bigthinkeditor

“A desk is a dangerous place from which to view the world.” – John le Carre

South Africa is a young nation rich in culture and history that launched it onto the world stage. From Nelson Mandela’s inspiring leadership to unite the country after apartheid to […]

Nebulas are the Rorschach tests of the cosmos. Do you see a cat’s paw in this image? NASA researchers did. That’s how this one got its name. From NASA: Nebulas […]

“Originality is unexplored territory. You get there by carrying a canoe – you can’t take a taxi.” – Alan Alda

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is on the hunt for an icy world just beyond Pluto. The speedy New Horizons spacecraft will be visiting Pluto next year, and NASA scientists are […]

“If you aren’t fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.” – Vince Lombardi

Technology is moving faster than government can keep up. For that, we need enlightened regulation, says David Weild, the former Vice President of NASDAQ and the Founder, Chairman, and CEO […]

June 16, 1904 is when Ulysses, that tome that far more people talk about than have actually read it, takes place. It was also the day the author, James Joyce, […]

“I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” – Ernest Hemingway

The average American with a full-time job works 1,700 hours a year. That’s a lot of hours. Given how much time we spend with our co-workers, shouldn’t we want to […]

Here’s some inspiration for your next overnight flight. NASA released this photograph taken by an intrepid passenger on a 747. This is not your ordinary #airplane Instagram shot. NASA explains: […]

“I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.” – D. H. Lawrence

No, this is not another blood moon. We’re currently experiencing a tetrad of blood moons and the next one is due October 18th. But tonight, June 13th, is the Strawberry […]

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” – Vincent Van Gogh

In an exciting development for electric cars, Elon Musk, the C.E.O. of Tesla Motors, has announced on the company’s blog that he’s making all of Telsa’s patents public in the […]

Who are the Millennials? They tend to vote Democrat and are largely liberal, but they’re not attached to the Democratic Party. They’re the most diverse American generation: over 40% are […]

Over 1,000 light-years in diameter, the Tarantula Nebula is a giant star forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy near ours. NASA released an image of it today. […]

“We have all a better guide in ourselves, if we would attend to it, than any other person can be.” – Jane Austen

Big Think is a knowledge forum that features insights from the world’s leading thinkers. Whether it’s Michio Kaku discussing energy sources of the future or Stephen Dubner, the co-author of […]

A radio dish that broadcasts galaxies? No, but they can detect them, according to NASA. In this image, taken two weeks ago, we can see the photogenic superposition of a night sky over New Zealand. NASA explains: As pictured above, the central part of our Milky Way Galaxy is seen rising to the east on the image left and arching high overhead. Beneath the Galactic arc and just above the horizon are the two brightest satellite galaxies of our Milky Way, with the Small Magellanic Cloud to the left and the Large Magellanic Cloud on the right. The radio dish is the Warkworth Satellite Station located just north of Auckland. Image credit: NASA

“Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal.” – Albert Camus

Are you a country that needs an economic boost? Just make sure that your national team wins the World Cup. Soccer fever is upon us, or football fever as the […]

What does the x-ray of an entire spiral galaxy look like? NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory took an x-ray of interacting galaxies known as M51, or the Whirlpool.  NASA explains: The […]

“If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things.” – Rene Descartes

Ed Mitchell is a renowned pitmaster in Raleigh, North Carolina. He owns a restaurant in Durham called Que. Mitchell can be considered not only a barbecue connoisseur but also a […]

Attention stargazers, NASA released this helpful infographic today. From NASA: What is that light in the sky? Perhaps one of humanity’s more common questions, an answer may result from a […]

“Man is so made that whenever anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish.” – Jean de la Fontaine

How do you avoid a panic? Timothy Geithner knows quite well. In his memoir, Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crisis, he gives you a fly-on-the-wall look at how our global […]

Ai Weiwei. Kara Walker. Pussy Riot. Guerrilla Girls. Orwell. Art has long been an empowering outlet for speaking out against injustices. Politics aside, just the simple act of enjoying another […]

Elizabeth Taylor would swoon over this stellar jewel box. NASA released this image of NGC 290, an open star cluster and a treasure chest of sparkling objects. From NASA: Like […]