Big Think

Is There More to Life than Happiness?

Orion Jones — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:30:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? Though University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Martin Seligman began the positive psychology movement a decade ago, he is still modifying which elements he believes constitute happiness. The latest to be added to the list is 'accomplishment', which occurs ...

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Is Holden Caulfield Obnoxious?

Austin Allen — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:10:22 -0500

You already know where you stand on Holden Caulfield. Either you found him a kindred spirit in your youth and continue to sympathize with him—less blindly, more wistfully—as you age; or else you found him a whiner then and you find him a whiner now. According to the New York Times, the second ...

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Is America Doomed If The President Is Not A Christian?

Kris Broughton — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 14:04:19 -0500

If it is not illegal for a devout Muslim to become the president of the United States, why are people so hell bent on trying to prove that President Obama is one? Would it matter if any president we’ve had who is still alive were to admit that he was not really a practicing Christian? Is it ...

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How Exercise Benefits Your Brain

Orion Jones — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 12:45:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? Japanese scientists have just uncovered why exercising gives your brain such a powerful pick up. By examining the brains of animals on an exercise regimen, they saw that physical activity severely drains the energy resources that neurons need to fire, which in ...

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Neuroscience Makes the Mind More Mysterious, Not Less

Orion Jones — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? fMRI machines and PET scanners, which can slice images of the brain to detect blood flow and electrical activity, are often thought of as having solved the mysteries of consciousness (where does it come from and what is it like?) After all, breaking the brain down ...

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David Brooks on Our Form of Big Government

Peter Lawler — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:57:52 -0500

Brooks offends our pride by reminding us that the American level of social spending is the same as Europe's. The difference is the method. The Europeans use taxes to fund public programs. The characteristically American form of public generosity is tax breaks. Brooks claims America is Europe ...

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Merchants of Doubt: Nicotine is Not Addictive = Climate Change Is Not Real

Matthew C. Nisbet — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:22:42 -0500

The Climate Reality Project has produced an online video short linking effectively for viewers the parallels between the tobacco industry's attempts to lie and downplay the threat of smoking with conservative advocates' efforts to downplay the reality and threat of climate change. The video ...

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Free Will Makes a Comeback against Neuroscience

Orion Jones — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 09:15:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? The emergence of neuroscience seemed to strike a powerful blow against the idea of free will but some neuroscientists now say the case against free choice has been exaggerated. British neuroscientist Raymond Tallis likes to tell the joke of the drunk man who ...

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Oscar Psychology: Why We Love Celebrity

Orion Jones — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 07:30:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? The Oscars are tonight! But why do we care so much? After all, not everyone is a movie buff. We are more likely to tune in tonight because of an evolutionary drive for status, say behavioral psychologists. Learning about high-status individuals can give us clues ...

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The Electronic Brain? Your Mind Vs. a Computer

Megan Erickson — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

What's the Big Idea? In a 2011 interview, physicist Stephen Hawking declared, "I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail." Of course, the brain is not a computer in the literal sense of the word, but the brain-as-computer metaphor is a powerful one. Long ...

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Could Lab-Grown Organs Make Us Immortal?

Orion Jones — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 15:30:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? Human windpipes grown in laboratories using stem cells have successfully been transplanted into patients with cancerous esophagi. Scientists are now working to grow vital organs, like the heart and liver, but complications arise due to their complicated ...

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Cancer Revolution: Genetics & Personalized Medicine

Orion Jones — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:00:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? No longer a theoretical possibility, cancer treatments are fundamentally changing, ushering in the long-awaited era of personalized medicine. Foundation Medicine is a private medical laboratory on the cutting edge of some very promising cancer research. The company ...

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Future Grocery Stores Are Mobile

Orion Jones — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 12:30:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? Several grocery stores are testing virtual storefronts which allow anyone waiting at a bus stop or subway platform to shop for groceries with their smartphone. In the US, Philadelphia has been the main testing ground for the grocer Peapod. "While awaiting a train ...

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Scientists Turn Off the Pain Switch

Orion Jones — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 11:00:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? European and American scientists have discovered how to inhibit the activity of pain-sensitive neurons, switching them on and off by using a chemical compound called QAQ. The compound closely resembles lidocaine, a well-known anesthetic used by dentists. "The ion ...

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The Future of Medicine? Your Smartphone.

Orion Jones — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 09:22:07 -0500

What's the Latest Development? The way we receive health care is changing thanks to new medical instruments being developed for mobile devices. Routine medical tests, like measuring blood pressure and blood glucose levels, can already be performed using new hardware attachments for smartphones ...

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Why the Internet Loves Marijuana

Alexis Ohanian — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

According to Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian the most active users tend to be left-of-center or libertarian, and both those groups advocate for the legalization of marijuana. Watch the video here: Image courtesy of Shutterstock

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Ziggy Marley: Hemp Can Save the World

Mark Cheney — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Ziggy Marley tells Big Think that smoking marijuana is "a very spiritual, sacramental, private thing." And yet, hemp, he says, is a greater issue for society to contend with. The industrial production of hemp, which is illegal in the U.S., Marley says can save the planet. Watch the video here:

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Reefer Madness: It's Time For a Logical Policy on Marijuana

Daniel Honan — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

What's the Big Idea? The legal status of medical marijuana in the United States is very hazy these days. 16 states plus the District of Columbia allow the use of medical marijuana, but there is a great discrepancy as to who is allowed to smoke it and how much they are allowed to possess. 17 ...

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Your Online Presence Is Your Résumé

Orion Jones — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0500

What's the Latest Development? Businesses are innovating at the level of hiring, using social networks to screen job applicants. Large companies like SAP build their own community sites where prospective employees interact by writing and responding to blog posts and interacting in online forums ...

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How to Hire Innovative Employees

Orion Jones — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:00:33 -0500

What's the Latest Development? Certain personality types are better at finding innovative solutions to difficult business problems but how can you, as an employer, find innovative employees? Looking for a conceptual thinker who does not feel restrained by conventional boundaries can become part ...

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