Latest Articles

Latest Articles

The newest essays, interviews, and features from Big Think.

Spin a roulette wheel a million times, and you'll see a fairly even split between black and red. But spin it a few dozen times, and there might be "streaks" of one or the other. The gambler's fallacy leads bettors to believe that they odds are better if they bet against the streak. But the wheel has no memory of previous spins; for each round, leaving aside those pesky green zeroes, the odds for each color are always going to be 50-50.
When children believe that telling the truth will make their parents happy, they become less likely to lie.
Lack of exercise is more deadly than obesity, according to a study of 334,000 men and women which found that twice as many deaths are attributable to physical inactivity than to obesity.
Exercises that call for people to blindfold themselves in order to experience what it's like to be blind may hurt perceptions of those who are disabled rather that help those with sight understand.
"I don't think necessity is the mother of invention — invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble."
How to figure out your location on Earth with only the most primitive tools. “And you may find yourself in another part of the world.And you may find yourself behind […]
A Dutch startup is working on behalf of seriously ill or dying patients to access experimental pharmaceutical drugs years before they are approved (or not) by governmental regulatory bodies.
How our own minds work is hard to see. As with almost everything else our views are shaped by the ideas our culture uses. Here are some once-tempting views about why we do what we know we will rue (tales of sin, vice and bad decisions).
Either there’s an unseen source of mass, or the laws of gravity are wrong. But only one can explain what we see. “The discrepancy between what was expected and what […]
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Professor Stephen Post runs through the many reasons why it's beneficial to practice forgiveness, not the least of which is that anger and bitterness can lead to physical toil.
There's a saying: Put a sweater on if your mother feels cold. It may seem silly, but a recent study shows that feeling cold can, indeed, be contagious.
The answer to that question is, probably not.  Wherever people come together seeking goals – whether the same or different ones – and especially where there is competition for scarce resources, […]
Artists are being priced out of New York and other large urban centers. Some are moving to Detroit where houses go for a dollar; others are finding refuge in the suburbs.
A new program out of Washington DC's Public Library will attempt to answer some of the most important questions about personal privacy and security in America today, as well as show people how to use Tor.
The internet comments provide a means for researchers to asses people's uninhibited, inner thoughts and feelings that they may not otherwise express if they weren't anonymous. So, what do they have to say about women in STEM fields?
For decades now, an employment and wage gap has emerged between college graduates and individuals with only a high school diploma. 
After a long day or week at the office it may feel appropriate to kick back with a beer. But a recent study has found workers who clock-in more and 48 hours in a week run the risk of developing a unhealthy alcohol habit.
In today's featured discussion on pheromones, biologist Edward O. Wilson explains that there are massive amounts of natural stimuli that humans are not physically privy to.
"I am of the firm belief that everybody could write books and I never understand why they don't. After all, everyone speaks. Once the grammar has been learnt it is simply talking on paper and in time learning what not to say."
It may be prudent to save up just in case you run into a tough 6 months, but it's also smart to start investing for the long term as soon as possible.