Stephen Johnson
Associate Editor, Big Think
Stephen Johnson is the Associate Editor of Big Think. A long-time contributor to Big Think, he is a St. Louis-based writer and editor whose work has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, PBS Digital Studios, MSN, Eleven Magazine, and The Missourian.
Gamification: can video games change our money habits?
Fintech companies are using elements of video games to make personal finance more fun. But does it work, and what are the risks?
Bad at math? Blame your neurotransmitters
A new brain imaging study explored how different levels of the brain's excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters are linked to math abilities.
“Acoustic tweezers” use sound waves to levitate bits of matter
The non-contact technique could someday be used to lift much heavier objects — maybe even humans.
Which countries are going to Mars this decade?
We are likely to see the first humans walk on Mars this decade.
The neuroscience of branding
A new episode of "Your Brain on Money" illuminates the strange world of consumer behavior and explores how brands can wreak havoc on our ability to make rational decisions.
Immersive technology will revolutionize everything from theme parks to daily life
Virtual reality continues to blur the line between the physical and the digital, and it will change our lives forever.
Stock market bubbles: Our evolutionary roots explain why investors follow the herd
The same parts of the brain that help us navigate complex social interactions can also drive us to make wildly bad investments.
Busting the Easter Island myth: there was no civilization collapse
For decades, researchers have proposed that climate change and human-caused environmental destruction led to demographic collapse on Easter Island. That's probably false, according to new research.
How evolution shifts from unicellular to multicellular life
When facing a predator, single cells sometimes unite to defend themselves, paving the way for more complex multicellular life forms to evolve.
57% of U.S. structures lie within a natural “hazard hotspot”
A new study mapped areas of the U.S. that are most likely to suffer natural disasters.
A comet impact may have paved the way for human civilization
The Younger Dryas impact hypothesis argues that a comet strike caused major changes to climate and human cultures on Earth about 13,000 years ago.
Rumbling: New Zealand supervolcano needs to be monitored
The Taupo volcano was responsible for one of the most violent eruptions on record.
Finally, a scientific cure for the hiccups
A new device cured the hiccups 92 percent of the time in a recent study involving more than 200 participants.
Autonomous killer robots may have already killed on the battlefield
A brief passage from a recent UN report describes what could be the first-known case of an autonomous weapon, powered by artificial intelligence, killing in the battlefield.
Modular construction: Using Lego-like blocks to build structures of the future
Buildings don't have to be permanent — modular construction can make them modifiable and relocatable.
Humans aren’t overpopulated. We’re aging and shrinking
Too few babies — not overpopulation — is likely to be a major problem this century.
Falsely accused? Stay calm, because anger makes you look guilty
Anger and silence are the two worst reactions.
Water recycling: “Toilet to tap” is future of clean drinking water
As droughts threaten water supplies across the planet, some municipalities aim to utilize an untapped resource: sewage water.
Raccoons love you, but not unconditionally
Some wild animals thrive near humans, but only up to a point.
Studies likely to be wrong have 153 more citations
Science journals may be lowering their standards to publish studies with eye-grabbing — but probably incorrect — results.
Havana syndrome: How a “directed-energy” weapon may be injuring American intelligence operatives
U.S. officials suspect a foreign adversary is targeting American personnel with some form of "directed-energy" weapon.
Single dose of psilocybin may treat migraines
Can the main psychoactive ingredient of magic mushrooms help treat the world's sixth most debilitating illness?
Intolerance of uncertainty drives liberals and conservatives to polarizing partisanship
Political partisanship might be a treatable condition.
How space debris created the world’s largest garbage dump
Since 1957, the world's space agencies have been polluting the space above us with countless pieces of junk, threatening our technological infrastructure and ability to venture deeper into space.
How WallStreetBets “hype” spreads among investors like a virus
A new study explores how investors' behavior is affected by participating in online communities, like Reddit's WallStreetBets.
Why professional soccer players choke during penalty kicks
A new study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to measure brain activity as inexperienced and experienced soccer players took penalty kicks.
For $50, convert your phone into a powerful chemical, pathogen detector
A team of scientists managed to install onto a smartphone a spectrometer that's capable of identifying specific molecules — with cheap parts you can buy online.
The never-ending trip: LSD flashbacks and a psychedelic disorder that can last forever
A small percentage of people who consume psychedelics experience strange lingering effects, sometimes years after they took the drug.
First-ever pregnant Egyptian mummy discovered
The mummy was first thought to be a male priest. But a recent radiological analysis revealed a surprising anomaly.
Icy clouds on ancient Mars may have given rise to lakes and rivers
Scientists have long puzzled over how Mars, a cold and dry planet, was once warm enough to support liquid water.