The Latest from Big Think

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In 1903, a Vermont doctor bet $50 that he could cross America by car. It took him 63 days, $8,000, and 600 gallons of gas.
einstein quote imagination knowledge
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" is often taken to mean that your conceptions outweigh what's real. That's not what he said.
a painting of a desert scene with a red wifi symbol.
The moths in your garden might hear your tomato plant's pain.
a couple of lions playing with each other on a dirt road.
The puzzle of play The purpose of play — for children, monkeys, rats or meerkats — has proved surprisingly hard to pin down. Scientists continue to toss around ideas.
a group of people standing next to each other.
When the going gets tough, nothing beats a wide network of tried-and-true connections.
a group of men riding on the backs of horses.
Mongol forces never fully conquered the continent, but they played a key role in its historical development.
a very large cluster of stars in the sky.
Stars orbiting black holes were observed to move significantly slower than expected. One explanation centers on dark matter.
Uranus 1986 Voyager 2 2023 JWST
Voyager 2 flew past Uranus in 1986, finding a bland, featureless world. Now, in 2023, JWST's sights are similar. There's a reason for that.
a picture of a skeleton in the dirt.
It wasn't merely an act of brutality; it was a condemnation for the afterlife.
a group of men standing on top of a wooden structure.
Most people care what others think of them. In many situations, that can be leveraged for the common good.
two colliding white dwarfs trigger a type Ia supernova
When white dwarfs explode, they create a type Ia supernovae. After decades of following the leading theory, here's the complete overhaul!
a spooky graveyard
Zombies aren't a modern-day obsession. Throughout history, fear of the undead led to bizarre burial rituals all over the world.
a metal tray topped with four pieces of food.
Fortune cookies emerged from one of America’s darkest moments.
a drawing of a person standing next to a pair of shoes.
The multi-leveled constructions of metaphysics are the collective workings of a fantastical virtuality. Did you get that?
A white rooster, symbolizing the protein origin of life, stands on straw near a wooden fence, a dish, and some greenery in the background.
In the beginning, genes weren't needed.
John Templeton Foundation
a pile of uncooked macaroni shells on a white surface.
His plan to replace it with homegrown rice did not go well.
lightning over Bristol talkie_tim
From up close, the cracking sound of a thunderclap dominates. From far away, it's more like a drawn-out rumble. Can science explain why?