Latest Articles

Latest Articles

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

A grayscale portrait of a man with short hair, wearing a collared shirt, is framed within a colorful, abstract background that symbolizes progress with less reliance on cellphones.
Yondr CEO Graham Dugoni unpacks the technological zeitgeist in this exclusive Big Think interview covering media ecology, leadership, AI, human connection, and much more.
A vibrant cosmic scene reveals a galaxy with bright jets of energy, hottest stars twinkling vividly amidst scattered stars against a dark backdrop.
Here in our Universe, stars shine brightly, providing light and heat to planets, moons, and more. But some objects get even hotter, by far.
A digitally altered image blending the flags of China and the United States with pixelated and abstract effects, symbolizing a modern digital cold war.
“Technology has always been co-opted for war, but truly intelligent AI, let alone a superintelligence, is a different beast entirely.”
A gloved hand holds a smoking test tube with tongs against a dark background.
Other plans for the tech: organ banking and deep space travel.
A bright star emits light in a field of smaller, scattered stars against a dark sky.
Most stars shine with properties, like brightness, that barely change at all with time. The ones that do vary help us unlock the Universe.
A person holds a sign reading "GLOBAL WARMING is a cruel hoax" with a dog standing nearby on a leafy ground.
Astronomer Adam Frank reflects on some responses to his recent appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast.
Blurred image of a thrilling football game in action under the night sky, with enthusiastic spectators on bleachers watching one of America's most exciting and sometimes dangerous sports.
"I think it's about time we stop allowing every male generation bang their frontal lobe through its most developmental stages."
An older man in a suit stands in front of a large bookcase filled with books, pondering life's limit situations.
When Star Trek's Captain Picard and The Office's Dwight Schrute channel philosopher Karl Jaspers, we can all benefit.
Silhouette of a person against a vibrant background with radiating light beams in blue, white, and orange hues.
10mins
“Many people get stuck in feeling responsible for their psychological state, and there's a way in which simply being with whatever uncomfortable emotions rather than believing that you are controlling them can be extremely beneficial for psychological wellbeing.”
Diagram of particle interactions with wavy and straight lines, illustrating how photons mediate attraction and repulsion in various Feynman diagrams in particle physics.
The electromagnetic force can be attractive, repulsive, or "bendy," but is always mediated by the photon. How does one particle do it all?
Book cover titled “Money on Your Mind: The Psychology Behind Your Financial Habits” by Vicky Reynal, featuring a modern black chaise lounge and a quote review at the top, exploring how emotions like greed shape your financial decisions.
From King Midas to Gordon Gekko, humanity has struggled to grasp greed's true nature.
Black and white abstract design featuring swirling, concentric patterns resembling a ripple effect with a yin-yang-like motif at the center.
Despite no experimental evidence showing that gravitons exist, they remain a respectable concept in the world of professional physicists.
A superintelligent robot stands against a striking backdrop of red and gray financial graphs and a globe, with the text "The Nightcrawler" boldly emblazoned above.
Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
A swirling black hole, prepared to suck in surrounding matter, features a glowing, distorted ring of light against a starry backdrop.
Many of us look at black holes as cosmic vacuum cleaners: sucking in everything in their vicinity. But it turns out they don't suck at all.
A person wearing futuristic, translucent smart glasses with green lights and a digital interface display.
"Mainstream computing will start to shift from a race to develop increasingly powerful tools to a race to develop increasingly powerful abilities."
Large hall with rows of hospital beds occupied by patients and attended by medical staff, likely during an early 20th-century medical crisis.
Caitlin Rivers wants to tell the story of epidemiology and the public health heroes who keep the world safe and healthy.
A person with white hair sits in front of a colorful, abstract background. They are wearing a dark blazer over a striped shirt.
7mins
It can be overwhelming to navigate the pains of life, but the iconic self-help author believes you can find yourself by answering just four questions
Unlikely Collaborators
There's no upper limit to how massive galaxies or black holes can be, but the most massive known star is only ~260 solar masses. Here's why.
A person in a suit embodies the Five Ps—poise, precision, performance, presentation, and passion—as they play a trumpet and hold a cloth against a plain background.
Radically improve your work-life speaking and presentation skills with a technique used by musicians and brand-name politicians.