A new study shows that being overweight doubles the effect of alcohol on the liver, substantially increasing the likelihood of contracting diseases like cirrhosis.
The world’s biggest physics experiment will suffer another setback in two years time when it is expected to be shut down for repairs, pushing full operating capacity back another year.
The obstinate divide over healthcare reform is spilling into other areas of domestic policy such as immigration reform and financial regulation where Democrats are increasingly going it alone.
President Obama has delayed his visit to Asia to push for a vote on healthcare reform here at home before the Congress takes its Easter recess at the end of the month.
Secretary Clinton has warned Israel of faltering relations over its gutsy announcement to build new settlements in Jerusalem during a visit by Vice President Biden.
In the 20th century, the greatest threats to civilization arose out of ecstatic emotions, especially when they united thousands of people. The last century’s true believers rallied, wept and sang […]
This Wednesday a federal judge ruled that the congressional bill, passed last year by both houses, which barred the community organizing group ACORN from receiving federal funds amounted to a […]
This morning Big Think is pleased to present a kind of double feature: a full-length interview with CUNY theoretical physicist, futurist, and radio host Michio Kaku, and the launch of his […]
Today marks the second installment of Big Think’s new series on business sustainability, sponsored by Logica. For the next twelve Mondays (through June 8, 2010), we will release in-depth discussions […]
Itawamba Agricultural High School would rather cancel the prom than let a lesbian couple attend. More than a month ago, Constance McMillen, an 18-year-old senior at the Mississippi school, asked […]
Ferguson’s piece in the new Foreign Affairs, “Complexity and Collapse: Empires on the Edge of Chaos,” considers the question of how history moves, and whether the conventional assumptions concerning, as […]
Anti-choice zealot Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich) overplayed his hand. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced today that the House Democrats will move forward without a deal on abortion coverage. Why […]
Three months after the Copenhagen Climate Conference’s failure to reach a legally binding global emissions-reduction deal, there hasn’t been much talk of what the next step will be. But the […]
Solar panels aren’t born green. Their manufacture uses power, often generated in plants that burn coal or oil, and releases pollutants (including greenhouse gases) into the environment. The extent of […]
America was stunned yesterday by the revelations that a suburban Pennsylvania woman, aka “Jihad Jane,” was trying to join militant jihadists. But for net “vigilantes” it was old news.
Rusty McMann is the alias of a real male escort living in Las Vegas who has written his version of “Confessions of a Call Girl” to cast further light on his profession.
A new kind of brain scan has been developed which can effectively read a person’s mind, according to researchers who have been able to differentiate brain activity liked to memory.
“The Wizard of Oz,” which starred Judy Garland, has a place in cinematic history. But with three rival studios preparing new versions of the classic musical, which Wizard is which?
As Washington recovers from what has been dubbed the “Massa-cre”, the disgrace of ex-Democrat Eric Massa, Fox News asks how the current “parlor game” could ever happen.
50 years after Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was arrested, a German journalist is suing a federal court for the release of files containing details about his 15 years as a fugitive.
Talented ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro says the traditional Hawaiian instrument, which he learned to play at just 4 years of age, could make the world a less violent place to live in.
The New York Times’ Earl Wilson ponders the disorganisation and chaos of beautiful Italy as he attempts to board an airplane from an airport that looks the same as it did in 1944.
Lehman Brothers, the bank which collapsed in September 2008 and sparked global economic meltdown, could face legal action over accounting “gimmicks” revealed in a recent report.
As Europe’s biggest economy, Germany needs to learn change if it is to help lead the rest of the Eurozone out of the fiscal mire – but can an old dog learn new tricks?
More evidence that Google runs the world: they’re planning your next bike ride for you. As of two days ago, their latest mapping feature includes bike lane tracking, so that […]
That the legal system is broken and rife within justice is a well-worn fact, familiar to anybody who watches prime-time TV. But, what if the problem with the law isn’t […]
I’m writing a novel, titled Anamorphosis, that revolves around the challenges an African American auteur experiences when he agrees to direct a film because he needs the money. I’ve never […]
Twenty-six years after the release of Bruce Springsteen’s hit song, “Born in The USA,” conservative talk show host/performance artist Glenn Beck finally got around to listening to the lyrics. Beck […]
It’s not clear if the Democrats have the votes to get health care reform through Congress. Earlier versions of the bill have already passed both the House and the Senate—and, […]
Then check out these guys. The “coffee party” had about 29,000 Facebook “fans” on the morning of March 1, according to this New York Times story. By the same afternoon, […]