Surprising Science — April 28, 2009

Big Think Live Stream Event: Wolfram Alpha Preview

Big Think’s latest livecast will feature Wolfram Research founder Stephen Wolfram and Harvard Law professor Jonathan Zittrain as they offer a look at the Wolfram Alpha, a soon-to-launch engine that could revolutionize the way you search for information on the internet.

Scientist and inventor, Stephen Wolfram, who pioneered Mathematica, has been lauded for his research in high-level computing for years. He received his PhD in theoretical physics at the age of 20 and went on to become the youngest ever recipient of a MacArthur fellowship. His work has made advances in cosmology, theoretical particle physics, computer algebra, and cellular automata. He is currently CEO at Wolfram Research.

Jonathan Zittrain is co-director of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard. His latest book, The Future of the Internet And How To Stop It, analyzes issues of creative control, intellectual property and computer security.

Questions for this discussion can be submitted online.

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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