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The newest essays, interviews, and features from Big Think.
Big Think blogger Michio Kaku writes that a "perfect storm" of wind and ice conditions turned the Icelandic volcano eruption into a crisis. He gives three scenarios for what we can now expect.
Synthetic biologists have discovered new chemical reactions that could "rewire" plants to more efficiently process carbon dioxide—allowing crops to grow to enormous size.
"Right now, America has neither the opportunity nor frankly the balls to do truly big things on Arab-Israeli peacemaking," writes Aaron David Miller.
Scientists have found a distinctive kind of breaking wave in the deep sea representing a subtle force that stirs the seabed and helps distribute rare nutrients.
"No matter where consumers buy books, their belief that electronic media should cost less—that something you can’t hold simply isn’t worth as much money—will exert a powerful force," writes Ken Auletta.
"Although there must be a physical limit to how many memories we can store, it is extremely large. We don’t have to worry about running out of space in our lifetime," writes Paul Reber.
One of the highest-impact lifestyle changes a person can make in the name of environmentalism is to go veggie. It takes – as this blog’s image illustrates – 698 and […]
A study has found that people who report having had "near-death experiences" also have elevated levels of carbon dioxide in their blood—indicating that oxygen deprivation may be the cause.
"A few snapshots." According to novelist Tim O'Brien, that's all our minds retain of our childhoods, adulthoods, and even the people we've loved most deeply. "And that's memory? Little remnant […]
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Our minds don’t capture and record reality, but rather blend experience with fantasy—a process that often results in convincing, yet completely false, memories.
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Remaining mentally active and engaged is critical to retaining information as we age.
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The neuroscientist explains how our mind produces memories and why they actually alter our DNA.
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Less than 5% of Alzheimer’s Disease cases are genetically transmitted. The disease is a consequence of aging, and doesn't target specific demographics.
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Simply paying attention can do a lot to improve recollection, but scientists are also working on a wide variety of memory-boosting drugs.
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A protein that scientists once thought was a "piece of garbage in the brain" turns out to play a key role in memory formation. At high concentrations, however, it spells […]
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A conversation with the professor at the Taub Institute for Research in Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University.
"It has been clear to me since the time of the commission that I led in the '80's, that no doubt the historic responsibility for where we are has to […]
As we push for better health care and longer lives, Gregory Rodriguez writes that we should think about the societal consequences of having so many old people hanging around.
Scientists have created an ultrathin, flexible, electronic implant that essentially melts into place on the brain's surface, and may pave the way for a new generation of medical devices.
"Hummers are stupid and wasteful and if they go away because no one wants to buy one, that'll be just a little sad," writes Penn Jillette. "It's always a little sad to lose some stupid."