Stephen Johnson
Senior Editor, Big Think
Stephen Johnson is a Senior Editor at 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.
The creator of the index called it a public utility for accessing the “vast ocean” of human knowledge.
Our moral attitudes about sex and drugs share a genetic basis, suggests a recent study that examined the attitudes of more than 5,000 twins.
The most unpleasant aspect of intellectual liberalism is that when speech causes emotional or mental pain, the offended parties are morally entitled to nothing.
A recent study casts doubt on the notion that watching porn, whether alone or with a partner, damages romantic relationships.
Inspired by the group behaviors of simple animals, a team of roboticists has developed a new way for swarm robots to maneuver on land.
After the 2011 Fukushima disaster, it was Germany, not Japan, that cracked down most severely on nuclear power plants.
The secret to alleviating chronic back pain may be to treat psychological issues like anxiety and repressed emotions.
Often called modern-day dinosaurs, cassowaries are one of only a few birds known to have killed humans.
The unconventional method could help astronomers better track meteorites that fall during the daytime.
A future kitchen appliance could make it possible to 3D-print entirely new recipes and cook them with lasers.
Scientists use tripping rats to show that LSD disrupts communication between two key brain regions.
From "shell shock" to "combat fatigue," the wars of the past century have violently illuminated the power trauma can wield over the mind and body.
A new study upends a long-standing theory on how the brain plans motor actions in uncertain environments.
What started as a viral case of public shaming has morphed into a dark story involving internet sleuths, a criminal network, and the suspicious death of a 62-year-old man in St. Louis.
When you unintentionally step on a dog's tail, does it know that it was an accident?
A recent study sheds light on the evolutionary history of rhinoceroses and their remarkably low levels of genetic diversity.
A 2020 study has revived a longstanding controversy over Christopher Columbus' claims of marauding cannibals in the Caribbean.
Our brains did not evolve to shop on Amazon.
A new study found that people who scored high in certain psychopathic traits are more likely to limit head movements.
Prosthetic arms can cost amputees $80,000. A startup called Unlimited Tomorrow is aiming to change that by making customized 3D-printed bionic arms for just $8,000.
Money can buy happiness — if you spend it on others, research suggests.
For nearly two centuries, courts have relied on the subjective "reasonable person standard" to solve legal disputes. Now, science can help.
Cancer cells seem to have a harder time growing among pair-bonded mice, according to a new study that explored the "widowhood effect."
Our brains believe $10 today is more tangible than $100 next year.
Fintech companies are using elements of video games to make personal finance more fun. But does it work, and what are the risks?
A new brain imaging study explored how different levels of the brain's excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters are linked to math abilities.
The non-contact technique could someday be used to lift much heavier objects — maybe even humans.
We are likely to see the first humans walk on Mars this decade.
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.
Virtual reality continues to blur the line between the physical and the digital, and it will change our lives forever.