Latest Articles

Latest Articles

The newest essays, interviews, and features from Big Think.

overview effect
"You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it."
Cycling – active transportation or death trap?
cold brew
This is a great improvement over the typical brew time of 12 to 18 hours.
opioid epidemic
"This fourth wave will be worse than it’s ever been before."
nasa merge black hole
We only detected our very first gravitational wave in 2015. Over the next two decades, we'll have thousands more.
In paint form, the world's "whitest white" reflects so much light that surfaces become cooler than the surrounding air.
In a nod to its addictive qualities, it was first dubbed “Some More.”
When it comes to vetting people for friendship, body odor seems to be a decisive factor.
Long before Christopher and Magellan, ancient explorers voyaged into the unknown and brought home extraordinary tales.
A red, intricately patterned lace heart with a floral border and a cherub design in the center, set against a black background.
4mins
New research shows that having an attitude of gratitude is key to healthy relationships, and it can virally impact society.
John Templeton Foundation
JWST background galaxies Stephan's Quintet
We knew we'd find galaxies unlike any seen before in its first deep-field image. But the other images hold secrets even more profound.
bennu
The surface of asteroid Bennu is more like a plastic ball pit than the Moon.
california zebras
The zebras were originally part of a newspaper tycoon's private zoo. Now they roam the San Simeon grasslands, growing in numbers. 
crispr cholesterol
It could permanently lower cholesterol — and permanently reduce your risk of having a heart attack.
While Y chromosome loss was first observed in 1963, it was not until 2014 that researchers found the link to a shorter life span.
kaizen
If Rome was not built in a day, why do you think you can be?
A painting of an elderly man with long white hair and beard, wearing a red robe, surrounded by clouds with a halo above his head, set against a soft green sky—inviting reflection on beliefs and the types of atheism.
Just as there are many types of believers, there's not only one type of atheist.
John Templeton Foundation
Illustration of large, mechanical tripod machines with glowing eyes detecting life as they shoot a beam of light at a smoking building, causing sparks and destruction.
The emergence of life in the universe is as certain as the emergence of matter, gravity, and the stars. Life is the universe developing a memory, and our chemical detection system could find it.
John Templeton Foundation