Guest Thinkers — February 16, 2011

Video – Clay Shirky: How mobile and social technologies can make history

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Yet another great TED presentation, this one by Clay Shirky:

Shirky notes that we are living through “the largest increase in expressive capability in human history.” Wait, isn’t it a function of K-12 schools to help students be effective communicators in the media of their time?

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Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Could dark energy be more negative than a cosmological constant?

The fact that our Universe’s expansion is accelerating implies that dark energy exists. But could it be even weirder than we’ve imagined?

A healthcare worker wearing gloves administers an injection with a syringe into a person's upper arm, reminding us that when it comes to vaccines, do your own research and stay informed.

Starts With A Bang

What to know about vaccines in the do-your-own-research era

For centuries, vaccines have been the top life-saving, expert medical intervention known to humans. How can individuals make the right call?

Starts With A Bang

The most “boring” part of cosmic history shaped our modern Universe

It took nearly 400,000 years, after the Big Bang, to first form neutral atoms. The imprints from that early time can now be seen everywhere.

Visualization of a section through the large-scale structure of the universe highlighting cosmic web patterns and distributions.

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Is dark energy just leftover momentum from the Big Bang?

Since 1998, we’ve known our Universe isn’t just expanding, but the expansion is accelerating. Could the Big Bang itself be the reason why?

A man in a suit sits at a desk holding a large Hurricane Dorian forecast map, with U.S. flags and official emblems visible in the room, evoking the urgency of a 1938 science manifesto warning about threats to democracy.

Starts With A Bang

This 1938 pro-science manifesto defended democracy against fascism

As democracy recedes and fascism rises in the USA and around the world in 2025, history provides a lesson in how science can fight fascism.

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