Guest Thinkers — April 19, 2011

Why are Batteries so Primitive?

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Every Wednesday, Michio Kaku will be answering reader questions about physics and futuristic science. If you have a question for Dr. Kaku, just post it in the comments section below and check back on Wednesdays to see if he answers it.

Today, Dr. Kaku addresses a question posed by Felipe Cespedes:

Why is battery or portable energy technology so primitive?

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

The Present

Khan Academy’s founder on how AI can supercharge “mastery learning”

“We should be informed and educated about the risks of AI, but we can’t be afraid,” Khan Academy founder Sal Khan told Big Think.

Ancient stone structure with stairs under a blue sky with scattered clouds, surrounded by vegetation.

The Past

A beginner’s guide to sociopolitical collapse

How (not) to end up in the ash heap of history.

separation normal matter dark matter galaxy cluster

Starts With A Bang

Ask Ethan: Can you explain wide binaries and modified gravity?

There are many theories of gravity out there, and many interpretations of wide binary star data. What have we really learned from it all?

Illustration of a smiling man wearing glasses against a geometric background, unraveling the secret of good AI.

Business

GitHub COO Kyle Daigle on the “secret of good AI”

The technology is not a replacement for human labor — it’s a way to complement existing human tasks.

A black and white image of a bunch of spheres, symbolizing the multiverse concept discussed by scientists.

Starts With A Bang

How logic and reasoning can fail as scientific tools

In logic, ‘reductio ad absurdum’ shows how flawed arguments fall apart. Our absurd Universe, however, often defies our intuitive reasoning.

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

The Secret to Married Bliss: A College Degree

The more educated you are the more likely your marriage will be a happy one.