Science & Tech

Science & Tech

Explore the discoveries that reveal how the world works, alongside the technologies that extend, reshape, and sometimes challenge what’s possible.

Painting of Prometheus holding a flaming torch aloft.
"Hardcore History" host Dan Carlin recently spoke with Big Think about the history of humanity's drive to create — and whether or not we can control it.
Map of the united states indicating earthquake epicenters and areas where people reported feeling at least weak shaking, highlighting a magnitude 6.0 earthquake in central california on september 28, 2004, and a magnitude 5.8 earthquake in central virginia on august 23, 2011.
Across the subterranean United States, not all rocks were created equally.
Elderly man with a full white beard and glasses, wearing a brown jacket, against a white background.
11mins
“Forget about essences.” Philosopher Daniel Dennett on how modern-day philosophers should be more collaborative with scientists if they want to make revolutionary developments in their fields.
There are so many problems, all across planet Earth, that harm and threaten humanity. Why invest in researching the Universe?
Implanting machine components into human bodies, argues one scholar, could make for a better society.
Artwork of a giant spider attacking a city, with buildings in flames and text in japanese.
Aliens are often portrayed in popular culture as humanoid. But in reality, intelligent extraterrestrials might take far stranger forms.
A hand holding a camera lens against a yellow background with shadow patterns, symbolizing problem-solving success.
What the breakthrough methods of laboratory research can teach the business world about brainstorming.
axions
The majority of the matter in our Universe isn't made of any of the particles in the Standard Model. Could the axion save the day?
A cluttered workspace with electronic components and a hand holding a card splattered with red liquid.
Forensics has reached the final frontier, and could be used to solve future space accidents—or crimes.
This map samples some of the digits that make up the DDC system, invented by the brilliant but flawed Melvil Dewey.
A person with a bandage on their arm after receiving an HPV vaccination, with a focus on a vial of the Gardasil vaccine.
More than 90% of sexually active men will be infected with human papillomavirus in their lifetime. The virus may reduce fertility.
cosmic epochs lookback hubble 13.8 billion
The Universe is 13.8 billion years old, going back to the hot Big Bang. But was that truly the beginning, and is that truly its age?
Two robotic arms sorting cans into a wire basket on a yellow background.
We may be on the brink of finally seeing human-level intelligence in an AI — thanks to robots.
Illustration of a person using a tablet in a modern office space interconnected with colleagues via virtual communication technology.
Susannah Fox, former chief technology officer for the HHS, explains how technology has empowered us to help fill in the cracks of the healthcare system.
Annotated map of the milky way's center in multiple wavelengths with identified regions and sources.
The center of the galaxy doesn't just host stars and a black hole, but an enormous set of rich gassy and dusty features. Find out more!
Although human beings arrived on Earth just ~300,000 years ago, we've transformed the entire planet completely. Here's how we did it.
Pressed and dried ginkgo biloba leaf with visible veins and a tear.
Well-preserved ancient plants and other finds at the Clarkia fossil beds hint at what kind of evidence any Martian life may have left behind.
A bright star illuminates the surrounding space with a spectrum of colors in a nebula.
From before the Big Bang to Voyager 1, particle physicist Harry Cliff takes us on a whiz-bang tour of the Universe's evolution.
Illustration of a smiling man wearing glasses against a geometric background, unraveling the secret of good AI.
The technology is not a replacement for human labor — it's a way to complement existing human tasks.
scholz's star
Despite billions of years of life on Earth, humans first arose only ~300,000 years ago. It took all that time to make our arrival possible.