Search
History and Society
For well over a century, engineers have proposed harnessing the ocean’s tides for energy. But the idea hasn’t seemed to register in many places.
The expanding Universe, in many ways, is the ultimate out-of-equilibrium system. After enough time passes, will we eventually get there?
Big Think recently spoke with behavioral scientist and author Katy Milkman about what really motivates us and steers our behavior.
If words are really only 7% of communication, then why would anyone need to learn a foreign language?
For nearly 25 years, we thought we knew how the Universe would end. Now, new measurements point to a profoundly different conclusion.
To kickstart innovation follow the insider startup knowledge about charisma, “well-rounded square pegs,” and rock-solid teams.
The mutual distance between well-separated galaxies increases with time as the Universe expands. What else expands, and what doesn't?
The most iconic, longest-lived space telescope of all, NASA's Hubble, is experiencing orbital decay as the solar cycle peaks. Here's why.
A radical proposal reimagines Europe as a carbon-neutral continent where national boundaries are replaced by regions defined by renewable energy capabilities.
The "Shopping Cart Litmus Test" is a popular meme about morality. What does it really reveal about one's character?
Driven by a childhood marked by war and environmental devastation, Dyhia Belhabib developed an innovative technology to combat illegal fishing.
“I believe that in the future, there will be a Francis Bacon of AI art,” Saltz tells Big Think. “We just haven't seen that artist yet.”
The evidence that the Universe is expanding is overwhelming. But how? By stretching the existing space, or by creating new space itself?
IceCube scientists have detected high-energy tau neutrinos from deep space, suggesting that neutrino transformations occur not only in lab experiments but also over cosmic distances.
In 2017, we detected gold being forged in a neutron star-neutron star merger. Now, in 2024, the amounts created simply don't add up.
The Human Chronome Project finds that the average human sleeps for 9 hours but only works for 2.6 hours.
The most iconic "dark nebula" of all lights up under JWST's infrared gaze. Here's what's newly discovered inside.
Voltaire's wonderful satire, Candide, remains a useful work-life antidote to bogus platitudes and naive optimism.
11mins
Humanity has two giant collisions to thank for its existence, explains biologist Sean B. Carroll.
"Values emphasizing tolerance and self-expression have diverged most sharply, especially between high-income Western countries and the rest of the world."
In general relativity, white holes are just as mathematically plausible as black holes. Black holes are real; what about white holes?