All Videos — April 6, 2011

What Do Toddlers and Shakespeare Have in Common?

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

They both experiment with language, recombining words and phrases in novel ways. Steven Pinker explains how his studies in childhood linguistics try to shed light on linguistic creativity in general.

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Bright orange star surrounded by a dense field of smaller white stars in space.

The Past

How humanity discovered we’re all made of “star stuff”

Carl Sagan was far from the first to declare we are the children of ancient stars.

Person disguised as a ghost with sunglasses, sitting at an outdoor table.

Neuropsych

Why we ghost

The psychology of people who cut off all communication—and how that affects their partners.

A person in a red shirt stands next to "Waves in an Impossible Sea," the 2024 science book by Matt Strassler. The background displays a blurred bookshelf.

Starts With A Bang

“Waves in an Impossible Sea”: The 2024 science book of the year

Matt Strassler’s journey into fundamental physics culminates in a brilliant explanation of the Higgs field. Enjoy this exclusive interview.

A person holds a smartphone and a book with an ornate cover, clasped together in both hands.

The Present

Silicon Valley’s obsession with AI looks a lot like religion

The tech world’s fixation on artificial intelligence has spawned beliefs and rituals that resemble religion — complete with digital deities, moral codes, and threats of damnation.

Abstract image featuring glowing lines radiating outward, creating a wave-like, undulating pattern.

Thinking

The “living mirror” theory: Why all living organisms may have consciousness

“We do not experience primarily because we have brains; we experience because we are alive.”

Up Next

Guest Thinkers

Write Like Shakespeare

This is Twilight, for poets. It’s not designed to fly over your head; it’s designed as to shoot straight to your heart.