We tend to think con artists are smooth talkers and persuasive sellers, but listening is their most important quality, says Maria Konnikova, who has written a new book on con artistry.

Why can't we marshal the enthusiasm we have for exploring Mars to solve problems on planet Earth? Bill Nye says we're natural explorers and that potential discoveries on Mars have captured our imagination.

Medical devices like pacemakers and insulin pumps will save many lives, but they also represent an opportunity to computer hackers who would use the Internet to cause havoc.

Asian philosophies have proven extremely influential in the United States, but are they being interpreted correctly? Frequently not, says Harvard China historian Michael Puett.

Companies like Facebook no longer depend on traditional economic exchanges to turn profit, so what does this mean for the consumer? When we're not paying money, we're paying in other ways, says Douglas Rushkoff.

Too many people understand meditation as a way to banish worldly thoughts, but your thoughts will never go away, says Jon Kabat-Zinn. You've got to observe them like a scientist.

Just about everyone engages in office gossip, or at least entertains those who do. Yet we all recognize gossiping as unprofessional behavior. Something's deeply wrong at work, says Robert Kegan.

When you are experiencing writer's block, more than your writing is blocked, says memoirist and novelist Augusten Burroughs. Here is his creative solution to get you writing again.

Understanding the shape of the Earth is all about its mass, says Bill Nye the Science Guy. If it weren't for all the water, rocks, metals, and lava on our planet, it might have an irregular form.

Terrorism in Europe is a generational problem, says Juliette Kayyem. While the US has effectively integrated immigrant communities into its national identity, European nations have not.

At some point this century, we will confront the prospect of immortality, says Steven Kotler. After our bodies die, it will be possible to upload our minds into a computer, and then download them into another body.

It's harder for most people to making a living now than it was before the rise of online businesses like Facebook and Amazon. That's because the digital economy is hurting the real economy.

Three current trends hint at the future of global business: the rise of artificial intelligence, the shifting center of economic gravity from west to east, and new existential problems like obesity and climate change.

Self-affirmation techniques are the butt of many jokes, including a famous Saturday Night Live sketch with Al Franken. But value affirmation is something different, says Harvard's Amy Cuddy.

Taking risks in business means that sometimes you will fail, says AOL cofounder Steve Case. But failing in business actually means gaining life experience, so you'll do better the next time around.

An honest inquiry into the source of stress in your life will yield some surprising results. If you're mindful, present, and inquiring, you won't be able to fool yourself, says Byron Katie.

Nature is a delicate balancing act, says Bill Nye the Science Guy. It's important we understand that the same system making Earth warm enough to live on is also driving climate change.

If you want to understand trends in the history of global violence, look to data, not headlines, says Harvard psychology professor and linguist Steven Pinker.

Netflix is a major player in the so-called "big data" game, as the success of programs like House of Cards demonstrates, but they don't envy larger companies like Google or Facebook for one simple reason.

Novelist Joshua Cohen doesn't think colleges and universities should coddle students, but protect free speech and free expression of language, even the harmful language of some literature.