Culture & Religion — April 7, 2014

Neil deGrasse Tyson Gets the “SNL” Treatment

It was bound to happen: Neil deGrasse Tyson was impersonated on “SNL.” Played by Kenan Thompson, the fake Dr. Tyson appears on an episode of the morning talk show “Fox & Friends” to talk about his new show “Cosmos.” In the skit, he explains to the hosts that global warming is indeed a real threat, a fact confirmed by science. Ironically, on a recent episode of “Cosmos,” Dr. Tyson took on creationism by disproving it with an onslaught of facts. We’re sure that he appreciated the honor of being impersonated on “SNL.”

To catch the real Dr. Tyson, check out his interview with Big Think on the importance of just being oneself.

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.

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7 min

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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.

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