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Black and white vintage illustration of a human brain viewed from the side, set against a solid light pink background.
7mins
The Well
An evolutionary history of the human brain, in 7 minutes
Plato and Carl Sagan were wrong about the human brain, says a top neuroscientist.
Lisa Feldman Barrett
a hand holding a tiny group of mushrooms.
2hr 9mins
The Big Think Interview
The ultimate psychedelics explainer
Johns Hopkins professor Dr. Matthew Johnson answers 24 huge questions about psychedelics.
Matthew W. Johnson
A vintage-style illustration of a child holding up a plate and looking at a ball or orb floating above it, set against a solid blue background.
5mins
The Well
The case against specializing
Geniuses and prodigies are captivating. But generalists rule the world.
David Epstein
John Templeton Foundation
two hands reaching for each other with the words your true age.
9mins
The Big Think Interview
Discover your “true age” — and how to tweak it
Your chronological age and your biological age aren’t the same thing. This ex-Yale professor explains how to tell the difference.
Morgan Levine
a hand is holding a ball with a model of the solar system.
42mins
The Big Think Interview
Physics: The big questions of our existence in under an hour
Sabine Hossenfelder talks about Albert Einstein, dead grandmothers, the physics of aging, and more in this full interview with Big Think.
Sabine Hossenfelder
a close up of a fish under water.
7mins
The Big Think Interview
What is life?
Nobel Prize-winning scientist Paul Nurse defines the 5 core principles of life.
Paul Nurse
Abstract illustration of segmented, wood-textured shapes arranged in an oval formation on a green background.
7mins
The Well
The invisible math that controls the world
This network physicist is mapping the world's most significant data to create the most beautiful visualizations of information we have ever seen.
Albert-László Barabási
John Templeton Foundation
A pair of scissors appears to cut through a black and white illustration of a DNA double helix.
4mins
The Well
Why gene editing is still humanity’s most powerful tool
Forget AI. Gene editing is still our most powerful — and dangerous — technology.
Walter Isaacson
A realistic illustration of a smoking pipe with the French text "Ceci n'est pas une pipe" written below it on a plain background.
6mins
The Well
The fascinating science of who succeeds in art
This scientist made an algorithm to predict which artists succeed — all without even looking at their art.
Albert-László Barabási
a person standing in the middle of a body of water.
9mins
The Big Think Interview
The “afterlife” according to Einstein’s special relativity
Sabine Hossenfelder discusses the physics of… dead grandmothers?
Sabine Hossenfelder
White handwritten text reading "I am not a robot" appears distorted and crossed with a horizontal line, set against a black background with scattered small white dots.
5mins
The Well
AI is smart — but can it think?
How World War II codebreaker Alan Turing invented modern AI.
Michael Wooldridge
a close up of a brain on a blue background.
8mins
The Big Think Interview
Are conscious machines possible?
A University of Oxford professor explains how conscious machines are possible.
Michael Wooldridge
a woman's head with a circuit board on it.
5mins
The Big Think Interview
Nick Bostrom on the birth of superintelligence
“All the plausible paths to a really great future, involve the development of machine superintelligence at some point.”
Nick Bostrom
Three circular, splattered white shapes on a black background, each labeled with numbers, resembling ink blots or stylized microorganisms.
5mins
The Well
What if we could predict—and cure—all diseases?
This network scientist is creating a map of the human genome, and it could revolutionize the future of healthcare.
Albert-László Barabási
A black-and-white painting depicts a man with tousled hair, a mustache, and a suit with a tie, facing forward against a textured background.
8mins
The Well
Finding the world’s next “hidden genius”
What makes some scientists culturally significant, while others remain in obscurity? Well, there’s a science to it.
Albert-László Barabási
a collage of a woman's face with a colorful background.
1hr 19mins
The Big Think Interview
The ultimate guide to rationality
Steven Pinker explains how to cultivate greater rationality in today's complex world.
Steven Pinker
4mins
Great Question
Game theory can explain humanity’s biggest problem
Everyone commits this rationality error.
Steven Pinker
A man in a blue shirt sits in front of a vivid blue and turquoise swirling abstract background.
1hr 34mins
The Big Think Interview
How to think creatively on command
Master creative thinking in 90 minutes, with expert Tiago Forte.
Tiago Forte
5mins
Explain It Like I’m Smart
Harvard professor explains Bayes’ rule
The formula for rational thinking explained by Steven Pinker.
Steven Pinker
5mins
Devil’s Advocate
Is science about to end?
Is science close to explaining everything about our Universe? Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder reacts.
Sabine Hossenfelder
Illustration of a human brain in pink tones shown in profile view, set against a solid green background.
5mins
The Well
How humans evolved to be intelligent
We are ~99% genetically identical to chimpanzees. But there are three key traits that separate us.
Michio Kaku
8mins
The Big Think Interview
Our primordial drive for sex and love
Your brain on sex, love, and rejection with biological anthropologist Helen Fisher.
Helen Fisher
Black and white illustration of circular, radiating patterns with one large labeled circle "A" showing a central orbit-like design among several smaller circles.
7mins
The Well
The strong force: holding our Universe together
Frank Wilczek is celebrated for his investigations into the fundamental laws of nature that have transformed our understanding of the forces that govern our Universe. In this video, the MIT […]
Frank Wilczek
Illustration of a man smoking a pipe, with red handprint-shaped smoke rising from the pipe against a yellow background.
5mins
The Well
How to think like an expert
Poker pro Maria Konnikova on how to recognize which details matter and master the science of deduction.
Maria Konnikova
5mins
Explain It Like I’m Smart
The physics of time, entropy, and death
Why does time move forward but not backward? Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder explains.
Sabine Hossenfelder
A painting showing a large open-mouthed face with miniature people and boats entering the mouth; the scene is dark and surreal.
5mins
The Well
Can we condition ourselves to be heroes?
Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky on the science of temptation, and the limitations of your brain’s frontal cortex.
Robert M Sapolsky
6mins
Your Brain on Money
If money doesn’t buy happiness, you’re spending it wrong
These money experts say you can buy happiness. There are some red flags to look out for, though.
Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, Steven M. Hughes, Dr. Moran Cerf, Kathleen Burns Kingsbury, Dr. Brad Klontz & Dr. George James
Million Stories
A circular pattern of overlapping purple and white spirals and loops appears against a black background.
3mins
The Well
This is what the fourth dimension looks like
Left–Right, Back–Forth, Up–Down. What’s the fourth dimension?
Brian Greene
5mins
Great Question
Ask a physicist: Do humans have souls?
Do humans have souls, or are we just particles? Physicist Sabine Hossenfelder explains.
Sabine Hossenfelder
7mins
The Big Think Interview
Harvard professor argues for rationality
Is it better to be rational or optimistic? Steven Pinker explains.
Steven Pinker
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