Latest Articles

Latest Articles

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

Want the speed of light, the fine-structure constant or others to change? There’s a new obstacle to overcome. “The mystery about α is actually a double mystery. The first mystery — the […]
An astronomer thinks he sees the next red nova about to happen, and when.
A new Yale-Harvard study categorizes gun violence as a social contagion and a public health epidemic. If nothing changes, over 33,000 people will die at the end of a gun this year in the United States.    
Researchers not only looked at biological evidence but contextual factors as well.  
6mins
Go fearlessly into the Internet, but not blindly, says Virginia Heffernan – each corner of digital culture has its best practices. Not learning them is a disrespect.
Canadian scientists discover how being bilingual creates advantages for the brain.
How sure are we that what we’re looking at is cosmic, rather than galactic? “Every philosophy also conceals a philosophy; every opinion is also a hideout, every word also a […]
If you “know” the answer before you ever begin, you might as well not even try. “I have difficulty to believe it, because nothing in Italy arrives ahead of time.” –Sergio […]
Schrodinger's cat is one of the most famous thought experiments of all time, but what does it mean for science, and what happens to the poor cat?
Classical neurology defines consciousness as the ongoing process of arousal and awareness.   
Astronomers have discovered a new kind of galaxy that raises many questions, and perhaps paves the way for answers about galaxy formation.
New study suggests many people select mates who share their height and BMI.
Plotting out the world's longest pub crawl had a serious, mathematical point
Not every language agrees on how many colors there are. With some having more terms and others fewer. But does that mean we see the world differently?
Everybody wants to be happy, right? Who wouldn't try to get as many pleasurable experiences as they could? Well, if this philosopher is right. You wouldn't. 
Just because we know it’s real doesn’t mean it’s easy to create in a lab. “For me the best answer is not in words but in measurements.” –Elena Aprile Atoms, molecules, […]
You don’t have to detect a particle to know that dark matter is real. “You may hate gravity, but gravity doesn’t care.” –Clayton Christensen In the 1970s, Vera Rubin’s observations showed […]
8mins
Part of the rise in autism is due to better diagnosis, but Dr. Emeran Mayer thinks it's something in our environment, and within us, that has played a role in causing this increase.
In his new book, James Hamblin looks at how we treat our bodies, internally and externally. 
3mins
Although we know better intellectually, we treats celebrities as if they exist in a different realm. Is there an element of misplaced religion at work?