While walking in Fairmount Park in 1872 with his minister father, 12-year-old Henry Ossawa Tanner saw a man painting and became curious about art. His family fed that curiosity, which […]

Thanks to federal restrictions that hamstring research," a new paper argues, "opportunities to further study marijuana's risks and benefits and develop new pharmacotherapies are squandered."

Will longer working lives - like longer working hours - mean fewer people being employed? We're almost certain to find out, as Malthus rears his well-coiffed head again.

Ziggy Marley tells Big Think that smoking marijuana is "a very spiritual, sacramental, private thing." But hemp, he says, can save the planet. 

According to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian the most active users tend to be left-of-center or libertarian, and both those groups advocate for the legalization of marijuana. 

When Facebook allowed page administrators to interact on Facebook as the page, I was elated. But I am increasingly finding that other changes in Facebook are making it much less […]

Maer Roshan, author of Courtney Comes Clean: The High Life and Dark Depths of Music's Most Controversial Icon, is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Fix. Previously he was deputy of New York Magazine, editorial […]

 

Why is there something rather than nothing? For starters, why do we think nothing is a more natural state than something? Physicists are answering old questions in brand new ways.

Every Wednesday, Dr. Michio Kaku answers reader questions about physics and futuristic science. If you have a question for Dr. Kaku, just post it in the comments section below and […]

Batman is wrong to be nonlethal in the case of the Joker. This shows we can, in some cases, morally kill someone against his will. I am something of a […]

A wandering black hole may catch up with us one day and eat us for breakfast and it wouldn’t even burp in the process.

The question of my last post:  Why do we deny that it’s our nature to die?  The answer from many of my threaders:  We aren’t merely or even essentially natural […]

Environmental groups and climate activists have been harshly critical of Mitt Romney's unfortunate backtracking on climate science and his commitment to policy action. Much of the criticism has argued that […]

The space telescope has worsened NASA's relationships with Congress, who felt duped by the exploding cost of the project. Still, the telescope may prove an amazing technical achievement.

The Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed that a distant planet discovered in 2009 is largely composed of water. Its physical attributes could mean an exotic mix of elements are present.

The winds of stellar-mass black hole have been clocked at 20 million miles per hour. Curiously, scientists say the winds carry away as much matter as the black hole draws in.

LONDON, February 22 - It's been a rough week for Richard Dawkins, prominent evolutionary biologist and noted God-hater. Our reporters can reveal that on Monday, while Dawkins was ordering breakfast […]