The Latest from Big Think

Text reading "The Latest" in a large, serif font on a light background.
A red and white illustration of a man and a woman, both portrayed as code-making geniuses.
Giambattista della Porta's contributions to codebreaking changed the course of communication.
A creative spark ignites amidst darkness.
Scott Dikkers discusses comedy, the creative process, and life lessons learned playing peekaboo.
A night sky filled with numerous shooting stars during the Perseid meteor shower.
Each year in mid-August, Earth plows through the debris stream of an enormous comet, creating the Perseids. 2023's show will be magnificent!
A man is laying on the ground next to an escalator.
While the steep rise of inequality in the United States is well-known, long-run data on the incomes of the richest shows countries have followed a variety of trajectories.
A woman in a vibrant dress is standing against a minimalist backdrop.
Why does the DMT experience feel so familiar to some people — even those who are trying the psychedelic for the first time?
A blastoid.
From the laying out of the body plan to the organization and functioning of our nervous system, cells rule gene expression and make us who and what we are.
A black and white drawing of a **shark** with its mouth open.
If cocaine affects sharks at all, it does so as an anesthetic, not as a stimulant.
albert einstein j robert oppenheimer 1947
Even with the quantum rules governing the Universe, there are limits to what matter can withstand. Beyond that, black holes are unavoidable.
A heavy metal performer with smoke-emitting eyes on stage.
What better explains the prevalence of heavy metal in Scandinavian countries: culture or economy?
A man overseeing a herd of cows in an animal agriculture setting.
Lab-grown meat may work better as a complement to animal agriculture rather than a replacement of it.
A pixelated image depicting the structure of a human brain.
A study involving nearly 2,000 people found links between personality traits and the likelihood of moving toward or away from dementia.
X-ray view cartwheel galaxy
There are two types of missing, or "dark" matter: baryonic (made of normal matter) and non-baryonic. Have we finally found the normal stuff?
A doctor is examining a boy's eye.
The topical gene therapy could one day help millions regain their vision.
A woman's head with blue paint on it.
Daydreaming can be a pleasant pastime, but people who suffer from maladaptive daydreaming are trapped by their fantasies.
An illustration of a man with glasses in front of a colorful background.
His grandfather, a member of Oppenheimer’s atomic bomb team, foresaw the potential of nuclear energy to power cities — not destroy them.
A drawing of a man with a beard and a pot.
Alchemy had its golden age in the 17th century, when it counted Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle among its adherents.
John Templeton Foundation
Judith Butler in a black jacket and grey scarf.
A primer on Judith Butler’s theory of gender and performativity.
A collection of different colored minerals on a black background.
Rocks and minerals don’t simply reflect light. They play with it and interact with light as both a wave and a particle.
m87 jets black hole spitzer
Nothing can escape from a black hole. So where do Hawking radiation, relativistic jets, and X-ray emissions around black holes come from?
America defeated
Opponents of America's entry into the looming Second World War believed the U.S. would be dismembered.