October 10, 2013

The Brilliant Simplicity of Self-Assembling Robots

M-Blocks are small robotic cubes that have no exterior moving parts. But they are able to propel themselves, climb on top of each other and form all kinds of shapes.

bigthinkeditor

M-Blocks are small robotic cubes that have no exterior moving parts. But they are able to propel themselves, climb on top of each other and form all kinds of shapes. The secret sauce: permanent magnets that allow any two cubes to attach to each other.

Watch here:

Read more here.

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

▸

7 min

—

with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

Up Next

Surprising Science

This Watch Provides A Countdown To Your Death

Never mind the fact that watches aren’t as popular as they used to be: The Tikker has already blown past its Kickstarter crowdfunding goal. Writer John Kruzel thinks it might have something to do with the appeal of YOLO.