The Latest from Big Think

Text reading "The Latest" in a large, serif font on a light background.
A man speaks into a microphone on stage in front of a large screen displaying the title “Exploring a World: Intelligence Everywhere, Full of Minds.”
An elephant, a bumblebee queen, a flock of pigeons, and a chatbot walk into a theater.
Book cover of “The Spaceflight Narrative” by Alexander MacDonald, featuring a circular abstract design against a black background, with text in white.
Poe's story about a fantastical voyage to the Moon was the first to give the concept of spaceflight a basis in science.
unstable equilibrium
In physics, things shouldn't need fine-tuning in order to match reality. Is naturalness a good guide toward an underlying explanation?
A woman in a red shirt watches a hand move a chess piece on a board, with a cat resting in a tree visible through the window behind them.
A cat doesn’t think; it just does. We could learn something from this.
Book cover for “A Brief History of Cities in 32 Inventions” by Jonn Elledge, featuring ancient city walls, roads, vehicles, and buildings on a lavender background.
The story of how one of civilization’s most enduring technologies became a picturesque relic.
Visualization of the timeline of the universe, from the beginning big bang to the present.
The Hubble "constant" isn't actually constant, evolving over both time and space. Will it ever become constant? That depends on dark energy.
kalam cosmological argument
Compared to the scale of the cosmos, a single human body might seem insignificant. But there's an entire Universe within each of us, too.
Black and white drawing of a globe labeled “Ancient Continent,” with chaotic red scribbles covering the lower half.
From banned books to modern classics, these satirical masterpieces show how humor and irony can help expose society’s deepest flaws.
Two small, boxy satellites joined by an artificial gravity cable in orbit above Earth.
A huge obstacle for human bodies in space is that we fare poorly in zero/reduced gravity. Can two rotating, tethered capsules overcome that?
The word “why?” in a black serif font, circled by a loose, hand-drawn red scribble, reflecting why we ask why.
In her new book, Why We Ask Why, cognitive scientist Tania Lombrozo turns the question "why" back on itself.
hottest planet
Despite being the innermost and most absorptive planet, Mercury "only" reaches 800 °F at its hottest. Venus is always hotter, even at night.
Book cover of “The Shortest History of Reality” by Geraint F. Lewis, featuring blue tones, white text, and an atom illustration on a red background.
Complexity may explain how billions of simple neurons give rise to thought, creativity, and consciousness.
An older man in a suit jacket and striped shirt wearing glasses, gesturing with his hand while speaking about IceCube neutrinos.
Back in 1988, Francis Halzen had what he called a "cute idea." His vision grew into the IceCube observatory, and earns the 2026 Nobel Prize.
Portrait of a man in a powdered wig and red coat, reminiscent of the new dark ages, looking intently at an open book.
As screens consume greater amounts of our time, we risk losing the habits of mind that helped us build the modern world.
Close-up of a rough rock surface with brown and green mineral fragments scattered and embedded within darker matrix material.
Strong, durable Martian concrete needs a mix of small-grained Martian sand and pure sulfur. NASA found the ingredients are already there.
A steaming, rocky geothermal crater with mineral deposits, surrounded by barren, yellowish terrain under a cloudy sky.
It has some researchers taking a second look at other hypotheses that have been proposed — and mostly discarded — in the past. 
olympus mons
From base to tip, Mars's Olympus Mons is the highest known mountain in the Solar System. Evidence suggests a higher one could be out there.
Five people sit on the floor in a semi-circle, looking at a laptop and taking notes; photo is in black and white with a light green background.
The ritual behind the closest friendships and the best teams asks the same question: What are you working on that you need help with?
An older man in a white shirt hugs a figure made of digital green and blue pixels—an evocative portrayal of the growing connection between humans and AI social skills—set against a pale background.
AI can provide short-term relief from social anxiety, but it can come at the expense of the social skills you’re trying to build.