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Why modern physics is forcing us to rethink existence
NASA astronomer Michelle Thaller makes the case that quantum entanglement may be the underlying fabric from which spacetime itself emerges.
with
Michelle Thaller
It's quite possible that human beings, with our limited senses and our limited brains, won't really know what the true nature of reality is.
Aztec philosophy: How lucky you are to not be in prison right now
Nick was always an angry boy, but he was unlucky as well.
Militarized snowflakes: The accidental beauty of Renaissance star forts
First rising in the 15th century, these forts sought to counter a deadly innovation in military technology.
by
Frank Jacobs
The surprising origins of modern compassion
Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman contends that our modern sense of altruism can be traced back to the radical shift in ethical thinking sparked by Jesus’ teachings.
by
Bart Ehrman
Aztec philosophy: How lucky you are to not be in prison right now
Nick was always an angry boy, but he was unlucky as well.
It was never about AI (we are not our tools)
Every generation has faced a version of this moment — the question has never been what our tools can do, but what we choose to do with them.
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How “Project Hail Mary” turns hardcore science into page-turning drama
Andy Weir’s novel blends humor, scientific rigor, and human ingenuity to make science fiction feel believable and thrilling.
Gravity and quantum physics are fundamentally incompatible
We have two descriptions of the Universe that work perfectly well: general relativity and quantum physics. Too bad they don't work together.
A bravery deficit is holding back today’s leaders
Activist, author, and Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani explains why playing it safe is hurting workplaces — and how to change it.
What would you like to learn more about? We have thousands of videos from the world’s biggest thinkers to help you dive deeper into any subject.
Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
with
Jonny Thomson
3 ways to think and talk like a philosopher
"Broadly speaking, it's at least plausible, this might be right."
Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.
21mins
The real lesson from the first time globalization died
Archaeologist Eric Cline has spent his career forensically reconstructing why the Bronze Age collapsed, and the answer is far stranger and more unsettling than a single catastrophic event.
22mins
The collapse that accidentally built the modern world
Historian Eric Cline illuminates the 400-year period following ancient collapse that shaped the modern world.
7mins
The present is a story your brain assembles after the fact
Jim Al-Khalili explains how the past and future are more fluid than we may think.
13mins
The idea so strange Einstein thought it broke quantum physics
Jim Al-Khalili introduces the technologies emerging from the second quantum revolution.
Peculiar galaxies showcase the beauty of cosmic violence
Most massive galaxies are spiral or elliptical shaped. But peculiar galaxies showcase the beautiful violence that helps explain our cosmos.
Ask Ethan: Does dark energy curve the Universe over time?
Early on, the Universe needed near-perfect flatness, or atoms, stars, and galaxies couldn't form. What happens once dark energy takes over?
The widely reported “hole in the Universe” is a lie
The image you're seeing isn't a hole in the Universe, and the cosmic voids that do exist aren't hole-like at all.
BrainMaxxing: the road less traveled in the age of AI
While LooksMaxxing often headlines the news, the idea of BrainMaxxing deserves real attention. Growing your mind never goes out of style.
Big ideas. Thoughtful conversations. One book at a time.
One of the most radical reinventions in evolutionary history
Once land plants, seagrasses staged one of evolution’s boldest reversals — returning to the ocean and reinventing their biology to thrive beneath the waves.
The 3 pillars of pain: A radical new way to understand why you hurt
By better understanding how the brain constructs pain, we may transform how we treat chronic suffering.
The centuries-old “love story” that was really a tale of psychological abuse
Classic literature reveals how resilience can be both a source of strength in troubled times — and a dangerous ideal.
Emergence: A memoir by David Sussillo
In this preview, the Stanford professor muses on how emergence, arriving at complex patterns from simple parts, explains AI, brains, and life itself.
Learn business from the world’s biggest thinkers.
The 5-step algorithm that’s transforming legacy companies
Inside GM’s race to build the electric Hummer lies a powerful lesson in speed, simplicity, and the operating system required for exponential growth.
How smart management built a forgettable world
Cities and organizations alike risk becoming highly efficient — but indistinguishable — unless leaders actively preserve space for imagination and deviation.
Gretchen Rubin’s simple secrets for a happier, less cluttered life
Rubin joins Big Think for a chat about her one-minute rule, why self-knowledge is key to a good life, and more.
Thumbs-down to “Gladiator Strategy”? Try the Nadella philosophy instead
To bring the best out of your teams, don’t flex like Maximus — lean into a “helpful fight” instead.
Welcome to McKinley: How the U.S. almost colonized a chunk of Cuba
A century ago, an American colony named after Trump's favorite president was thriving on the Isle of Pines. Then came hurricanes and geopolitical reality.
Memorizing London’s 25,000 streets changes cabbies’ brains — and may prevent Alzheimer’s
One of the toughest vocational exams in the world requires candidates to memorize 25,000 streets in an area five times the size of Manhattan.
7,000-year-old underwater wall raises questions about ancient engineering — and lost-city legends
Scientists found a massive underwater wall off the coast of France that might help explain the origin of the legend of Ys.
America’s post-apocalyptic maps reveal eerily familiar fault lines
In post-apocalyptic fiction, imagined futures turn today’s political and cultural tensions into geography.
Where science meets the human story.
Why organisms are more than machines
Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.
Aerial aliens: Why cloudy worlds might make detecting life easier
Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger spoke with Big Think about how "the colors of life" could leave detectable traces on distant planets.
The next great leap in evolution may lie beyond Earth
NASA’s Caleb Scharf talks with Big Think about life’s long experiment in expansion.
David Kipping on how the search for alien life is gaining credibility
Big Think spoke with astronomer David Kipping about technosignatures, "extragalactic SETI," and being a popular science communicator in the YouTube age.
