In 1887, two scientists set out to measure how the speed of light changed with the Earth’s motion. What they *didn’t* find wound up changing the world. “The conclusions, the bizarre […]
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While often touted as a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes, E-cigarettes weaken the immune systems, strengthen bacteria, and elevate the user’s risk of developing MSRA and other serious infections.
Are we becoming too obsessed with the idea that people can’t think straight? When I began blogging here at BigThink five years ago, I would have said no. After all, […]
How can salmon get upstream when their waters are blocked by dams? You’ve got to see this new innovation! Image credit: William Bain / flickr. “You ain’t supposed to get […]
Around 1,500 light-years away, hot young stars surrounded by glowing gas make up the Great Nebula in Orion. This massive starbirth region is on the edge of an interstellar molecular […]
It’s not “particularly” any one characteristic, and that makes it a rarity worth looking at. “Conceit spoils the finest genius. There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will […]
All of Isaac Newton’s posthumous writings are now available online so that anyone can discover the complexity of this brilliant man’s life.
It’s the greatest cosmic masquerade of all: a star that fakes its own death! “If you are a dreamer come inIf you are a dreamer a wisher a liarA hoper a […]
Around 6,400 light-years away, in the constellation of Orion, is this sparkling skyscape captured by the Hubble Space Telescope. On the edge of NGC 2174, this image shows a corner […]
From base to summit, Yosemite’s El Capitan is around 3,000 feet, and hiding the north celestial pole in this photograph. But follow the star trails, and you’ll of course get […]
An Idaho School Board is considering a new social media policy that forbids teachers from friending, following, or posting about students and their parents. The policy change stems from an incident involving a high school basketball teacher who was fired over a controversial photo.
Summer is coming, and with it, the most famous nebula in the night sky. “The self-same atoms which, chaotically dispersed, made the nebula, now, jammed and temporarily caught in peculiar positions, […]
Nicknamed “Heart” and “Soul,” these two bright emission nebulas could be considered the heart and soul of our galaxy. Located in Cassiopeia, the nebulas shine brightly thanks to the red […]
Carl Jung devoted much of his professional life to analyzing dreams, much to the chagrin of his colleagues. He saw a connection between these nighttime visions and our seemingly innate […]
With all the matter-and-energy so close together and so dense at the moment of the Big Bang, why didn’t it recollapse? Image credit: Mark A. Garlick / University of Warwick. […]
Every letter holds a special story for those who marvel at the Universe. “When I was having that alphabet soup, I never thought that it would pay off.” –Vanna White […]
Following in the footsteps of other health-monitoring devices, a new internet-connected lighter is designed to help you quit smoking by measuring your tobacco intake.
This Earth Day, we’re celebrating with a light show. The Lyrid meteor shower began in the early morning hours of April 22 and will be visible through April 25. Just […]
Fans of Dan Brown (and Tom Hanks) hoped to get an education in the Italian Renaissance along with their beach reading (and movie-going) of The Da Vinci Code. But they’re missing out on a Renaissance master of art and mathematics just as captivating and mysterious as Da Vinci—Piero della Francesca.
A clever device by the Turkish company Pugedon aims to increase recycling while providing food and water to stray dogs and waking up our kindness and humanity.
What’s being hyped up as possibly “the best meteor shower of the year” is taking place on May 24th across the sky of the northern hemisphere. Perhaps to build anticipation, […]
The quantum nature of the Universe ruins everything. “What we observe is not nature itself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.” –Werner Heisenberg When you think about the […]
The densest, most massive objects in the Universe will live an awfully long time, but not forever. Here’s what happens to them. Image credit: Gemini Observatory/AURA illustration by Lynette Cook. […]
Dear Boston Logan TSA, It was airport drudgery like any other day: carryon luggage stuffed with a week’s worth of clothing, a backpack brimming with notebooks and magazines, an overpriced […]
Editor’s Note: This article was provided by our partner, RealClearScience. The original is here. IN 1939, INTREPID engineers at the fledgling British Interplanetary Society proposed a daring mission into outer […]
The Virgo Cluster of galaxies is the richest nearby treasure trove of ellipticals; this is the final one Messier ever found. “We sail within a vast sphere, ever drifting in uncertainty, […]
Every prediction it’s ever made has been verified, except for one. “These neutrino observations are so exciting and significant that I think we’re about to see the birth of an entirely […]
Sometimes images captured by NASA look like works of art. This one looks painted in the style of Chiaroscuro, sharp contrasts between light and dark. NASA explains why: Deep shadows […]
Dust surrounds the Orion Nebula, a hotbed of star formation some 1,600 light years away. Who knew dust could be this beautiful? The “intricate and picturesque filaments of dust,” as […]
If we wanted to know how cold it is now and was in the distant past, how would we figure it out? “Science casts a long black shadow back over who […]