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The science, medicine, and mythology of menstruation and menopause

OB/GYN Jen Gunter charts the science, history, and mythology of menstruation and menopause, offering a guidebook to navigate the rocky terrain of our modern healthcare landscape.

with Dr. Jen Gunter

It was a physical sign of inferiority. And that banner has long been carried by medicine, by many different societies, and also by many religions.

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Featured Classes

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Members
7 videos
Persuading Others
Robert Cialdini
Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing, Arizona State University, and Author
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Members
5 videos
The Art of Ambitious Goals
Multiple Instructors
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Members
4 videos
How to Lead with Purpose
Dan Pontefract
Thinker, Author, Leadership Strategist, Pontefract Group
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Members
6 videos
How to Become Antifragile
Tal Ben-Shahar
Positive psychologist
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Members
6 videos
Think Like an Entrepreneur
Nathalie Molina Niño
Co-Founder & Managing Director at Known Holdings, Builder Capitalist, Author of Leapfrong
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Members
8 videos
Strengthen Your Emotional Agility
Susan David
Psychologist, Harvard Medical School, and Author, “Emotional Agility”
Strange Maps

Scientists map massive layer of life just beneath our feet

Until recently, nobody had visualized the fungal "Wood Wide Web."

by Frank Jacobs
Satellite view of Earth showing Eurasia at night, with illuminated areas highlighting population density and settlements across the continent.
Books

Beyond the Odyssey: A beginner’s guide to Greek mythology

Classicist Natalie Haynes joins us to discuss the trials and joys of learning about ancient Greece and its myths.

by Tim Brinkhof
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Mini Philosophy

How to make difficult decisions, according to philosophy

When the road runs out, you've got to make your own way.

by Jack Maden
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John Gray on why “progress” in politics is an illusion
In technology, we make cumulative advances that withstand time. Not so in politics and ethics, argues philosopher John Gray.

by Jonny Thomson

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FIND US ON SUBSTACK

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Big Think

Our main hub on Substack.

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Mini Philosophy

Your daily dose of thoughtfulness.

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Starts with a Bang

Understand the universe better.

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Big Think Books

Explore the writers and ideas that have shaped our world.

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Big Think Business

The latest industry insights.
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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.

A man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop in a library with brick walls, wooden floor, shelves of books, and large windows.
1hr 26mins
The strongest arguments for and against the existence of God
Alex O'Connor

Cosmic skeptic and public speaker
A man with glasses and a gray beard stands in front of illustrations of three classical columns, each with a different capital style.
22mins
Why stoicism fails when treated like self-help
Massimo Pigliucci

Author and professor of philosophy
Members
Elderly man with glasses and a white beard, photographed in cool tones with an orange transparent square overlay.
7 videos 39m
Tools for Thinking Critically
Daniel C. Dennett

Philosopher, writer, and cognitive scientist
A person sitting on a chair in a studio setting with a white backdrop and two small tables on either side, each holding a small plant.
11mins
The hard problem of consciousness
Annaka Harris

Best-selling author
A black and white pointillism illustration of a person viewed from behind, looking toward abstract, textured shapes in the background.
2mins
Why be happy when you could be interesting?
Slavoj Žižek

Philosopher and cultural critic
A person sitting on a chair with legs crossed in front of a white backdrop in a spacious room with wooden floors and large windows.
32mins
Love, sex, and happiness, explained by philosophy
Jonny Thomson

Author and philosopher
A man in a suit stands facing a large human eye, positioned at the center of the pupil as if about to step inside.
1hr 12mins
The science of consciousness is solving the biggest illusion in our universe
Anil Seth

Neuroscientist, author, and public speaker
An older man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop in a modern, brightly lit room with colorful pillows and minimalist decor.
16mins
The happiness shortcut that hides in plain sight
Robert Waldinger

Professor of psychiatry
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5mins
The art of perception and self-reflection
Ryan Holiday

Best-selling author
A black silhouette with two overlapping human profiles facing opposite directions on a green background.
6mins
How your brain creates reality, explained by a neuroscientist
Lisa Feldman Barrett

Author and professor of psychology
Geometric abstract design featuring overlapping white wireframe curves forming a symmetrical star shape on a black background, evoking the cosmic elegance of the big bang. The great Big Bang misconception
Michelle Thaller

Astronomer and science communicator
A person sits on a chair with hands clasped, facing forward. Blue waveforms and dots form a digital backdrop behind them.
1hr 19mins
The quantum roots of reality
Brian Cox

Author and science communicator
A petri dish with a red agar medium shows various colonies of bacteria growing, with dense streaks on the right and scattered colonies on the left.
13mins
How chance and error shaped every living being on Earth
Sean B. Carroll

Biologist and film producer
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1hr 17mins
We can tackle our biggest environmental problems
Hannah Ritchie

Data scientist and researcher
A man in a suit sits on a chair against a yellow background with abstract blue and green wave patterns behind him.
1hr 26mins
Sean Carroll explains why physics is both simple and impossible
Sean Carroll

Professor of natural philosophy
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1hr 8mins
Michio Kaku wants to solve Einstein’s unfinished equation
Michio Kaku

Professor of theoretical physics
A person sits in front of a white backdrop, surrounded by a cosmic map with galaxies and celestial objects.
2hr 18mins
Where did our universe come from?
Ethan Siegel

Theoretical astrophysicist and science writer
Members
A stylized collage featuring a woman's face, abstract patterns, and a winding arrow in green, red, and black on a divided background.
7 videos 34m
How to Rewire Your Brain for Learning
Barbara Oakley

Professor of engineering
A mural shows an angel pointing toward a golden emblem, with rays emanating. Monks stand in reverence below, surrounded by flowers and architectural details.
13mins
Is AI aligned with our human interests?
Sam Harris

Philosopher and neuroscientist
A person in a suit sits on a chair against a cosmic background with galaxies and stars.
1hr 33mins
Searching for aliens and Earth 2.0
David Kipping

Astronomer
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49mins
The 3 cognitive scripts that rule over your life
Anne-Laure Le Cunff

Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an award-winning neuroscientist and entrepreneur.
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8mins
Why humans are surprisingly bad at being happy
Laurie Santos

Professor of psychology
Members
A man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop, with bookshelves and lamps in the background, raising his hands in a questioning gesture.
10 videos 55m
Leading Through Anxiety
Jesse Eisenberg

Actor, writer and director
Silhouettes of two people face each other closely, with warm light casting their shadows on a wall.
1hr 25mins
The science-backed guide to having better sex
Emily Nagoski

Sex educator & author
heal trauma
8mins
6 ways to heal trauma without medication, from the author of “The Body Keeps the Score”
Bessel van der Kolk

Psychiatrist and neuroscientist
A man in a suit sits on a chair in front of a white door, surrounded by a vibrant, abstract swirl of red, pink, blue, yellow, and green colors.
2hr 9mins
How one psychedelic trip can alter an entire lifetime
Matthew W. Johnson

Professor of psychedelics
A man sits on a chair in front of a white backdrop with vibrant, rainbow-colored abstract patterns in the background.
1hr 2mins
Become stronger: Jumpstart your anti-fragile systems
Tal Ben-Shahar

Positive psychologist
A man with short, grayish hair, wearing a dark blazer and black shirt, stares directly at the camera against a black background.
9mins
Your mind is all you have. Is yours working?
Sam Harris

Philosopher and neuroscientist
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5mins
Why divergent thinkers beat geniuses in the real world
David Epstein

Author
Members
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8 videos 49m
Slow Productivity
Cal Newport

Computer scientist and author
A person stands inside a glowing circle with sparks flying around in arcs, capturing the essence of "What is flow state," as the word "FLOW" appears in bold white letters across the center. How to enter “flow state” on command
Steven Kotler

Author
Members
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10 videos 58m
Unlocking Your Team’s Hidden Potential
Adam Grant

Organizational psychologist and author
A man in a blue shirt sits in front of a vivid blue and turquoise swirling abstract background.
1hr 34mins
How to think creatively on command
Tiago Forte

Productivity expert
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8mins
Why skill plateaus are inevitable – and how to push past them
Atul Gawande

Professor and author
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1hr
How your cognitive biases lead to terrible investing behaviors
Barry Ritholtz

Business leader and author
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5mins
Habits of highly successful risk-takers
Nate Silver

Statistician
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4mins
Ask smarter questions in 5 minutes
Natalie Nixon

Creativity strategist & CEO
Members
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7 videos 31m
How to Build Influence That Lasts
Linda Hill

Professor of business
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5mins
Are you a visionary – or a follower? Here’s how to step up
Simon Sinek

Ethnographer and author
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4mins
How to argue like a debate world champion
Bo Seo

Champion debater
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10mins
The mind-blowing chaos that underpins the world
Brian Klaas

Professor of global politics
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15mins
The mind-blowing stats on male inequality
Richard Reeves

Writer and social scientist
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1hr 18mins
The truth of Ancient Rome hides under its myth of decadence
Mary Beard

Author and historian
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15mins
Why 2025 is the single most pivotal year in our lifetime
Peter Leyden

Peter Leyden is a longtime tech expert and thought leader on the future.
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7mins
Why the world is going crazy—and how to win back our minds
Jamie Wheal

Author
A person sits alone on a bench against a yellow background, looking down at a smartphone.
12mins
The great friendship collapse: inside the anti-social century
Derek Thompson

Writer and podcaster
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1hr 18mins
Conflict, crisis, consumption: What’s eating our nation?
Amanda Ripley

Author
A military-style, decorated uniform and cap with no visible wearer, set against a solid black background, evokes powerful imagery that prompts viewers to consider themes such as authority and questions like what is fascism.
9mins
The 10 tactics of fascism
Jason Stanley

Professor of philosophy
Members
A person with glasses and a bald head is looking slightly to the side, centered in a green-tinted square frame.
6 videos 26m
AI and the Future of Civilization
Yuval Noah Harari

Historian and philosopher
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13mins
Berkeley professor explains gender theory
Judith Butler

Professor and philosopher
Browse All Videos
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The text "MINI PHILOSOPHY" is written in bold, uppercase black letters on a white background.
Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
with Jonny Thomson
A rainbow, often seen as a symbol of luck, arcs over a sunlit rural landscape with rolling hills, scattered trees, and hay bales under a partly cloudy sky. 3 ways to make your own luck
Be alert and be ready to jump.
Jonny Thomson
A sunflower with a detailed close-up of its center, showcasing spiral patterns intertwined with mathematics. Fibonacci sequence and mathematical diagrams elegantly overlay a serene blue background. The hidden mathematics behind why you find things beautiful
The artistic and the mathematical mind are not so far apart.
Jonny Thomson
A split image: left side shows an empty bench and rocking chair by a lake, evoking a sense of nostalgia; right side shows a person in a white shirt walking outdoors, partially obscured by a torn-paper effect. How the wrong kind of nostalgia can endanger a society
The philosopher Svetlana Boym argues that "nostos" encourages people to reject the world as it is and seek to return to a better time — real or imagined.
Jonny Thomson
A squirrel sits on a rock facing a standing bear in a forest setting, both animals appearing to observe each other closely. 2 ways to deradicalize someone (and the 1 that works the best)
People are almost always different to how we imagine them
Jonny Thomson
Text graphic reading “The Big Think Interview” in bold, uppercase letters with a horizontal line and a downward-facing angle on the left.
Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.
Members
Four people in grayscale are positioned beside a magazine cover titled "Opt-Out Nation" with a rural landscape; text reads "Big Think Live Event" on a red background.
1hr 20mins
Live with Big Think: Inside “The Opt-Out Nation”
Watch our first-ever members-only event — a livestreamed conversation about our summer special issue, The Opt-Out Nation.
A middle-aged man with light hair in a dark blazer gestures with his hands and speaks against a plain, light background.
19mins
The psychology of revenge, in 19 minutes
Psychologist Paul Bloom explains why morality, the thing that makes cooperation and trust possible, is also what drives cruelty, cycles of revenge, and wars where both sides believe they're the moral ones.
Paul Bloom
An older woman with long gray hair gestures with her hands while speaking. She is wearing a dark jacket with pink cuffs and a black top, set against a plain light background.
13mins
Mary Beard: Why no film has ever cracked The Odyssey
Classicist Mary Beard explains why you should read The Odyssey before going to see Christopher Nolan's adaptation of the epic.
Mary Beard
A man wearing glasses and a navy blazer speaks while gesturing with his hands against a plain white background.
9mins
The trick that offloads intrusive thoughts so your brain can actually work
David Epstein, author of Range and Inside the Box, breaks down what's actually happening inside the brain when we multitask, and why "just focusing" is a solution that doesn't hold up to reality.
David Epstein
Black text on a white background says "STARTS WITH A BANG," with "WITH A" in a smaller, outlined font between "STARTS" and "BANG.
The Universe is out there, waiting for you to discover it.
with Ethan Siegel
black hole hawking The information paradox at the heart of every black hole
The matter that creates black holes won't be what comes out when they evaporate. Will the black hole information paradox ever be solved?
Ethan Siegel
A person in a cleanroom suit stands next to a large cylindrical scientific instrument inside a high-tech laboratory with bright lighting and metallic walls, where one blip of dark matter was recently detected. One blip isn’t enough to declare “dark matter has been detected”
In 1982, an experiment showed unprecedented evidence for exotic matter: magnetic monopoles. But without reproducibility, it didn't hold up.
Ethan Siegel
blue marble not 24 hours apollo 17 Only four days each year are actually 24 hours long
As the Earth spins and wobbles on its axis and revolves elliptically around the Sun, each day differs from the last. "24 hours" isn't right.
Ethan Siegel
A bright flash of light in the Universe Ask Ethan: Do white holes, the opposite of black holes, physically exist?
In general relativity, white holes are just as mathematically plausible as black holes. Black holes are real; what about white holes?
Ethan Siegel
The word "BOOKS" with the second "O" stylized as an open book illustration.
Big ideas. Thoughtful conversations. One book at a time.
Book cover of “The Opposite of Happiness” by George Loewenstein, featuring a large bubble and a pin about to pop it above the title. Misery is an emotional feature, not a glitch in the system
Why do anger, regret, and shame linger? Because evolution optimized our emotions to keep us alive, not to make us happy.
George Loewenstein
Book cover of “Nary a Horse Left Standing” by Lee Alan Dugatkin, featuring an old illustration of men by a horse-drawn streetcar, with bold white and yellow text overlaid. The 19th-century veterinarian who nearly cracked one of medicine’s oldest mysteries
The Great Epizootic of 1872 gave James Law the evidence he needed to challenge centuries of thinking surrounding the origins of disease.
Lee Alan Dugatkin
Book cover with the title “Kobuk the Destroyer” by Alex Davies, featuring a bear firing a cannon and a flying rabbit reminiscent of Jimmy Doolittle’s daring spirit, all set against a striking red background. The test pilot who made airplanes safer (by teaching us how to break them better)
Jimmy Doolittle pushed aircraft to their limits and, in the process, helped turn flight testing from daredevilry into a discipline.
Alex Davies
Book cover for “Agency: The Psychological History of Human Progress” by Martin Seligman, featuring geometric shapes on a beige background with black text, reflecting themes of self-efficacy and personal growth. This powerful belief can help you accomplish more
Decades of research show that self-efficacy can be strengthened with a few surprisingly simple strategies.
Martin E. P. Seligman
Black and white "BT business" logo with stylized "B" and "T" letters inside a square, followed by the word "business" in bold lowercase font.
Learn business from the world’s biggest thinkers.
Two men stand beside an early D'Ieteren motor vehicle with large wheels and a lamp, set against a brown and pink background. The 221-year-old company that reinvented itself — 4 times
This carriage maker didn’t get wiped out by the automobile. Instead, it became one of the most successful car businesses in European history.
Eric Markowitz
Two scenes: Top shows climbers on an ice-covered terrain, embodying fun and success. Bottom captures an airplane in flight against a clear sky. Play it again: The causal link between fun and resilience
Fun in business is no laughing matter — it can create a golden strategic advantage and bring serious success in the long term.
Eric Markowitz
Four workers assemble a large wooden tank using scaffolding and ladders at an outdoor construction site, with stacks of materials in the background. The 250-year-old company that survived by refusing to lay people off
What would your company do if it lost all its customers at once?
Eric Markowitz
Book cover for "How Change Really Works" features multicolored lines radiating from a center, with one red line forming an arrow. The design reflects the dynamic process of transformation. Authors' names are displayed at the bottom. The 3 stories every leader needs to inspire successful transformations
Directives rarely inspire change. The most effective leaders use stories to make transformation memorable, resonant, and actionable.
Julia Dhar
The image shows the text "Strange Maps" in a stylized black font on a light background.
The world, seen sideways.
with Frank Jacobs
Infographic showing Apollo mission timelines, astronaut suits, and colored orbital paths around the Moon labeled with Apollo mission numbers, highlighting milestones in crewed spaceflight. Every single crewed mission to space — on one definitive map
Big Think’s latest poster is a detailed look at humanity’s loftiest enterprise so far: making it off-planet.
Frank Jacobs
A cargo ship illuminated on dark ocean water beneath dramatic lightning streaks in a night sky. Ends with a bang: Why lightning stopped stalking the Strait of Malacca
On a world map of lightning strikes, the world’s busiest sea routes glowed bright — until ships cleaned up their act.
Frank Jacobs
World map showing changes in night-time radiance from 2014 to 2022; purple areas indicate dimming, yellow areas indicate brightening, with a color bar legend. How Earth’s night lights became our most honest economist
A Cold War accident became a reliable tool for using artificial lights at night to map GDP, poverty, urban sprawl, and even illegal fishing.
Frank Jacobs
A literary map of the United States showing states, major cities, and regions, each labeled with notable authors and literary references from those areas. American literature, charted in one monumental map
From Stephen King’s Maine to Steinbeck’s California, Big Think's “A Literary Map of the United States” charts the stories that changed how we see a nation.
Frank Jacobs
The number 13.8 displayed in large, bold, black digits on a white background.
Where science meets the human story.
Large telescope inside an observatory dome, showing metal structure, supporting beams, and curved reflective surfaces under artificial lighting. A study claimed UFOs orbited Earth in the 1950s. Then scientists checked the math.
In 2025, two cleverly designed studies claimed to find evidence of strange objects orbiting Earth — years before humanity had put anything in space.
Adam Frank
Two people at a protest hold signs reading "no vaccine passports" and "STOP COVID JABS FOR CHILDREN," with others standing nearby and flags visible in the background. Who pays the cost when Americans opt out of science?
Astrophysicist Adam Frank used to think the consequences of rejecting science would play out on the individual level. He's since changed his mind.
Adam Frank
Illustration of Earth overlaid with a grid and energy types from the Kardashev Scale: Type I, II, and III, representing planetary, stellar, and galactic energy usage. A physicist explains what the Kardashev scale gets wrong
The famous framework ranks civilizations by energy use — but ignores a critical factor that can halt their progress.
Adam Frank
A split image explores the nature of life, with a gray rock on a dark background on the left and a colored microscopic view of a cell—hinting at intelligence—in vivid detail on the right. 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.
Adam Frank