Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Ancient-style illustration of three nude male warriors running, each holding a decorated round shield and wearing a crested helmet, inspired by themes explored by thinkers like Ezekiel Emanuel.
Health policy expert Ezekiel Emanuel says you don’t have to be obsessed to live a healthy life. Wellness can, and should, be something you enjoy.
Book cover of "Invisible Illness" by Emily Mendenhall, depicting a person holding a mirror with the title reflected, set against a cloudy sky—capturing the hidden struggles of living with an invisible illness.
Emily Mendenhall traces the medical myths, gender bias, and neurological truths behind hysteria, one of history’s most damaging diagnoses.
Illustration featuring a brain, a profile of a man resting his face on his hand, a sketch of a head, and brain scan images in purple and green tones.
Neuroscience isn’t dissolving philosophy’s hardest problems — it’s forcing us to rethink where they live.
Two monkeys sit on a tree branch interacting, with brain diagrams and EEG waveforms in the background, one with a purple arrow pointing to its head.
By tracking brain activity as primates move freely in the wild, neuroethology could reshape what we think we know about our own minds.
A man stands on stage before an audience, with a backdrop reading "A Night of Awe & Wonder" and the John Templeton Foundation logo.
Big Think and the John Templeton Foundation gathered scientists, artists, and storytellers in Los Angeles to explore the power of awe.
A collage of eight panels shows a hand pouring coffee from a French press into cups, each panel with a different background color.
Rituals serve psychological functions that go far beyond mere habit or tradition.
A petri dish containing smart slime mold with branching vein-like structures, viewed from above against a black background.
As we crank up our search for more powerful AI, maybe we should slow down and reimagine the shape and language of intelligence itself.
A silhouette of a person in profile thinking, juxtaposed with a close-up illustration of a synapse releasing neurotransmitters in blue light.
2mins
Our brains weren’t built for the amount of info we deal with now. That’s why scientists have made the case for a “second brain” — a place to dump ideas so you can actually see how they connect later.
Unlikely Collaborators
Close-up of a whale's eye underwater, showing textured skin and small white spots.
12mins
Ninety million years after our lineages split, humans are beginning to listen to whales in a new way. Marine biologist David Gruber shares the work that has become his life’s pursuit: learning how to hear the planet’s largest mammals.
A man in a suit sits on a chair in front of a white door, surrounded by a vibrant, abstract swirl of red, pink, blue, yellow, and green colors.
2hr 9mins
“Psychedelics crosscut so many interesting domains. They've been used for time immemorial by indigenous cultures. In our own Western cultural history, they really exploded on the scene in the 1960s, and were associated with radical changes to society.”
A man lounges and yawns on a red chaise longue while a woman in a dress, caught in brilliant boredom, yawns at a table in a room with pink curtains and patterned carpet.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
A person with an illustrated book as a head—pages open, filled with wavy black lines—appears to be brain reading as they stand against a plain light green background.
The technology might be much closer than you'd think.
Abstract image showing a partial view of a clock face with distorted numbers and swirling, colorful lines on a black background.
3mins
The brain is an “illusion factory.” Here’s what that means for our perception of time.
Unlikely Collaborators
A man in a suit stands facing a large human eye, positioned at the center of the pupil as if about to step inside.
1hr 12mins
“Consciousness is fundamental. It's a fundamental property of the world that we inhabit, a fundamental property of the universe.”
Six brain MRI scan images are arranged in two rows, showing various cross-sectional views of the human brain, with the bottom row featuring a blue and pink color overlay.
3mins
From neuroscience to philosophy, experts reveal why compassion may be the most important human skill we have.
Unlikely Collaborators
A pencil sketch of a clown with raised arms, wearing a pointed hat and a polka-dot costume, on a blue and off-white background.
It's no wonder great writers swear by messy first drafts.
Book cover of "Playful" by Cas Holman with Lydia Denworth, featuring colorful letters and googly eyes on the "u" and "l." Subtitles discuss creativity, connection, play, and insights from play research.
In this excerpt from "Playful," Cas Holman surveys the research that brought the neuroscience of play into the mainstream.
3mins
Philosophy asks if free will is real. Neuroscience reveals why the answer is more complicated than we expected.
Unlikely Collaborators
A close-up of a spotted nudibranch with translucent, pointed cerata on a brown underwater branch against a black background, inviting reflection on the intricate nature of consciousness in marine life.
In this excerpt from "One Hand Clapping," Nikolay Kukushkin makes the case that neurons reveal how memory, meaning, and even consciousness emerge from the same biological roots in humans, sea slugs, and beyond.
Two figures in military gear salute, rendered in white and red with visible brain scans over their heads, set against a black background—a striking nod to the neuroscience of war.
In “Warhead,” neuroscientist and national security adviser Nicholas Wright explains how the brain navigates warfare and why it is our ultimate weapon (and instrument for peace).
The whole isn't greater than the sum of its parts; that's a flaw in our thinking. Non-reductionism requires magic, not merely science.
A split image showing a brain scan on the left and hands using a smartphone on the right.
6mins
Daily habits can help you thrive or quietly turn into addictions. The difference is how your brain handles cues, routines, and rewards. Three experts explain how to work with your wiring instead of against it.
Unlikely Collaborators
A human hand is positioned palm up below a floating anatomical model of a human brain against a plain light blue background.
3mins
Language is a huge part of human development, even the language we keep to ourselves. Three experts explain how words and beliefs can change our brains and our lives:
Unlikely Collaborators
Text "Trauma in the Body" is displayed in bold white letters on a black shape, with yellow starburst shapes on a blue background.
59mins
"One of the largest mitigating factors against getting traumatized is who is there for you at that particular time."
Three figures in hats walk across rippled sand dunes, leaving footprints behind them under soft, diffused light.
Life's "in-between" stages pack unique cognitive benefits — if you know how to tap into them.
Four women stand in front of a vintage computer, each holding different components of its hardware, with the computer's panel visible in the background—an image reminiscent of historical innovation studied by Angus Fletcher.
The incredible story of how the US Army began the march toward generative AI in 1943 — and what it means for your business today.
A stylized collage featuring a woman's face, abstract patterns, and a winding arrow in green, red, and black on a divided background.
Members
Barbara Oakley, instructor of a popular MOOC, offers strategies for enhancing learning skills by leveraging insights from neuroscience and cognitive science, addressing the challenges posed by our brain's hardwiring in changing habits and acquiring new skills.
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Members
This class explores the link between neurobiology and productivity, teaching participants to optimize willpower and focus through strategies like meta-awareness, the Pomodoro Technique, and the importance of rest, while experts share insights on achieving peak performance amidst modern distractions.