The Latest from Big Think

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heroism
For such a near-universal concept, the definition of "heroism" is difficult to pin down.
What was this mammoth tusk doing on the ocean floor 150 miles from land?
American family
Hit shows are like societal mirrors, capable of reflecting the cultural zeitgeist whose likeness they try to record. 
James Webb Space Telescope
After decades of development, whether NASA's Webb succeeds or fails all comes down to five critical milestones that are only days away.
diabetes cure
One patient’s surprising results have experts cautiously optimistic.
A woman stands looking at her phone in the center of an artistic display of data.
“Think defensively about how you can protect yourself from an almost inevitable attack, rather than assuming you’ll avoid harm.”
carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen
Life largely owes its existence to this equation. Be sure to hug your house plant today.
sex robot
The AI remembers that you are 32 years old and like to eat sushi, except on Thursdays.
A hand holding an old photo of three girls over the present day location.
Memory errors may actually indicate a way in which the human cognitive system is “optimal” or “rational.”
spinal cord injuries
The scientists are headed "straight to the FDA" to begin human trials.
dopamine nation
Experiencing too much pleasure and not enough pain may yield counterintuitive consequences.
nice list
Do your kids a favor and give them the gift of philosophy this Christmas.
gpt-3
GPT-3, which features 175 billion parameters, just might fool you in a conversation.
Silhouettes of three people watching a screen.
In spreading politics, videos may not be much more persuasive than their text-based counterparts.
galaxies without dark matter
A few years ago, the first dark matter-free galaxies were announced, and then immediately disputed. Now, there are too many to ignore.
scientism
Science is a method of inquiry about nature, while scientism is philosophy. And scientism is no longer up to the challenge of meeting the most pressing issues of our day.
A Neanderthal man holding a briefcase in one hand and a spear in the other.
It’s all well and good to discuss how our humanity evolved – but what even is humanity?
metaverse
The metaverse has the potential to be revolutionary, for both good and bad. Here is how we can maximize the former and prevent the latter.
holland sea level
With sea levels rising, the Dutch are pondering floating cities — while also exporting their engineering know-how to turn a tidy profit.
warp drive
The same (former) NASA engineer who previously claimed to violate Newton's laws is now claiming to have made a warp bubble. He didn't.