Latest Articles

Latest Articles

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

The cosmic background radiation of the Universe once fried everything, but is now barely above absolute zero. Where did that energy go? “I think one of the coolest things you […]
A couple that renews their wedding vows is symbolically communicating their marriage's strength. Yet sometimes, assuming that your bond is impenetrable can lead to a dangerous state of complacency.
Chang'e 5 T1 returned to Earth yesterday after an eight-day unmanned mission. The modules successful re-entry and landing paves the way for an eventual Chinese moon landing.
For every Gravity Falls fan out there, this one’s for you. Images: me (L); Disney Channel / Alex Hirsch et al. (R). “Not man enough? NOT MAN ENOUGH? I have […]
Some weather models forecast a slight chance of snow this weekend in the northeast. But according to members of the National Weather Service, the sheer amount of variables when it comes to forecasting precipitation makes predicting snowfall something of a wash.
Thousands of families across the United States will trick-or-treat tonight in neighborhoods not their own. The cultural debate surrounding "Halloween carpetbaggers" is tied into broader debates about race, class, and wealth.
Cesar Chavez described his life's work in his "What the Future Holds" speech from 1984: "All my life, I have been driven by one dream, one goal, one vision: to overthrow a farm labor system in this nation that treats farm workers as if they were not important human beings. Farm workers are not agricultural implements; they are not beasts of burden to be used and discarded."
4mins
The former Huffington Post CEO discusses the similarities and difference between New York City and Silicon Valley with regard to technology startups.
Photographer Ansel Adams, whose beautiful black and white landscapes full of mountains still grace both museum and office walls, called fellow photographer William Mortensen “the anti-Christ” for what he did […]
The future of Facebook may be as a major content-host. Instead of clicking links to visit outside sites, much of what you read on the web could soon be within Mark Zuckerberg's domain.
"The environmentally friendly funeral industry is booming," says The Atlantic, as Americans seek out ways to go green even after they're dead.
Human irrationality is nothing new. But sometimes we get a fresh reminder that the human capacity for clear thinking is hampered by all kinds of stumbling blocks, and that our […]
The urge to eat when you're not hungry can be a crutch that prevents you from addressing a mental or emotional affliction. Find out the cause of your real hunger and leave the pumpkin pie in the fridge.
Be afraid. Be VERY afraid! Of Ebola. Of ISIS. Of immigrants threatening to bring both threats across a porous border that can’t be protected by a President who can’t even […]
The San Francisco Giants are World Series champions. To celebrate, hundreds of fans took to the streets to vandalize their city. One expert explains the riots by describing how individuals take advantage of a "cloak of crowd anonymity" to behave badly.
Imagine if a century ago free access to a high school education in the United States had been available only to the wealthiest families. Imagine, further, that anybody else who had chosen […]
We normally think of planets as being synonymous with gas giant or rocky worlds orbiting a parent star. They should all be so lucky. “You cannot be lonely if you […]
A new ebola-awareness song recorded by an array of popular West African musicians hits the airwaves across the continent this week. The lyrics offer information for how to stay safe amidst the outbreak.
One of the trendiest ideas in popular psychology in the last few years has been that of “ego depletion” or willpower as a limited resource. Many different books have been […]
8mins
Sam Harris discusses the virtues of psychedelics such as LSD and MDMA. While he does not condone the use of these drugs without caveat, he does acknowledge their profound consciousness-altering properties.