Latest

Text graphic displaying the words “The Latest” in large, bold, black serif font on a light background.
Four women stand in front of a vintage computer, each holding different components of its hardware, with the computer's panel visible in the background—an image reminiscent of historical innovation studied by Angus Fletcher.
The incredible story of how the US Army began the march toward generative AI in 1943 — and what it means for your business today.
A diagram illustrating one of the biggest mysteries: the origin of the universe, from the Big Bang and inflation to today, showing the formation of atoms, stars, galaxies, and the ongoing expansion of space.
From the Big Bang to a prior period of cosmic inflation, our cosmic origins are clearer than ever. Yet these 5 big mysteries still remain.
A circular diagram illustrating the observable universe, showing planets, stars, galaxies, and cosmic background radiation layers—revealing where Big Bang echoes still linger.
If you think of the Big Bang as an explosion, we can trace it back to a single point-of-origin. But what if it happened everywhere at once?
A man in a suit walks on grass beside a long-haired dog, with faded images of a magic wand, a hat, and white doves in the blue-toned background.
A childhood spent under the spell of sleight-of-hand taught me skepticism, curiosity, and the habit of looking beneath appearances.
A smiling man with short dark hair wears a button-up shirt, standing in front of a purple, splattered-texture background.
Big Think spoke with astronomer David Kipping about technosignatures, "extragalactic SETI," and being a popular science communicator in the YouTube age.
Book cover for "Seven Rivers" by Vanessa Taylor, depicting a busy historical scene along the Nile River with many boats; text on left reads "an excerpt from" in black font on yellow background.
In this excerpt from "Seven Rivers," historian Vanessa Taylor explores how Ancient Egyptian pharaohs harnessed the Nile River to build empires and secure their power.
A collage features a man in academic regalia at a podium, a black-and-white rural village, ants, and the words “THE NIGHTCRAWLER” in bold text at the top, evoking the art of reason amid contrasting scenes.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
black hole
All of the matter that we measure today originated in the hot Big Bang. But even before that, and far into the future, it'll never be empty.
Split image: left side features "an excerpt from" on a blue background; right side highlights the cover of "Disrupt Everything and Win" by James Patterson and Patrick Leddin, PhD.
Trailblazing isn’t limited to the executive suite: Cultures of disruption happen when people at every level step up to lead change.
planck temperature polarization
The hot Big Bang is often touted as the beginning of the Universe. But there's one piece of evidence we can't ignore that shows otherwise.
Susan Schneider, in a business suit, smiles at the camera, with a green patterned background behind her.
A conversation with Dr. Susan Schneider on the AI risks we’re not talking about and why the fixation on AGI is misplaced.
A young girl with light brown hair sits with her knees drawn up, looking down, illustrated blue teardrops on her face—capturing a quiet moment that reflects why humans cry.
In this excerpt from "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows…," Steven Pinker examines how crying may have evolved as part of a suite of emotional expressions aimed at strengthening social bonds.
A book cover for "The Storyteller’s Advantage" by Christina Farr is displayed next to the words "an excerpt from" on a split purple and light gray background, reminiscent of the style favored by Alexis Ohanian.
Alexis Ohanian didn’t treat his relationships with the media as purely transactional — and his star rose in spectacular fashion.
As we gain new knowledge, our scientific picture of how the Universe works must evolve. This is a feature of the Big Bang, not a bug.
A white candle with smoke rising from its wick is shown on the left; on the right, two men wearing aprons stand talking in front of a café menu.
Workplace community is too often dismissed as an HR initiative, when in reality it’s the key to driving business results through frontline employee performance.
Black-and-white portrait of a man in a suit centered between a grid, network lines, and a swirling blue pattern evoking a hurricane, symbolizing the dynamic power of predictive intelligence.
Brian Gumbel — President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Dataminr — explores the cutting edge of real-time information analysis.
most distant
The universe is filled with unlikely events, but it is also full of ways to fool ourselves.
Black and white illustration of a human brain with purple scribble circles and arrows pointing toward it on a light background, perfect for those interested in books about the brain.
Neuroscientist Rachel Barr shares her favorite books on the brain and how they shaped her approach to the field.
A woman sits at a desk covered with tall stacks of papers, reviewing and pointing to documents as she conducts a purpose-driven peer review in a busy office setting.
Just because a paper passes peer review doesn't mean that what's written, or what the author asserts, is true. Here's why it still matters.