Culture & Religion — May 18, 2009

Tomorrow At Big Think: Global Health Expert Laurie Garrett

Council on Foreign Relations expert Laurie Garrett will discuss international health, infectious disease, bioterrorism and the impact of health policy on international relations tomorrow. Post your questions for Ms. Garret here.

Hard Science

Plants perform quantum mechanics feats that scientists can only do at ultra-cold temperatures

Plants at room temperature show properties we had only seen near absolute zero.

The Past

The 1920s plan to make criminals confess to a terrifying skeleton

Would you confess your crimes to a skeleton with “an unnatural ghastly glow”? One inventor thought you would.

Smart Skills

Swamped by too much info? Here’s how to beat the “noise bottleneck”

It’s the paradoxical observation that the more we try to process, the less we actually can.

a painting of a woman shaking hands with a man.

Thinking

Philosophy obsesses about death. Instead, we need “natality” — a focus on birth

A philosophy of birth can offset the prevailing narrative around extinction and mortality.

a flock of pink birds flying through a cloudy sky.

The Well

Groupthink is for mindless pawns, but group thinking will push humanity further

“Groupthink” gets a bad rap. In reality, we need groups to focus our thinking and to build on the ideas of others.

Up Next

Surprising Science

When Mobile Phones Become Eco-Watchdogs

From the Department of Really Cool Gadgets comes a protoype for a mobile phone that will alert us to all the bad stuff out there.It can sense pollen counts, measure […]