Four reasons not to run a marathon

If your New Year's resolution was to get in shape, signing up for the marathon is a bad way to go about it.

Photo Credit: Quinn Rooney / Staff / Getty Images
  • Marathons gained popularity over the last decade. In 2018, 456,700 Americans completed a marathon, an 11 percent increase in participation from 2008.
  • Training for and racing 26.2 miles has been shown to have adverse effects on the heart, such as plaque buildup in the arteries and inflammation.
  • Running too much can lead to chronically increased cortisol levels, resulting in weight gain, fatigue, and lower immune function.
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dna human body sports extreme sports health

Michio Kaku: 5 fascinating moments from this 1991 interview

From talking about Schrödinger's cat to nuking the South Pole, this decades-old interview shows why Kaku was born to be a science educator.

Harold Channer
  • Michio Kaku is a theoretical physicist and renowned science communicator.
  • In 1991, he sat down for an hour-long interview in which he discussed climate change, nuclear weapons, human evolution, and more.
  • Kaku is a regular contributor to Big Think.
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physics climate change string theory science

Spotify will now create playlists for your pet

Your cat thinks your taste stinks. Also that you're mingy with the laser pointer.

Image source: Spotify/Big Think
  • Spotify has just announced a free playlist-creation site for pets.
  • Research suggests that animals have their own music preferences.
  • Hedgehogs possibly don't get enough respect.
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music neuroscience internet sound art emotions. pet playlist

Tardigrades' kryptonite? Climate change.

Not so indestructible after all.

Surprising Science
  • Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are microscopic creatures best known for their ability to withstand a variety of extreme conditions, such as high heat, extreme cold, high pressure, and even the vacuum of space.
  • However, new research shows that the famously durable creatures aren't so robust against the long-term heat of climate change.
  • The findings underscore how fundamentally humans have affected life at every level.
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environment weather biology climate change

First Mars samples are headed to Earth. What are the risks?

A Mars Space Flight team member warns that people need to be prepared for what's coming.

Image source: Marat Gilyadzinov/unsplash
Surprising Science
  • A mission to and from Mars aims to bring back signs or examples of life.
  • Expect material direct from the Red Planet around 2031.
  • A special lab to quarantine the samples is being designed.
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mars microbiology space microbes nasa sociology

3D printing of body parts is coming fast – but regulations are not ready

Today, a quickly emerging set of technologies known as bioprinting is poised to push the boundaries further.

Sandy Huffaker/Corbis via Getty Images
Surprising Science

In the last few years, the use of 3D printing has exploded in medicine. Engineers and medical professionals now routinely 3D print prosthetic hands and surgical tools. But 3D printing has only just begun to transform the field.

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medicine medical research health health care bioethics 3d printing