“One of the problems with promotions is that we promote people based on outcomes, not about the quality of their decisions,” says Ariely.

Harvard Professor Lisa New describes how Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of Seven Gables speaks to classic American responses to economic crisis.

In this selection from his Floating University lecture, Dr. Jeffrey Brenzel presents five takeaways from reading the classics.

In this amazing video, aerial acrobat and dare devil Yves Rossy jumps from a helicopter and flies over the Swiss Alps using a jet pack. Rossy then joins two jets […]

Economist and Author Daniel Altman explains why middlemen are thriving in the global economy.

Economist and Author Daniel Altman explains why middlemen are thriving in the global economy.

The President of Human Capital at Mercer, a global consulting firm, discusses one of the most interesting findings of the firm’s international “Inside Employees’ Minds” survey.

The whole process of how we design and create future generations is changing. Your grandchildren, maybe your children, maybe even you, are going to reproduce differently than your grandparents did.

This video depicts police at the University of California, Davis pepper-spraying seated protestors.

In this selection from his Floating University lecture, “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Essential Value of a Classic Education,” Jeffrey Brenzel, Philosopher and Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at […]

In this selection from his Floating University lecture, “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: The Essential Value of a Classic Education,” Jeffrey Brenzel, Philosopher and Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at […]

There are so many advances going on right now in biotechnology that really have a wow factor,” says Arrison. “Gene therapy to cure cancer and tissue engineering, growing brand new […]

There is going to be more and more debate and controversy as to what constitutes a heavy element given the fact that it only exists for a brief fraction of […]

Among the counterintuitive facts leadership expert Jim Collins has uncovered is that personal charisma is largely irrelevant in successful leadership. In fact, it can be dangerous.

In this segment from his Floating University lecture, Leon Botstein explores what makes an artist good. “Eventually you can look at your own photograph that you took of your friend […]

Twila Tharp’s choreography is showcased in this medley featuring “River of Dreams/Keeping the Faith/Only the Good Die Young” at the 2003 Tony Awards.

What happens when the complexity and magnitude of the problems facing our civilization “simply exceed our biological capabilities”? Sociobiologist Rebecca Costa argues this has triggered the demise “of every advanced […]

Unlike some other so-called “academic imperialists,” the Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman does not believe that economics can explain everything. Here’s what it can explain.

A new venture aims to foster stability in war-torn regions through an act of creative destruction: acquiring AK-47s and transforming them into rare jewelry, watches and accessories.

Henry envisions his first days in office.

Melton describes an experiment on parabiotic mice that may hold the key to eternal life for human beings.

Peter is the co-founder and President of Big Think, an online multimedia portal committed to developing the growing conversation about where we are and where we are headed. In that […]

For Bruce Finley, the benefits discussion is a major (and often lost) opportunity for companies to reach young workers in a meaningful way, getting them more deeply invested in their […]

MIT Media Lab researcher Deb Roy has applied his study of linguistics and childhood development to a company he founded called BlueFin Labs, which has built a machine to connect […]

“There’s always an opportunity to give money, if that’s an option,” says Mary Ellen Iskenderian. “But giving money is just not sufficient. You’ve got to really make sure that the […]

Penn Jillette rates Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, and the various other candidates for the U.S. Presidency in 2012 from the perspective of an atheist.

There are two areas of great importance in scientific research today, namely the health of our planet, and the health of our bodies. Doug Melton explores the latter, regenerative biology, […]

Doug Melton, Co-Director of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, on the new frontier in biotechnology: creating human organs.

Over-reliance on foreign aid as opposed to tax revenue, says Sophal Ear, a leading expert on post-crisis economies, leads to corruption.

Ethan Philbrick performs at The Nantucket Project. Ethan grew up on Nantucket and has been playing music voraciously since he was 4 years old. Ethan has played music in a […]