bigthinkeditor
What can policy makers learn from the tons of research published each year telling us why or how people could become happier? The New Yorker’s Elizabeth Kolbert inquires.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is right to worry about the European Union’s proposed “alternative investment fund” regulations, which he has branded “protectionism in drag.”
Attention has been drawn once again to the US’ “don’t, ask don’t tell” policy regarding homosexuality in the armed forces after a lesbian solider was “outed” by police.
Breaking news, breaking news: the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming, the president has been assassinated and the capital has been bombed to shreds…(er, not really).
It has been a thousand days since, in the words of the UN’s chief humanitarian officer, Gaza became the world’s largest outside prison. And the region is desperately awaiting tomorrow.
Outrage has been sparked after a London fertility clinic began raffling a human egg and IVF treatment to one lucky winner in celebration of its relationship with an American counterpart.
A top military adviser on the newly released war thriller “Green Zone” has written an editorial slamming the film’s assertion that a massive conspiracy led us into the Iraq war.
Even Jerry Seinfeld’s former writing partner Larry David has failed to see the funny side of his recent television comeback, appearing to echo critics who have branded the show “pointless.”
As the fight in Afghanistan heightens, with more troops flown in and more and more losses recorded, the conflict has come to be seen as Obama’s war, writes The Chicago Tribune.
New research shows men tend to be overly confident, reactive, and eager for short-term gains when investing money in the stock market, while women are more risk averse.
Anticipating a report to be released in May criticizing the music industry for its carbon footprint, industry leaders have met in London to discuss reducing the environmental impact of big tours like The Police and U2.
In the wake of his fall from grace at home, Tony Blair’s Faith Foundation is making connections in the U.S. with pastors like Rick Warren in order to promote understanding between different faiths.
The National Sleep Foundation finds that our busy American culture homogenizes sleeping tendencies across cultures, resulting in all ethnicities sacrificing some of their Z’s.
The Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously agreed to reduce the sentencing disparity between crack and cocaine to 18:1, down from 100:1. The vote envisages similar legislation.
A leading member of Hamas, a terrorist organization according to Israel, the U.S., and E.U., was captured overnight in the West Bank and is accused of orchestrating suicide attacks against Israel.
The Christian Science Monitor traces the origins of Daylight Savings Time to WWI Germany, where an extra hour of work was desired before nighttime air raids; the tradition continues for tradition’s sake.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao says his country will not appreciate its currency for the foreseeable future while it slowly sells off its dollar reserves; Paul Krugman says a yuan appreciation would boost the world economy.
A Japanese man has fallen in love with and married his large body pillow with a female anime character drawn on it; the Japanese word ‘otaku’ means ‘obsessive’ or ‘nerd’.
Tens of thousands of Thais have gathered in Bangkok calling for new elections and to support former prime minister Thaksin who has lived in exile in Dubai since a coup deposed him in 2006.
Though a settlement has been awarded to the 9/11 search and rescue workers suffering illnesses from the toxic rubble of the World Trade Centers, there remain obstacles to the payout.
Google Maps now allows you to search for the best cycling route to your destination in over 150 American cities filtering results by route safety and the presence of cycling lanes.
The Chicago Tribune disavows Illinois’ own Ulysses S. Grant in an editorial arguing to replace the Civil War general and President’s image on the fifty dollar bill with Ronald Reagan’s.
A Federal judge has ruled that there is no causal relationship between a mercury-containing agent used in vaccines and the occurrence of autism in those who have been vaccinated.
Julie Powell, author of Julie & Julia, writes in today’s Guardian that there is a light at the end of infidelity’s dark tunnel if partners are willing to overcome societal pressures to split.
A new study shows that being overweight doubles the effect of alcohol on the liver, substantially increasing the likelihood of contracting diseases like cirrhosis.
The world’s biggest physics experiment will suffer another setback in two years time when it is expected to be shut down for repairs, pushing full operating capacity back another year.
The obstinate divide over healthcare reform is spilling into other areas of domestic policy such as immigration reform and financial regulation where Democrats are increasingly going it alone.
President Obama has delayed his visit to Asia to push for a vote on healthcare reform here at home before the Congress takes its Easter recess at the end of the month.
Secretary Clinton has warned Israel of faltering relations over its gutsy announcement to build new settlements in Jerusalem during a visit by Vice President Biden.
This morning Big Think is pleased to present a kind of double feature: a full-length interview with CUNY theoretical physicist, futurist, and radio host Michio Kaku, and the launch of his […]