Can big data help determine how happy we are? Using findings from Facebook and UC Berkeley, author Andrew Zolli shows how the levels of happiness we display online may not correlate with how happy we truly are. Featuring Zolli's talk from the Aspen Ideas Festival.    

Just like alcohol, nicotine and other narcotics, sugar tickles our dopamine receptors in just the right way, inspiring our brain’s reward system. How will this end for us?

How did earlier records get it so wrong, and why do scientists believe they're right this time?

What would it take to adopt a basic income? Frank Stilwell, a Professor Emeritus in Political Economy at the University of Sydney, explains the pros and cons.

The benefits of actively playing chess are supported by numerous studies. 

Kessler hopes his theory helps us to see that those struggling aren’t “broken,” but caught in a loop.  

David McCandless hilarious classification of modern device-dependent, internet-obsessed mental disorders.

Biologist Stuart Firestein talks about the connection between smells, tastes, and memory.

Robots and AI are going to become an everyday part of life, but will that take away other everyday parts of life?

Astronomers trace the origin of repeating radio bursts from deep space to a dwarf galaxy 3 billion light years away.

If a prism can do it, why not the air? “It’s a brilliant surface in that sunlight. The horizon seems quite close to you because the curvature is so much more […]

Studies have shown that cannabidiol (CBD) can help with epilepsy, heart disease, diabetes, and even schizophrenia.   

A Japanese company is laying off 34 workers and replacing them with artificial intelligence based on IBM's Watson Explorer. While advancing automation may be helpful in alleviating Japan's aging and declining population, what does this mean for other workers across the globe?   

A report by UK's parliamentary committee tackles the issue of non-integration in the country's Muslim communities. 

Did you know that our fascination with cold fusion — unlimited energy created at room temperature — all began with the holder of the first patent for the television?

Scientists are finding that loneliness has real medical consequences, and the brain sees it as pain.

Spontaneous talk on surprise topics. Media entrepreneur Amani Al-Khatatbeh and host Jason Gots wrestle with tough questions about identity, power, and Islamic feminism. 

Scarcely noticed in the Eden story, there lurk fruitful scientific ideas about why biology generated morality. 

Behind our sexual impulses — who we feel attracted to and why — complex biological interactions help determine our feelings, our obsessions, our repulsions…

Everything you always wanted to know about the Dutch, but were afraid to ask because they spit while they speak