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A neuroscientist’s guide to protecting your brain, in 58 minutes
Neuroscientist Lisa Genova explains how to protect your brain against Alzheimer's and the science of forgetting.
with
Lisa Genova
Memory is not a war in your brain between remembering the good guy and forgetting the bad guy. Human memory is amazing, and it's fallible.
The strange, and occasionally violent, origins of American news
When editors dueled with pistols at dawn and news went viral for pennies.
Einstein’s E = mc² is only half of the full equation
Einstein's most famous equation is E = mc², which describes the rest mass energy inherent to particles. But motion matters for energy, too.
by
Ethan Siegel
You give great advice to everyone except yourself. Here’s how to change that.
"Self-distancing" explains why the advice you’d give a friend in five minutes is the advice you can’t give yourself in a month.
by
Danny Kenny
The strange, and occasionally violent, origins of American news
When editors dueled with pistols at dawn and news went viral for pennies.
A single illustration reveals the entirety of cosmic history
After a period of cosmic inflation came to an end, the hot Big Bang commenced. 13.8 billion years later, we arrived. Here's how we got here.
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Laozi’s 4 types of leaders, and why the best one is barely noticed
Two thousand years ago, the Chinese philosopher identified a problem workplaces still struggle with: leaders who create dependence rather than foster capability.
A philosopher’s 5 tips on how to become the most likeable person in the room
Don't reek of onions or take up too much space.
Forget Stoicism. Skepticism is the ancient philosophy we need today.
Skepticism used to be an integral part of any liberal arts education. Here’s why we need to bring it back.
What would you like to learn more about? We have thousands of videos from the world’s biggest thinkers to help you dive deeper into any subject.
Pause the busyness of life to reflect on ourselves, our relationships, and the Universe.
with
Jonny Thomson
Do parents know best? 3 experiments that tried to replace moms and dads
The family might be a terrible way to raise kids. But it's the best we have.
3 reasons why holidays aren’t making you more relaxed
If you're going to relax, don't do it halfway.
Kairos: The ancient Greek art of knowing when to act
A white rabbit appears up ahead. What do you do?
Intimate interviews with the world’s biggest thinkers.
9mins
The trick that offloads intrusive thoughts so your brain can actually work
David Epstein, author of Range and Inside the Box, breaks down what's actually happening inside the brain when we multitask, and why "just focusing" is a solution that doesn't hold up to reality.
19mins
The unpopular truth about the myth of the lone genius
David Epstein argues that the myth of the lone genius is a story we tell, but the actual history of innovation is far more interesting.
4mins
Play this card game to solve your team’s biggest problem
The $25 card game that unlocks high-achieving teams.
21mins
The 6 triggers of aversion and how to defeat each one
In goal setting, Chris Bailey argues the problem isn't discipline; it's the system itself.
Ask Ethan: What super-galactic structures are we a part of?
We live on Earth, orbiting the Sun, part of our Solar System, within the Milky Way. But what's our membership status on even larger scales?
One stringy thought causes inflationary cosmologists to lose sleep
When it comes to the big question of our cosmic origins, inflation is our leading theory. But did string theory ultimately cause inflation?
Yes, interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is older than the Solar System
Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS has an ancient age, but not for the reason most commonly touted. These three lines of evidence are far stronger.
Famous globular cluster Terzan 5: an imposter after all
Globular clusters are some of the most ancient cosmic relics that still survive in our Milky Way today. Famed Terzan 5 isn't one of them.
Big ideas. Thoughtful conversations. One book at a time.
The smear campaign that transformed presidential politics began with a billiards table
The vicious 1828 presidential campaign reveals how fake news, partisan media, and political smear tactics have shaped American democracy for two centuries.
The 1835 “moon hoax” that turned fake news into big business
America’s penny press transformed journalism in the 1830s, using hoaxes, sensationalism, and mass circulation to create a blueprint for modern media.
The literary invention that places you in the chaos of war
In his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Angel Down, Daniel Kraus uses a single unbroken sentence to convey the psychological toll of being a soldier in World War I.
Before emancipation, a pivotal moment started to dismantle slavery in the U.S.
The road to emancipation began when enslaved Americans seized an opportunity for freedom and forced the nation to reckon with slavery's role in the Civil War.
Learn business from the world’s biggest thinkers.
Play it again: The causal link between fun and resilience
Fun in business is no laughing matter — it can create a golden strategic advantage and bring serious success in the long term.
The 250-year-old company that survived by refusing to lay people off
What would your company do if it lost all its customers at once?
The 3 stories every leader needs to inspire successful transformations
Directives rarely inspire change. The most effective leaders use stories to make transformation memorable, resonant, and actionable.
Why do we divide politics into left vs. right? Blame France.
Our left-vs.-right conception of politics was born in revolutionary France. The maps that followed were more sophisticated, but each carries a bias of its own.
Cathedral of bones: Inside the world’s largest, deepest, and oldest whale graveyard
In a lightless canyon at the bottom of the Indian Ocean, Earth has been quietly collecting dead whales. Scientists have just discovered the archive.
Follow the money: Mapping millionaire migration across America
Since 2018, around 103,000 millionaires moved out of California — and 133,000 millionaires moved in to Florida
How playgrounds reinvented childhood
The modern playground was more than a place to play — it was a blueprint for a new kind of upbringing.
Where science meets the human story.
A physicist explains what the Kardashev scale gets wrong
The famous framework ranks civilizations by energy use — but ignores a critical factor that can halt their progress.
Why organisms are more than machines
Sixty years ago, a little-known philosopher challenged how science understands life. His perspective is finding new relevance in the age of artificial intelligence.
Aerial aliens: Why cloudy worlds might make detecting life easier
Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger spoke with Big Think about how "the colors of life" could leave detectable traces on distant planets.
The next great leap in evolution may lie beyond Earth
NASA’s Caleb Scharf talks with Big Think about life’s long experiment in expansion.
