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History and Society
The pseudoscience phrenology swept the popular imagination, and its practitioners made a mint preying on prejudices, gullibility, and misinformation.
"I grew up in New Jersey in the 1970s and that experience gave me everything I needed to become a skeptic."
In the early stages of the hot Big Bang, there were only free protons and neutrons: no atomic nuclei. How did the first elements form from them?
Our intuitive understanding of time is very different from a physicist's understanding of time. How do we reconcile these views?
The evidence that pollution causes cancer is weak. Lifestyle factors, like smoking, obesity, and alcohol, matter far more.
The tonal Native American language differentiates words based on pitch and makes Spanish conjugation look like child’s play.
Perhaps it’s not just an oddly shaped hill, after all.
Decades ago, a disaster left three million acres of land uninhabitable and killed between 85,600 and 240,000 people. Chernobyl? No. Banqiao dam in China.
This new geologic activity could be part of a thousand-year cycle, ushering in a new era of volcanism on the island.
You've certainly seen the paintings — but they don't depict what you think they do. Benjamin Moser discusses with Big Think.
We rightly celebrate Winston Churchill as one of the world's greatest leaders — but for all the wrong reasons.
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Are we the stories we tell? Kmele sat down with legendary conservationist Jane Goodall, actor Terry Crews and psychologist Dan McAdams to discuss how humanity makes its meaning.
A single knife is sometimes worth more than a thousand armies.
Long before the birth of Julius Caesar, the Roman Republic appointed all-powerful dictators to protect their state in times of crisis. They were remarkably self-restrained and obedient to the Roman Constitution.
Some 13.8 billion years ago, the Universe became hot, dense, and filled with high-energy quanta all at once. Here's what it was like.
'Six Persimmons,' an ink painting by the Chinese monk Mu Qi, has long been hailed as the poster child of Zen Buddhism. But is its reputation deserved?
Exile is a kind of death of who you once were.
Scientists have been chasing the dream of harnessing the reactions that power the Sun since the dawn of the atomic era. Interest, and investment, in the carbon-free energy source is heating up.
To see a true cross-section of American society, head to Applebee's, Buffalo Wild Wings, IHOP, Chili’s, and Olive Garden.
This necropsy represents an early entry in what would become a tradition of performing autopsies to consider an individual’s sanctity.
After my father died, my journey of rediscovery began with the Czech language.
Two of the answers add a dimension to physics that doesn’t belong there. Maybe we could call it "astrotheology."
The term "zero-point energy" has at least two meanings, one that is innocuous and one that is a great deal sexier (and scammier).
In a remarkably similar way, conspiracy theories around the world cast doubt on the existence of real places.
Gladiators fought in rounds, and there were referees to enforce rules. Only rarely were gladiators killed.
Bang bang all over the Universe.
In our competitive world, fortune does not appear to favor the humble — but a strong counter-narrative is emerging.
There are many things in life that cannot be improved with greater effort. Sometimes, life requires that you step back.