Surprising Science — November 4, 2009

Dr. Katherine Shear Illuminates Grief

Dr. Katherine Shear, Professor of Psychiatry in Social Work at Columbia University, stopped by Big Think this week to discuss her research on anxiety, panic, and grief disorders.

The many mysteries surrounding grief (how does it help us, if at all? how long is it “supposed” to last?) can make it harder to cope with. As she explained in our conversation, however, Dr. Shear’s studies have provided both clinical and practical insight into the grieving process, easing the burden on those who experience it. Dr. Shear’s work was also featured recently in the New York Times.

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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Culture & Religion

Augusten Burroughs, Take Two

Augusten Burroughs, author of the bestselling memoirs “Running with Scissors” and “A Wolf at the Table,” as well as the new holiday-themed “You Better Not Cry,” returned to Big Think […]