Author posts
There never was a male fertility crisis
A new study suggests that reports of the impending infertility of the human male are greatly exaggerated.
No news is good news? Think again
Information economics suggests that "no news" means somebody is hiding something. But people are bad at noticing that.
Brain study strengthens link between lithium and suicide
A lithium imbalance appears linked to suicide.
First-of-its-kind flower smells like dead insects
Life finds a way — in this case, by smelling like death.
New AI-based theory explains your weird dreams
Dreams are weird. According to a new theory, that's what makes them useful.
Virtual reality warps your sense of time
Ever lose track of time while doing something? It gets worse with a VR headset on.
Your voice might reveal personality traits
The way you speak might reveal a lot about you, such as your willingness to engage in casual sex.
Modern society is as unequal as 14th century Europe
As bad as this sounds, a new essay suggests that we live in a surprisingly egalitarian age.
You are suffering from “tab overload”
Our love-hate relationship with browser tabs drives all of us crazy. There is a solution.
Study: You would spend 90 extra days in jail in a private prison
A new study suggests that private prisons hold prisoners for a longer period of time, wasting the cost savings that private prisons are supposed to provide over public ones.
Study: Dunbar’s number is wrong. You can have more than 150 friends
Dunbar's number is a popular estimate for the maximum size of social groups. But new research suggests that it's a fictitious number based on flimsy data and bad theory.
Baby's first poop predicts risk of allergies
Meconium contains a wealth of information.
Study: There are four types of Alzheimer’s disease
New research suggests that there is no "typical" form of Alzheimer's disease, as the condition can manifest in at least four different ways.
Blame evolution for human disease
For every good idea in evolution, there is an unintended consequence. Disease is often one of them.
Moral enhancement explained: Can science make us better people?
Could a pill make you more moral? Should you take it if it could?
Why American universities are the best in the world
American universities used to be small centers of rote learning, but three big ideas turned them into intellectual powerhouses.
Mysterious vomiting disease in dogs is due to novel coronavirus
A newly discovered coronavirus — but not the one that causes COVID-19 — has made some dogs very sick.
False positive: Exoplanets could have lots of oxygen but no life
Oxygen is thought to be a biomarker for extraterrestrial life, but there are at least three different ways that a lifeless planet can produce it.
Study: People will donate more to charity if they think something’s in it for them
A study on charity finds that reminding people how nice it feels to give yields better results than appealing to altruism.
Moral and economic lessons from Mario Kart
The design of a classic video game yields insights on how to address global poverty.
New study determines how many mothers have lost a child by country
Global inequality takes many forms, including who has lost the most children
Accidental MIT study shows everybody is bad at getting stuff done on time
When you say, "I'll get it done this week," you're just lying to yourself.
Math explains polarization, and it's not just about politics
People often divide the world into "us" and "them" then forget about everybody else.
The four moral judgments you make every day
Our brains make snap moral decisions in mere seconds.
Rain, caves, and miracles: New study connects weather to ancient tales
A new study provides a possible scientific explanation for the existence of stories about ancient saints performing miracles with water.
13 films everyone should watch and why—as voted by you
A curated watchlist from Big Think readers.
Hidden dwarf galaxies revealed in first images of the "cosmic web"
Not only does this give us a look at the scaffolding of the universe, we found some new galaxies too!
Lightning may have provided a key mineral for early life on Earth
How do you get usable phosphorus into a system? A new study suggests lightning can do the trick.
Is computer code a language or math? MIT study uses brain scans for answers
How our brains interpret computer code could impact how we teach it.
Study measures marijuana's carbon footprint—and it's high
Growing marijuana in large, climate controlled warehouses is good for production but has a massive carbon footprint.
Incredible fossil shows dinosaur sitting on preserved nest of eggs
Fossils of ancient creatures doing anything are rare. This one is absolutely unique.
Plastic pollution from face masks could devastate the environment
Masks are great, but what happens when we try to throw out a billion masks at once?
Higher incomes tied to better emotional states — but there's a catch
A study of 1.6 million people ties high incomes with more positive emotions and fewer negative ones, but only towards the self.
Massive 'space hurricane' made of plasma rained electrons over North Pole
This storm rained electrons, shifted energy from the sun's rays to the magnetosphere, and went unnoticed for a long time.
Harvard study finds perfect blend of fruits and vegetables to lower risk of death
Eating veggies is good for you. Now we can stop debating how much we should eat.
Cephalopod aces 'marshmallow test' designed for eager children
The famous cognition test was reworked for cuttlefish. They did better than expected.
Classical liberalism and three of its founders: explained
Most people seem to enjoy liberalism and its spin offs, but what is it exactly? Where did the idea come from?
New wellness center lets guests cuddle with cows
Cow cuddling is getting ever more popular, but what's the science behind using animals for relaxation?
How philosophy blends physics with the idea of free will
How does philosophy try to balance having free will with living in a deterministic universe?
Japanese government appoints new "Minister of Loneliness"
While not the first such minister, the loneliness epidemic in Japan will make this one the hardest working.
Record for oldest DNA ever sequenced broken by mammoth remains
One million year old mammoth DNA more than doubles the previous record and suggests that even older genomes could be found.
Rousseau explained: What his philosophy means for us
The philosopher who praised a simple life and inspired the worst of the French Revolution.
New animation shows a billion years of continental drift
A new model of plate tectonics offers a chance to look back a billion years with new found accuracy.
Albert Camus on why accepting absurdity is the start of a fruitful life
Life is absurd, that detail can be the start of a great many things.
New radar tech takes unbelievably detailed moon images from Earth
Radar astronomy is nothing new, but a new transmitter may give us unprecedented image resolution.
Risk-taking behavior has a unique and complex brain signature
How much of this can be linked to genetics?
Who were the most legendary ancient rulers of all time?
From Ramses II to Alexander the Great, these leaders helped shaped the world we know today.
Five collectibles with better returns than the stock market
People often make a killing in stocks, but there are other ways to potentially turn major profits.
Discovery of two giant radio galaxies hints at more to come
The newly discovered galaxies are 62 times bigger than the Milky Way.
A new essay takes a holistic look at the trolley problem
Knowing what to do is one thing, doing it is another.
Colorful brain mapping tool lights up neural connections
A powerful new tool lights up the brains of worms, and may soon help draw maps of other animals brains.
Survey shows Congress is more religious than America
A new survey shows who believes what and how it differs from what Americans believe as a whole.
New type of dual-acting antibiotic shows promise
A new antibiotic hits germs with a two pronged attack.
New DNA evidence rewrites Caribbean history
Two new studies shed light on who first inhabited the islands, who replaced them, and how few people lived there.
Anxiety and depression can affect your learning ability
An excessive focus on past failures can make learning about new situtations more difficult.
Interventions in school years can prevent "deaths of despair"
While most of these deaths are driven by external factors, interventions can still help prevent them.
Sixteen facial expressions appear in every culture
Other cultures can differ greatly from your own, but there are commonalties in the way we express emotions.
Astronomers have detected the first radio emissions from an exoplanet
Planets can emit radio waves. For the first time, we've picked them up from outside the solar system.
Researchers say food prices don’t reflect environmental costs
Agriculture is responsible for a quarter of greenhouse emissions, but who pays for these environmental costs?
13 books everyone should read and why—as voted by you
Add these great titles to your wish list or secure copies for yourself.
Ancient Puebloans used ice caves to survive droughts
Carbon dating allows us to know exactly when ice was melted for drinking water in pre-Columbian America.
Trial of a universal flu vaccine shows promise
The vaccine just passed its first clinical trials, but it has a long way to go.
Doctors in Canada to begin prescribing nature to patients
A new "evidence-based nature prescription program" will see patients spending time in the woods.
Study suggests most "dark web" users are not engaging in illicit activities
A new study finds that some people just want privacy.
Plato’s utopia and why you don’t want to live there
History's first utopia shows how far we've come.
Lonely? Hungry? The same part of the brain worries about both
MRI scans show that hunger and loneliness cause cravings in the same area, which suggests socialization is a need.
How long does turkey take to thaw? There’s a calculator for that
Never made a turkey before? Don't worry, science can help.
Study finds matriarchal societies are good for women's health
A study of the Mosuo women, known for their matriarchy, suggests that gender roles can influence our health outcomes.
Isolated island group is now one of the world's largest animal sanctuaries
One of the world's most isolated island groups has just been made one of the world's largest ocean reserves.
Researchers use CT scans to digitally peek at ancient Egyptian mummies
All the fun of opening up a mummy, without the fear of unleashing a plague.
Soft fabric robot grips objects like an elephant's trunk
The new tool may someday be used in work that needs a light touch.
Some sleep is worse than no sleep for keeping fear in check
Getting plenty of sleep just became even more important.
Study warns of delayed flu outbreaks after pandemic ends
The positive steps we are taking to prevent disease might have a negative side effect.
Why you should cut back on social media and how to do it
Social media seems to stress some people out. Maybe its time for a break?
Should we pay ex-drug users to help them get clean?
What is more important, that a treatment helps keep people healthy or that it meshes with our morals?
What can we laugh at and why? The philosophy of humor
Everyone loves a laugh now and then, except for most of the philosophers you've heard of.
Study finds hard physical labor raises risk for dementia
Work that can break down the body can also break down the mind.
New study shows which states make it easier (or harder) to vote
States set their own voting laws, so where does this make voting easiest?
Liberal and conservative brains react to charged words differently
Partisanship can now be seen in brain scans.
Coffee and green tea may lower death risk for some adults
Tea and coffee have known health benefits, but now we know they can work together.
Can you solve what an MIT professor once called 'the hardest logic puzzle ever'?
Logic puzzles can teach reasoning in a fun way that doesn't feel like work.
Why aligning AI to our values may be harder than we think
Can we stop a rogue AI by teaching it ethics? That might be easier said than done.
Cornell University program aims to end world hunger in 10 years
Can we end world hunger by 2030? Thanks to a new program, the data for it is all there.
Mosquitoes' taste for blood is finally explained
Mosquitoes can taste your blood using unique sensory abilities. Can we use that to keep them off us?
Six solar system oddities and why we must learn about them
Want some crazy space phenomena? You don't have to leave the neighborhood for it.
How humans ended up the most altruistic of animals
Humans help each other in ways animals don't dream of, but why?
New model explains Saturn’s hexagon shaped storm
The solar system has some strange stuff in it. Learning how it ended up that way can tell us where we're going.
Got science questions? Skype A Scientist can help
A non-profit dedicated to science communication offers to connect learners with over 11,000 scientists.
Ambassadors from 50 nations sign letter supporting LGBTQ rights in Poland
Poland has become an increasingly unwelcoming place for the LGBTQ community. Fifty diplomats hope to change that.
Three philosophies of punishment and whether or not they work
What do we want to do with convicted criminals? Penology has several philosophies waiting to answer that question.
Income is tied to happiness and hope for the future
Money can't buy happiness, but try being hopeful and broke at the same time.
Want students to cheat less? Science says treat them justly
Students who think the world is just cheat less, but they need to experience justice to feel that way.
Back to back excavations unearth two dozen Egyptian mummies
Well preserved coffins hint towards more discoveries in a famed necropolis.
Glassdoor lists the highest-rated CEOs during COVID
If you want flexibility, transparency, and decent health policies, it seems like working in tech pays off.
Sharks flee in terror when killer whales show up
Sharks fear killer whales. How does this impact the ecosystems they share?
Five weird thought experiments to break your brain
Thought expriments are great tools, but do they always do what we want them to?
Study: Older Americans know more about COVID than connected youth
Why a survey claims Boomers demonstrate more knowledge and safer behavior.
Rock study may have just revealed cause of Triassic mass extinction
Rocks from two hundred million years ago show us how everything died and how nothing is new.
The philosophy of bullsh*t and how to avoid stepping in it
A philosopher's guide to detecting nonsense and getting around it.
Study shows why face shields don’t work as well as face masks
Some people choose alternatives to masks for comfort. A study shows the difference in effectiveness.
