bigthinkeditor

bigthinkeditor

The jungle has often been a metaphor for the breakdown of morality. Think “Heart of Darkness” or “Aguirre: Wrath of God.” And now we have a true story to add […]
While coal has long supplied energy to the Navajo tribe in Arizona, new inspiration and political will is calling for renewable energy to build the society's future.
"Researchers find they can alleviate depression in mice by boosting a protein in one part of the brain." Technology Review on how gene therapy could be used in humans.
In 1916, Dr. T. Kenard Thomson proposed increasing N.Y.C.'s property value by creating a land bridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn and building an island off the Jersey shore.
France's new Internet piracy police has been scouring the Web for illegal downloaders of films and music, sending warning emails to suspected intellectual property thieves.
Does wine taste better in certain phases of the moon? Catherine Nixey examines a 20th century theory that says earth's satellite affects the taste of the vintage.
"The Bible exhorts us to love our neighbors. But what about our colleagues? Do we really need to love the people we work with?" Dr. Paul Zak on why love is essential in the workplace.
New research suggests that people are more comfortable with being dishonest on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook than when speaking face-to-face.
"The west still rules—but this will change in the coming decades; indeed, geography may cease to matter." Ian Morris says the rate of global change is accelerating.
"The differences between Twitter and Facebook mirror a longstanding debate about how the human brain processes other people." The Frontal Cortex explains.
From high-speed rail and congestion pricing to privatization, Americans debate the best ways to invest in infrastructure and stimulate economic activity.
The word “occult” is loaded with all sorts of associations. To some it conjures images of devil worship and witchcraft; to others it is just a concoction of superstition and […]
"Beautifully preserved bees, ants, spiders and other small prehistoric creatures that lived 50 million years ago have been unearthed in a huge amber deposit in India."
"Governments don't want to admit the failure of health-care or surveillance systems, and they are afraid of the trade and travel sanctions that may result from a large outbreak."
Software developer Steve Laniel says that if we really want the Information Age rather than the Chatter Age, there’s only one solution: relearn self-control.rn
"The creator of America's first and best satirical daily newspaper cartoon talks about 40 years of upsetting politicians and editors."
"Mentally disturbed people are not merely paying a personal price for our social sanity, but are sometimes gifted too in their own peculiar way."
"What makes cobras kings is not just their size, or their deadliness...it is that they eat other snakes. How does the king cobra maintain such an apparently high-risk lifestyle?"
"Our self-image is one of bold action. In reality, Americans resist change, pressing the government to act boldly only when a national calamity forces it upon us."
"One obvious problem for many porn users is the conflict between their stated belief in equality and respect for women, and the material they're watching in private."