History & Society

History & Society

Trace how culture, power, and ideas shape societies across time.

A serene beach scene at dusk with a distant pier, a few people walking along the shoreline, and gentle waves hitting the sand. The sky is cloudy with rays of light breaking through, hinting at the subtle potential for tidal power beneath the surface.
For well over a century, engineers have proposed harnessing the ocean’s tides for energy. But the idea hasn’t seemed to register in many places.
A black and white photo of a young child holding a vintage telephone receiver to their ear, with an excited expression. The background features graphic designs of sound waveforms and orange flames, evoking the intense energy of death metal.
If music is a window onto truth, what does screaming reveal?
Stellar explosion
The expanding Universe, in many ways, is the ultimate out-of-equilibrium system. After enough time passes, will we eventually get there?
A sculpture depicts a human head with the top open like a birdcage. A lone white feather, symbolizing lost motivation, lies on the ground outside the cage on a blue background.
Big Think recently spoke with behavioral scientist and author Katy Milkman about what really motivates us and steers our behavior.
Close-up of a person's beard and glasses on the right side with numbers "7", "30", and "65" shown in varying typographical styles across the center, subtly referencing the 7-38-55 rule. The background is abstract with dark and light tones.
If words are really only 7% of communication, then why would anyone need to learn a foreign language?
big crunch
For nearly 25 years, we thought we knew how the Universe would end. Now, new measurements point to a profoundly different conclusion.
Illustration of a group of four abstract, faceless human silhouettes, with one figure highlighted in red emitting colorful light from the top of its head against a dark background, symbolizing innovative leaders.
To kickstart innovation follow the insider startup knowledge about charisma, “well-rounded square pegs,” and rock-solid teams.
hubble tension
The mutual distance between well-separated galaxies increases with time as the Universe expands. What else expands, and what doesn't?
It's a proclivity that sometimes leads to internal conflicts and high turnover.
A vibrant aurora borealis with green and purple hues in a starry sky, viewed over the silhouette of a tree, reminiscent of the "aurora hubble" phenomenon.
The most iconic, longest-lived space telescope of all, NASA's Hubble, is experiencing orbital decay as the solar cycle peaks. Here's why.
A fictional map of a continent named eneropa, showing various regions like tidal states, ccsr, and solaria with topographical details and a scale.
A radical proposal reimagines Europe as a carbon-neutral continent where national boundaries are replaced by regions defined by renewable energy capabilities.
High-tech robotic arms equipped with cameras digitizing an ancient manuscript in a library.
The burial spot was found in one of the Herculaneum scrolls charred by Mt. Vesuvius.
A diptych image: left side shows a row of shopping carts lined up, right side depicts a single shopping cart abandoned in a puddle, serving as a litmus test for societal behavior.
The "Shopping Cart Litmus Test" is a popular meme about morality. What does it really reveal about one's character?
A u.s. coast guard cutter sails on calm blue waters against a clear sky, flying the coast guard flag on its stern.
Driven by a childhood marked by war and environmental devastation, Dyhia Belhabib developed an innovative technology to combat illegal fishing.
A man in a green suit standing in an art gallery, using a spray bottle to clean a large painting of three hands reaching towards each other.
“I believe that in the future, there will be a Francis Bacon of AI art,” Saltz tells Big Think. “We just haven't seen that artist yet.”
Raisin bread expanding Universe
The evidence that the Universe is expanding is overwhelming. But how? By stretching the existing space, or by creating new space itself?
A vibrant display of green aurora borealis above an antarctic research station under a starry sky.
IceCube scientists have detected high-energy tau neutrinos from deep space, suggesting that neutrino transformations occur not only in lab experiments but also over cosmic distances.
elements
In 2017, we detected gold being forged in a neutron star-neutron star merger. Now, in 2024, the amounts created simply don't add up.
World map illustrating various countries color-coded by their happiness levels with symbols indicating the most and least happy countries in each region.
The Gallup World Poll reveals regional peaks and valleys of happiness across all of the continents.