Latest Articles

Latest Articles

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

A close up of a carving on a wall showing Sol Invictus
Before Constantine received his history-defining vision, a pagan Sun god paved the way for Jesus Christ’s triumphal entry into the Eternal City.
An abstract figure with a pale face holds its head and screams on a bridge, with swirling blue, orange, and black lines in the background.
9mins
No, emotions don’t happen TO you. Here’s what happens instead.
Photo of the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion
Memorial day is a time to remember veterans killed in the line of service. These spaceflight heroes deserve to be remembered, too.
a group of people standing in the shape of a world map.
If we took the values and principles of cooperation to the next level, we could effectively tackle many crises.
a close up of a robot head on a white background.
From forgotten Hollywood movies to Frank Herbert’s "Dune," science fiction illustrates some of our deepest fears about technology.
a skeleton is shown in a red light.
Would you confess your crimes to a skeleton with "an unnatural ghastly glow"? One inventor thought you would.
a drawing of a green speech bubble.
It’s the paradoxical observation that the more we try to process, the less we actually can.
a painting of a woman shaking hands with a man.
A philosophy of birth can offset the prevailing narrative around extinction and mortality.
a flock of pink birds flying through a cloudy sky.
"Groupthink" gets a bad rap. In reality, we need groups to focus our thinking and to build on the ideas of others.
John Templeton Foundation
a man standing in front of a white light.
We commonly stereotype psychopaths as criminals, but there are probably more in upper management.
an image of a colorful object with a black background.
Particle physicists use gigantic accelerators to investigate the infinitesimal.
a clock that is in the middle of a circle.
7mins
Science can’t stop aging, but it may be able to slow our epigenetic clocks.
A surreal painting shows a large distorted human face with closed eyes, supported by sticks, floating above a calm landscape with a boat and building in the background.
4mins
Ancient societies revered dreams. Modern science tells us why.
big bang expanding universe
It's been 100 years since we discovered that the Universe was expanding. But if it's expanding, then what is it expanding into?
a painting of a wooden judge's hammer.
Memory, responsibility, and mental maturity have long been difficult to describe objectively, but neuroscientists are starting to detect patterns. Coming soon to a courtroom near you?
A person standing in the ocean captured in a haunting black and white photo.
The dying brain experiences a surge of electrical activity. Could this help explain the mysterious phenomena of near-death experiences?
a woman is putting a voting paper in a folder.
In a time when we dislike and distrust our politicians, why can't we get more popular leaders like Kim Jong Un and Bashar al-Assad?
a crowd of people walking down a city street.
Walking is rarer in the U.S. compared to similar nations. It is also deadlier: Nearly 7,500 pedestrians were killed in 2021.
a painting of two women sitting next to each other.
Emotion dysregulation has been linked to unhealthy risk-taking, relationship challenges, and negative physical health outcomes.