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The newest essays, interviews, and features from Big Think.
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According to Ken Burns, imposing a narrative on the past keeps humans from going crazy—and is an act of love. Critics who find that view tidy and sentimental are revealing […]
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Does making a documentary deepen or exhaust Ken Burns’s appreciation of its subject? And does he ever start imagining his life as one of his own films?
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Filmmaker Ken Burns describes how he hopes "The National Parks" will succeed both as a topical statement about conservation and a timeless human story.
6mins
Inspired by Twain's own example, the "Mark Twain" documentarian seeks to explore quintessentially American issues of "race and space."
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From cutting huge amounts of footage to zooming and panning on still photos, the documentarian explains the techniques that distinguish his films—and why changing them now would be "ridiculous."
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As a young director with a risky film, Ken Burns had countless doors slammed in his face. How did he push past them, and how would he advise today’s young […]
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The documentarian last took a formal history class in 11th grade, "when they hold a gun to your head." But as a passionate student of film, he soon became drawn […]
10mins
From brain size to emotional intelligence, Lise Eliot uncovers the truth behind age-old clichés.
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The neuroscience professor explains that parents are more cautious with daughters than sons, but females are technically easier to rear.
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How parents, siblings, and home setup—including toys in the nursery—influence gender identity.
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Lise Eliot outlines biological differences in girls and boys from womb to playground, explaining the crucial role that culture plays.
31mins
A conversation with the neuroscience professor at Chicago Medical School and the author of "Pink Brain, Blue Brain."
People who have suffered from major depression are significantly better than other people at seeing a metaphorical forest, while the non-depressed are more alert to the trees, according to this […]
Stewart Brand, one of the most influential experts we've interviewed, is also one of the hardest to define. Former military man, Merry Prankster with Ken Kesey's circle, pioneering environmentalist, and […]
It looks like bailout watchdog Elizabeth Warren is not afraid to tell our emperors that they are not wearing any clothes. "The program that Treasury has designed does not have […]
A breakthrough has been made in wireless brain-to-computer connection speech synthesizer technology, which could allow victims of paralysis the ability to speak again.
National Rifle Association members aren’t as afraid of gun restrictions as the Congressmen who impose them, according to The New Republic.
Researchers have uncovered the secrets of a catastrophic flood which happened more than five million years ago and is thought to have refilled the Mediterranean Sea.
A Palestinian man portrayed as a terrorist in the film “Bruno” is suing Sacha Baron Cohen, David Letterman and others for $110m.