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Welcome to The Nightcrawler — a weekly newsletter from Eric Markowitz covering tech, innovation, and long-term thinking.
Experts and Big Think writers recommend their favorite reads for diving deeper into the history and perspectives found in the Book of Books.
Thanks to protocols established centuries ago in Europe, world leaders no longer need to worry about having their heads bashed with an axe.
"Oosouji" or "big cleaning" is much more than a chance to tidy up.
When you're a genius, how do you make ends meet?
More than 200 years ago, scientists tried to figure out how bats navigate in the dark (or without eyes). This set in motion a series of events that led to the development of ultrasound as a form of psychotherapy.
The unfamiliar landscape of America's medical past is marked by bizarre incidents, forgotten breakthroughs and selfless sacrifice.
Many deserving potential awardees were snubbed by the Nobel committee. But this takes the cake. Every October, the Nobel foundation awards prizes celebrating the greatest advances in numerous scientific fields. Alfred […]
These photos of scientific heroes and accomplishments inspire awe and curiosity.
When we call something ugly, we say something about ourselves – and what we fear or dread.
What explains our propensity to blame the victim, even in cases of sexual assault and rape? A true story of sexual crime in America reveals some key misunderstandings we may all hold.
“You can’t tell Marie Curie that she can’t do something,” says Hank Green, host of the SciShow. The first woman to receive world renown in science, Curie was the first […]
What’s the Big Idea? My brother-in-law, a tenured professor at Osgood law school in Toronto, sent me an article yesterday. “This will interest you. Anne-Marie is a rockstar academic!” The […]
In the classic Western film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, James Stewart’s character confesses that he wasn’t a hero, only to hear the newspaper man he’s confessed to respond, […]
Proposed over 2000 years ago by Democritus, the word atom literally means uncuttable. Revived in 1803, today's "atoms" can indeed be split.
The fear of unleashing forces beyond control has haunted science for centuries.
Want to study philosophy but skip some of its heavier tomes? These five novels are a great place to start. (Existential despair guaranteed.)
After drastic cuts to the NIH, the FDA, the NSF, and the DOE, NASA science faces down its smallest budget ever. All of society will suffer.
Many expect AI to follow a familiar pattern — technological disruption followed by adaptation — but what are we losing in return?
“I want to change the way we think about the past altogether,” says Dr. Betül Kaçar, an astrobiologist who studies the origin of life.
From acclaimed novels to heretical treatises, sometimes a writer just doesn't want to put their name on the cover.
The electoral reform also known as instant-runoff voting promises bridge-building and broad appeal instead of culture war and gridlock.
A scientist’s first-hand account shows the world can tackle a global environmental crisis.
We must get happiness right — even when the world around us gets it wrong.
Our relationship with chatbots is undergoing a sea change — here’s how the transformation will most affect you and your team.
Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower is poised to become the world’s tallest building. What’s behind the century-plus drive to build ever taller skyscrapers?
Digital analyses of Enlightenment-era letters are teaching us a thing or two about Locke, Voltaire, and others.
The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 prohibited nations from making new land claims on the continent. But it never mentioned claims from private individuals.