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Recent studies suggest that we derive more satisfaction from things we create ourselves. Known as the Ikea Effect, it could also explain American obesity, says Jonah Lehrer.
The world's largest virtual real-estate deal took place this week on Second Life, a virtual world where people spend real money. The fictitious property went for $335,000.
Creating clean energy jobs is the wrong way to undo the recession, says Forbes' Mark Mills. Today's energy infrastructure represents a minor section of the American economy.
Religious families tend to have more children than atheist ones. From an evolutionary standpoint, this suggests belief in God is better suited to survival, says Phillip Longman.
Will Facebook's plan to give its users @facebook.com email accounts rival Google's Gmail? Tech Crunch thinks Facebook could do a better job at organizing the inbox.
Last week, Big Think blogger Frank Jacobs featured “The United States of Movies,” on his blog Strange Maps. The map, originally posted Reddit, assigned a movie to every U.S. state […]
Much of the privacy that so many of us cherish has been an economic fluke. Tracking technology has spun far out of control but the privacy problem is really one of our own making.
A study said to shake psychology's foundations finds that daydreaming is rarely helpful. Furthermore, it challenges the idea that the mind responds to a stimulus out in the world.
It will take a revived patriotism to motivate Americans to do what needs to be done. ...How can you love your country if you hate the other half of it?
Spiegel interprets envy and egotism at this year's G-20 summit as a sign the days of close cooperation among the world's big 20 economic powers may have ended.
"The 'laws of war' may sound like an antiquated concept in this age of robo-weapons. But, in truth, a clear international legal regime has never been more needed."
It’s that other material — the truly vile and illegal stuff, hidden from public view — that represents the true threat to the fabric of decent society.
I secretly wish Obama was only human. As much as I admire his adult behavior, it would be understandable if he stood up to the bullies on the right.
Conceptions of even such fundamental domains as time can differ dramatically across cultures. In a remote Australian Aboriginal community, time is arranged in terms of east to west.
How have advertising's highly-paid creatives and suits reacted to a highly-successful coffee ad featuring Al Pacino that left them completely out of the loop? Read for yourself here.
Does your sperm have oddly shaped or multiple heads? A breakthrough in fertility treatment magnifies sperm 18 times larger than seen before and eliminates DNA-damaged sperm.
A new bioplastic made from switchgrass is durable, capable of withstanding high temperatures, and, most importantly, biodegradable. Could this technology placate critics of corn-based alternatives?
While much remains unknown about the deadly disease, advances in research have shed new light on its mechanisms, and on how dementia affects the aging brain.
"The Abu Dhabi art fair offers a glimpse of the emirate's impressive cultural ambitions." The city will soon host branches of the Louvre and Guggenheim museums.
As companies look for scalable ways to store their data, cloud computing appears more attractive than ever. The industry is receiving a good amount of venture capital.