Words of Wisdom — February 12, 2014

Lincoln on Living

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” -Abraham Lincoln (born on this date in 1809)

bigthinkeditor

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” -Abraham Lincoln (born on this date in 1809)

A weekly newsletter featuring the biggest ideas from the smartest people

Comparison of early Mars with abundant water and a thicker atmosphere versus the dry and arid Mars of today, much like Venus, which also died in terms of its potential to support life.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when Venus and Mars both died?

In the early stages of our Solar System, there were three life-friendly planets: Venus, Earth, and Mars. Only Earth thrived. Here’s why.

Abstract representation of the first possible molecules in a cosmic setting with a celestial body.

Starts With A Bang

What was it like when life first became possible?

Earth wasn’t created until more than 9 billion years after the Big Bang. In some lucky places, life could have arisen almost right away.

13.8

10 of the most mystifying open questions in science

From how life emerged on Earth to why we dream, these unanswered questions continue to perplex scientists.

Starts With A Bang

Astronomers spot the first “bounce” in our Universe

A spherical structure nearly one billion light-years wide has been spotted in the nearby Universe, dating all the way back to the Big Bang.

Starts With A Bang

Have we overestimated the number of stars in the Universe?

With ~400 billion stars in the Milky Way and 6-20 trillion galaxies overall, that makes for a lot of stars. But not as many as you’d think.

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