Motility was suggested as a promising “biosignature” as early as the 1960s, but the technology was insufficient — until now.
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People who’ve never been partnered tend to be less extraverted, less conscientious, and more neurotic.
Since mid-2022, JWST has been showing us how the Universe grows up, from planets to galaxies and more. So, what’s its biggest find of all?
Physicist Don Lincoln explains why mathematics is a powerful tool for scientific modeling, but is not a science itself.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
A proton is the only stable example of a particle composed of three quarks. But inside the proton, gluons, not quarks, dominate.
In many ways, the rising anti-phone fervor in schools mirrors moral panics of the past.
Sunita Sah hopes that by redefining defiance, we can build societies that allow people to live more authentic lives.
The discovery of ultra-bright, ultra-distant galaxies was JWST’s first big surprise. They didn’t “break the Universe,” and now we know why.
Today’s philosophy students would be justified in asking, “What does any of this have to do with living?”
Resilience isn’t just about pain and perseverance — it’s about embracing the journey.
An approach based on collaboration and empathy can place “connection with people” at the heart of AI’s purpose.
Seven years ago, an outburst in a distant galaxy brightened and faded away. Afterward, a new supermassive black hole jet emerged, but how?
New research is uncovering why we eat first with our expectations.
Yondr CEO Graham Dugoni unpacks the technological zeitgeist in this exclusive Big Think interview covering media ecology, leadership, AI, human connection, and much more.
Here in our Universe, stars shine brightly, providing light and heat to planets, moons, and more. But some objects get even hotter, by far.
“Technology has always been co-opted for war, but truly intelligent AI, let alone a superintelligence, is a different beast entirely.”
Other plans for the tech: organ banking and deep space travel.
Most stars shine with properties, like brightness, that barely change at all with time. The ones that do vary help us unlock the Universe.
Astronomer Adam Frank reflects on some responses to his recent appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast.
“I think it’s about time we stop allowing every male generation bang their frontal lobe through its most developmental stages.”
When Star Trek’s Captain Picard and The Office’s Dwight Schrute channel philosopher Karl Jaspers, we can all benefit.
The electromagnetic force can be attractive, repulsive, or “bendy,” but is always mediated by the photon. How does one particle do it all?
From King Midas to Gordon Gekko, humanity has struggled to grasp greed’s true nature.
Despite no experimental evidence showing that gravitons exist, they remain a respectable concept in the world of professional physicists.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
Many of us look at black holes as cosmic vacuum cleaners: sucking in everything in their vicinity. But it turns out they don’t suck at all.
“Mainstream computing will start to shift from a race to develop increasingly powerful tools to a race to develop increasingly powerful abilities.”
Can we learn to always look on the bright side of life?
Caitlin Rivers wants to tell the story of epidemiology and the public health heroes who keep the world safe and healthy.