The Latest from Big Think

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One god stands for order, logic, and reason. The other stands for chaos, madness, and drunkenness. Nietzsche thinks you need both.
We value human life in a way that assumes we possess a sacred something not found in beings like lambs, turkeys, or mosquitoes.
How much we enjoy a conversation can all be a matter of timing — specifically, how long it takes us to respond to what was just said.
Clouds of Venus
Until recently, we were only able to view Venus's surface with radar or by landing on the planet. It was believed that Venus's surface was entirely obscured by clouds; NASA's Parker Solar Probe proved otherwise.
quadratic formula
The quadratic formula isn't just something that teachers use to torture algebra students. The Babylonians once used it to calculate taxes.
poisson distribution
The Poisson distribution has everyday applications in science, finance, and insurance. To compare the results of some biomedical studies, more people ought to be familiar with it.
A couple sitting in a pink restaurant.
If your partner is not helping build a better you, is it time for a better partner?
greatest ideas in science
The ten greatest ideas in science form the bedrock of modern biology, chemistry, and physics. Everyone should be familiar with them.
vietnam war
America’s war in Southeast Asia is fading fast from memory. These maps offer a horrific reminder.
A luge athlete at the Olympics.
The big-picture physics is simple – let gravity do its job.
strength
Get stronger in only three seconds per day? New research shows that it is possible.
A man walking along a woodland path.
Thich Nhat Hanh, the late Vietnamese monk, thought walking could be a profound contemplative practice.
5g airplanes
In general, 5G is not a threat to human health or activities, but there are some legitimate questions about interference with airplane instruments.
A collage featuring an image of the Stasi Records Archive and a map of Europe with the shape of Germany blacked out.
There are good historical reasons why Germans are suspicious of surveillance.
space expanding
Yes, the Universe is expanding, but you might wonder, "How fast is it expanding?"
average star
Please stop calling our Sun an "average star." It is philosophically dubious and astronomically incorrect.
mass flourishing
Historically, periods of mass flourishing are underpinned by technological revolutions. Currently, we are undergoing a technological revolution unlike anything the world has ever seen.
free speech
Although saying the wrong thing could often get you killed in ancient civilizations, history shows that the ideal of free speech has deep roots.
Two men look at a laptop in front of a blackboard.
And what if both parties are skilled at mirroring each other? Will it produce a stalemate?
bernardinelli-bernstein
65 million years ago, an asteroid strike caused the 5th great mass extinction. Could we save Earth, today, from a similar event?