Nearly every major initiative to solve the new century's most pressing problems has ground to a standstill amid political gridlock, summit pageantry, and perfunctory news conferences.

Since branding Wall Street’s pre-eminent investment bank, Goldman Sachs with the epithet “vampire squid,” Rolling Stone correspondent Matt Taibbi has made quite a name for himself in the mainstream American […]

The symptoms of autism are far better understood than its causes; psychiatrists classify the disorder as having two major components: impaired social cognition and a tendency toward narrow interests and repetitive behaviors. 

From the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times to CNN’s The Situation Room, President Jimmy Carter’s recent claim on Big Think that America is in fact ready to elect […]

A new device worn on the arm or leg trains you to be aware of your brain function, so you can regain focus when you drift off at work, lose concentration on the back nine, or fall asleep at the wheel.

What are the real causes of social pathology—and can affluence actually be part of the problem? David Wilson says solving social ills by spending money rarely works.

In an extensive interview, the "Oracle of Omaha" discusses who might soon take his job and what he thinks the broader outlook is for the American economy.

The images, messages and stories of the multibillion-dollar pornography industry have seeped into and distorted our genuine sexual identities, says The Guardian's Gail Dines.

When faced with decisions, our ability to make hunch evaluations varies considerably: Intuition can either be a useful ally or it can lead to costly and dangerous mistakes.

More than 30 years after NASA's Viking landers found no evidence for organic materials on Mars, scientists say a new experiment on Mars-like soil shows Viking did, in fact, hit pay dirt.

If you've ever responded to tragedy by raging at God, you're not alone. A new study finds that anger at God is a common emotion among Americans.

A renewable energy startup is making deals that are attracting business. The company helps its clients to get photovoltaics on the roof without putting them on the books.

Amazingly, your walking speed is just as good an indicator of how long you'll live as your health history, smoking habits, and blood pressure combined.

Today’s super-rich are different from yesterday’s: more hardworking and meritocratic, but less connected to the nations that granted them opportunity.

For most people, social networking consists of status updates, virtual cows, and bizarre Kanye tweets. But actor and philanthropist Edward Norton believes that social networking can truly change the world, […]

As evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa explains during his Big Think interview, many of humankind’s most important psychological traits stopped evolving over 10,000 years ago. Today, many of our unconscious biases […]

By allowing users to create and polish their personal brand, Facebook has become the magic mirror of our narcissistic and self-publicising era, says Philippe Rivière.

Philosophy has not kept up with modern developments in science, particularly physics, says Stephen Hawking. But are Hawking's theoretical ideas not philosophical in their essence?

Mood rings famously are meant to change color to reflect the mood of the wearer. Some are cheap and ugly. Some are expensive and set in precious metal. All work using the same mechanics.

One of the biggest mysteries of physics could end with what scientists find 4,850 feet below the Black Hills of South Dakota, where a laboratory will replace a defunct gold mine.