bigthinkeditor

Whether right or left-handed, people associate “good” with their dominant side. But if that displeases you, it can be changed. Our minds are perhaps more easily influenced than we think.

Empathy is one of our most powerful emotions yet society has all but ignored it. Autism expert Professor Simon Baron-Cohen reveals the science behind “the world’s most valuable resource”.

Researchers are finding strong evidence that parts of the brain are involved in gaining control over smoking and nicotine addiction, and that different areas may be important for each individual.

Neuroscientists at M.I.T.’s Picower Institute of Learning and Memory have uncovered why relatively minor details of an episode are sometimes inexplicably linked to long-term memories.

The F.D.A. has recently approved the drug Yervoy, which is the first treatment shown to extend the lives of late-stage melanoma patients. There are indications it may even cure some.

Although women go under the knife in the name of beauty in larger numbers, a new report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons shows an increase in operations among men in 2010.

People with Tourettes struggle with uncontrollable physical tics and verbal outbursts, but a new study reveals that they also have highly developed cognitive control over their reactions.

With agriculture research on a down slope, large food companies have begun wading into science and policy realms to ensure the future sustainability of natural resources—and the food business.

A new study conducted by the University of Colorado has found that people living at higher altitudes have a lower chance of dying from heart disease and tend to live longer than others.

Only a fraction of what physicians do is based on solid evidence from randomized, controlled trials; the rest is based instead on weak or no evidence and on subjective judgment.

Research suggests that while men and women may behave differently in relationships, their underlying needs, wants and perspectives may not be so different, especially in committed relationships.

When you consider that the first human genome was completed a decade ago for billions of dollars, D.N.A. sequencing has come a long way, fast. Now robots sequence genes for less.

While only a subset of patients responds to targeted cancer drugs, scientists are starting to figure out how to make those drugs work more effectively in a larger number of patients.

The human body has become a site for debates, as the genetics and biotech industries argue for owning genes, tissue samples, and even the very processes that occur in our cells.

Brian Cox’s vision of science is dispassionate. “People don’t need to know when the universe began; people need to know how science works. …I want Britain to be more reason-based.”

Women (and men) increasingly hate their bodies. Everyone knows poor body image is a problem. A new movement wants to do something to actually change our culture.

From Wisconsin to Libya, Egypt and Japan, the world has truly crashed through our front door. We need to get more comfortable with uncertainty because this is what the future looks like.

Air Force Major General Margaret Woodward is in charge of the U.S. air strikes in Libya and the first woman in U.S. history to oversee an air campaign.

The Economist says that Japan’s many-headed catastrophe points to deeper-seated problems, ineffective leadership and political dysfunction.

Settings goals is important but so is knowing your ‘big why’. Michele Corey says when you have clarity of vision, all those little tasks on your ‘to do’ list take on a different energy.

People were surprised when all the major unions suddenly stepped up as being against patent reform. A lawsuit shows there was a lot going on behind the scenes…

Football is a game, and when one is playing, he always tries to cheat a little bit. So says FIFA president Sepp Blatter, now facing a leadership rival in old pal Mohamed bin Hammam.

Politics can be a pounding vocation but it is more than a lust for recognition and power. It can be a profession marked by candor and service.

When I was a kid, I never thought of telling a bully: “Don’t mess with me. I’ve got a quirky sense of humor, a great singing voice, and I know how to code!” But then I saw Jimmy Wong.

For the first time viable mouse sperm have been grown outside the testes. If the technique can be repeated with human sperm, it could lead to new ways of treating infertile men.

In line with national objectives outlined by President Obama to improve building efficiency by twenty percent in the next ten years, entrepreneurs can take advantage of ample funding.

A U.S. national lab plans to unveil a “Titan” supercomputer in 2012 that would dwarf the computing speeds of the latest record holder from China, as well as all previous competitors.

Google’s controversial plan to digitise millions of books and create the world’s biggest digital library has been shelved by a New York judge who said the deal was neither fair nor reasonable.

Researchers have come up with a simple, low-cost way of studying cellular proteins using a laser. The method may help to develop new drugs intended to treat disease in humans.

Sourcing and transporting goods can be the most overlooked—and inefficient—parts of how a business is structured. Here’s how to examine and improve the social impact of a supply chain.