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Economics and fiction both seek to describe and explain human nature. Measured against what makes fiction feel realistic, the tales of mainstream economists don’t ring true. Yet they govern us.

The most powerful telescope in history will never see the farthest galaxy. “No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded […]

And if so, how does Einstein’s relativity — both special and general — cope? “If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough.” -Mario Andretti The end of the week means another dip […]

The story of our neck of the woods, on the most cosmic of all scales. “We live in a world that has narrowed into a neighborhood before it has broadened […]

A Chicago Tribune study suggests that the city’s red light camera system, intended to make roads safer, are causing more accidents resulting in injury than before.

To keep you safe from harm, the British government has prepared 47 maps of areas around the world you should avoid.

Networking and mentorship are important tools for building your career. Each requires its own unique brand of initiative. To find a mentor, you first need to demonstrate that you’d be a good mentee.

All the stars in the night sky are bound in the Milky Way galaxy, just one of billions in the Universe. Here’s the story of where they come from. “The […]

Confessions of an Outlaw: A Creativity Workshop, with Philippe Petit High-wire artist Philippe Petit, who four decades ago performed illegally between the World Trade Center towers, explains how his personal […]

“In the information age, you don’t teach philosophy as they did after feudalism. You perform it. If Aristotle were alive today he’d have a talk show.” -Timothy Leary

Personal ownership of drones is set to skyrocket in 2015. Here’s what you need to know if you’re thinking of buying one this holiday season.

Reverse the Odds, a mobile game developed by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4, invites users to find patterns in real tumor tissue in order to help scientists learn more about cancer. 

Exercises that call for people to blindfold themselves in order to experience what it’s like to be blind may hurt perceptions of those who are disabled rather that help those with sight understand.

The harmful effects of Tasers are real—not just to the body, but to the mind. At the heels of yearlong study, Lauren Kirchner from Pacific Standard has compiled her data that questions the use of Tasers as a “safer” alternative to a firearm.

Sherman Alexie, author of the award-winning novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, on Young Adult fiction: “A lot of people have no idea that right now Y.A. is the Garden of Eden of literature… One person asked me, ‘Wouldn’t you have rather won the National Book Award for an adult, serious work?’ I thought I’d been condescended to as an Indian — that was nothing compared to the condescension for writing Y.A.”

When I first discovered 3D printing several years ago, I instantly knew it was magical.  My mind was blown by the technology: an almost infinite amount of shapes can be […]

Everyone you pass on the street, each person you drive by every day, has a story as well. To claim their death is not worth noticing is to say that their life was not worth living. And that’s too bad, because interdependence is something we all rely on every single day, knowingly or not. 

Proposals to completely eliminate parental choice over whether their kids will be vaccinated can backfire and drive more parents into the anti-vaccination camp.

“Be patient with the belligerence of the simple-minded. It is not easy to understand that one doesn’t understand.” -Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 19th century Austrian novelist

Florida-based startup Magic Leap has been the talk of the tech world ever since securing a major grant from Google. Now it’s hired a respected sci-fi author to help guide their work.

How do we know that the fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background aren’t polluted by everything Hubble reveals? “Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of heaven,Blossomed the lovely […]

Romance and reason are becoming estranged bedfellows (too bad—they were a cute couple). Does love’s logic now add up? Or is love like “happiness,” a low-resolution word (unhelpful in seeing key distinctions). Food for thought on love’s unrequited logic…

They’re our best measurement of dark energy, even better than supernovae! “If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.”–Philip K. Dick Imagine you’re looking […]

The murder of a dozen Charlie Hebdo employees in France by Islamic extremists brings back memories of the unrest surrounding Muhammad cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in 2005.

Kip Tindell, featured today on the Big Think homepage, is CEO of the Container Store. He’s also an evangelist for integrity-based sales and brand-building through sales rather than marketing.

Ants have an exploratory instinct to turn left when navigating a new nest or a maze situated in a lab. But what purpose would a directional bias serve?

Why is gravity so different from the other forces? On the hierarchy problem. “Science enhances the moral value of life, because it furthers a love of truth and reverence — love of […]

Create more effective resolutions by assessing places in your life for growth while not striving to put unwieldy expectation upon yourself. 

What if you could set yourself up to have a different memory in the future? Researchers say just post a false event to your social network feed.

Scientists who have spent years writing in highly technical terms sometimes need guidance for how to phrase concepts and processes in ways laypeople can understand.