An unprecedented number of new satellites threatens the night sky as we know it. Will we act in time to save it?
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They say that atoms are mostly 99.99999% empty space. But quantum physics says otherwise. If you were to look at what your body is made of, at smaller and more […]
Going to smaller and smaller distance scales reveals more fundamental views of nature, which means if we can understand and describe the smallest scales, we can build our way to […]
‘Battlefield maps’ show continent under attack from hostile invaders.
Whatever’s lurking out there, it isn’t all, or even mostly, normal matter. When it comes to the Universe, it’s only natural to wonder what, exactly, it is that makes everything up. […]
The laws of physics aren’t changing. The Earth is. When it comes to any physical science, we know that the fundamental rules governing how the Universe works remain constant with time. […]
Innovators don’t ignore risk; they are just better able to analyze it in uncertain situations.
For a purely binary choice, wearing a ring either on the left or right hand can say a lot about the wearer.
Maybe you’ve been wondering if you’re seeing one persistent squirrel or a rotating cast of characters.
Without these two elements, we’re doomed to fail. In this day and age, it’s virtually impossible to have sufficient expertise to figure out what the complete, comprehensive, scientifically validated truth surrounding […]
A gift guide of the hottest educational toys for your budding scientist, engineer, or mathematician.
Once merely a theoretical curiosity, they might be the key to understanding so much more. Out of all of the known particles — both fundamental and composite — there are a whole slew of properties […]
Conjunctions this close are rare, but give humanity an opportunity to view our Solar System’s faintest planet. With eight planets orbiting our Sun, any two will eventually appear close together from […]
The dream of zero resistance is closer than you may think. One of the biggest physical problems in modern society is resistance. Not political or social resistance, mind you, but electrical […]
Adult recess and other apparently ridiculous activities may be one of the best ways to feel, work, and be better.
How quickly is it expanding today, and how does that expansion rate change over time? What is the Universe made of? How quickly is it expanding today, and how does that […]
If you think life on Earth is hard, wait until you see Mars. If you think life on Earth is hard, try living on Mars. Mars, as photographed from the surface […]
Here’s how the closest place to “hell” in our Solar System might actually be home to life. From afar, Venus seems like the most uninhabitable planet of all. NASA’s Magellan mission […]
The COVID-19 pandemic is making health disparities in the United States crystal clear. It is a clarion call for health care systems to double their efforts in vulnerable communities.
Both made monumental contributions that were far ahead of their time. It’s hard to believe, but the idea that the Universe was dominated not by normal matter but rather by dark […]
A song many consider the black national anthem rises again in the United States.
Three decades after the demise of the GDR, its familiar contours keep coming back from the dead.
Now is not the time to panic. But it’s the perfect time to get informed. The typical human body is made out of some 10²⁸ atoms distributed across approximately 100 […]
Big Think has launched a line of apparel and goods that celebrate the life and work of four geniuses.
We’re still not sure what the ultimate question is. Here are 5 excellent candidates. One of the most amusing stories in all of science fiction is Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s […]
It’s one of Einstein’s most bizarre predictions. And it’s true. There’s no such thing as absolute time. No matter where you are, how fast you’re moving, or how strong the gravitational […]
To get a sense of faraway places, these ‘atlases’ let the locals give you their perspective.
It isn’t just that mass and energy are equivalent and interchangeable. It tells us something fundamental about mass itself. Of all the equations that we use to describe the Universe, perhaps […]
It occurred naturally, and scientists know this for certain. Starting in late 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, began infecting human beings for the very first time. Discovered in samples […]