The fundamental contradictions of physics are present in even the most quotidian of objects. As the philosopher of science explains, some of quantum mechanics’ greatest mysteries are embodied in a […]

A conversation with the philosopher of science at Columbia University.

What can a philosophy of science really accomplish? As the head of Columbia’s Philosophy of Physics program explains, the field is at its healthiest when philosophy and science are indistinguishable […]

Amid fears of further terrorist attacks the Yemeni government has ordered an “unprecedented” number of troops into the region controlled by Al Qaeda.

Dubai is set to open the world’s tallest building today, although many of the offices are unfinished, as the emirate tries to re-establish hope amid the financial crisis.

Malaysians are flocking to the internet to debate a contentious court ruling allowing local Roman Catholics to use the word Allah as a translation for God.

The US has lifted an immigration ban stopping anyone with HIV or Aids from entering the country more than 22-years after the ruling was enforced during mid 1980s panic.

Nearly 800 people have set themselves the challenge of self improvement by joining the One Hundred Days to Make Me A Better Person campaign.

Scientists are warning that deadly animal diseases are poised to begin infecting humans as environmental disruption lowers the human-animal species barrier.

A brilliantly preserved skeleton of the extinct dodo bird, found in Mauritius in 2007, could provide valuable DNA information which could lead to the genetic resurrection of the species.

For the first time ever, scientists have measured the speed of genome mutations in plants, casting new light on the fundamental evolutionary process.

With just over 3,000 left in the world, efforts to save tigers from extinction will be stepped up in 2010 after it topped the World Wide Fund for Nature’s list of most endangered species.

Treehugger.com asks if climate change-protecting vegetarian humans will one day emit more carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere than cows do.

What were the earliest female genital "manipulators" like? One had to be powered by a doctor shoveling coal in the next room; another looked "like a cross between a visitor […]

During his sitdown with Big Think, Astronaut Leroy Chiao explained the challenges of lengthy trips to space, including bone and muscle loss, as well as the dangers of fatigue. But […]

Katie Roiphe’s cover essay in today’s New York Times Book Review affectionately notes one thing about several male novelists of an earlier generation—Roth, Bellow, Updike—that we should consider missing: unapologetic, […]

Has any other American artist been as overanalyzed as Thomas Eakins?  Pollock, Hopper, Rothko, and others have all been called to the critics’ psychological couch, but only Eakins has gotten […]

The new year always brings new beginnings. For me, it is a time to throw out the detritus from last year, including the voluminous pile of notes I've accumulated while […]

Montana’s Supreme Court has ruled that self-administration of lethal drugs under a doctor’s care is not illegal.

Americans are placing more value on shared experiences than consumable goods in the wake of economic troubles.