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Evolutionary Biology
Is our first “galaxy-quasar hybrid” also a Little Red Dot?
Found by Hubble before JWST's launch, GNz7q looked like a mix of a galaxy and a quasar. Was it actually our first known "little red dot"?
25 min
Are we blinded by our desire to find extraterrestrial life?
“Deep down the natural endpoint of this whole goal of looking for planets is to answer the question: are we alone?”
The “intoxication thesis”: The evolutionary benefits of getting drunk
Getting drunk might be bad for you but good for us.
5 horrifying stories that double as lessons in philosophy
Each of these stories rests on a foundation of great ideas that will scare you to death and make you think.
What do distant observers see when they look at Earth?
From here on Earth, looking farther away in space means looking farther back in time. So what are distant Earth-watchers seeing right now?
“Mirror life” and the recurring nightmare of scientific apocalypse
The fear of unleashing forces beyond control has haunted science for centuries.
Ask Ethan: Where does cosmic dust come from?
Dust is ubiquitous in the modern Universe, appearing in nearly all galaxies. But our cosmos was born dust-free. So where does it originate?
3 min
Fearing death keeps us from living. 3 experts explain.
Biologist Tyler Volk PhD, psychiatrist Bruce Greyson MD, and palliative care physician BJ Miller MD, reveal how confronting mortality can improve the way we live.
Unlikely Collaborators
8 min
The history of natural selection, in 7 minutes
“The idea of evolution by natural selection is, for me, probably the most beautiful idea in biology.”
How a dime-sized bone rewrote the story of human evolution
In “The Secret History of Denisovans,” Silvana Condemi and François Savatier trace the story of our mysterious hominin ancestor.
Think like a crow, choose like a crab: The animals inside our minds
A conversation about intelligence and consciousness with philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith.
The philosophers who predicted “ultimate” forms of consciousness
Philosophers once prophesied that evolution would lead to minds far greater — and stranger — than our own.
Daniel Dennett: Consciousness is no miracle. It’s a magic trick.
"For many people, the idea that consciousness is a set of tricks is offensive," the late philosopher told Big Think in 2012. "I think that's a prime mistake."
Evolution isn’t a straight line: Modern humans come from 2 ancient lineages
After more than a million years of separation, two branches of humanity reunited around 300,000 years ago, suggests new research.