podcast host Mike Duncan shows a knowledge of real-world history is just as important.
A look inside Mindstate Design Labs’ effort to design drugs that reliably produce specific states of mind.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
The Kalam cosmological argument asserts that everything that exists must have a cause, and the “first” cause must be God. Is that valid?
What can drugs teach us about consciousness?
Americans have gone through three historic junctures like what we’re witnessing today — and they happen on an uncanny 80-year cycle.
We understand many things about our Universe, and our home within it, extremely well. The number of stars in the Milky Way isn’t among them.
Common knowledge says the maximum size of a PDF is as big as 40% of Germany — but that’s a gross underestimate.
Honing your skills as a strategic thinker does more than solve problems as they appear; it can be a fast track to the top.
Bestselling author Seth Godin urges us to rethink our definition of longevity — and to step back and measure what matters.
Networking — not zombie-crunching your job applications — gives you a better chance of getting sourced or referred for a role.
The Multiverse isn’t just a staple of science fiction; there’s real-life science behind it, too. Here are 10 facts to expand your mind.
How the cult hit sci-fi show imagines a “techno-realist” future.
The first in a series of short stories by the Hugo- and Nebula-winning author that inspired the cult hit “Pantheon.”
Those who know who they are — and what they truly value — refuse to compromise their authentic direction to placate others.