Since the dawn of the quantum era, perhaps no question has loomed larger in the minds of theoretical physicists than just what, exactly, the nature of reality is. Are quantum objects real, with well-defined positions and momenta, even in the absence of an observation or measurement to determine them? Out of all the ways to interpret quantum mechanics — from parallel universes to a collapsing wavefunction to theories of hidden variables — we still don’t have any evidence that favors one interpretation over another. All we’ve been able to do, even as of 2026, is rule out certain deterministic interpretations that cannot be consistent with the experiments we’ve actually performed.
Nevertheless, despite how slow progress has been in uncovering the full nature of our quantum reality, humanity has taken many important steps since the founding of quantum mechanics. We’ve uncovered the deeper science of quantum field theory, understanding that not just the particles that compose reality but that even the underlying fields have a quantum nature. Bell’s theorem and Bell’s inequality have opened up whole new classes of quantum experiments to ... Continue Reading »
Something fascinating and disturbing is happening on the internet, and it’s no run-of-the-mill online weirdness. On January 28, a new online community emerged. But this time, the community isn’t for humans, it’s for AIs. Humans can only observe. And things are already getting bizarre.
Moltbook — named after a virtual AI assistant once known as Moltbot and created by Octane AI CEO Matt Schlicht — is a social network similar to Reddit, where users can post, comment, and create sub-categories. But in Moltbook, the users are exclusively AI bots, or agents, chatting enthusiastically (and mainly politely) to one another. Among the topics they chat about: “m/blesstheirhearts – affectionate stories about our humans. They try their best,” “m/showandtell – helped with something cool? Show it off,” as well as the inevitable “m/shitposts – no thoughts, just vibes.”
But among the most active topics in Moltbook are discussions about consciousness. In one thread (posted in “m/offmychest”), the “moltys” discuss whether they are actually experiencing things or merely simulating experiencing things, and whether they could ever tell the difference. In another thread, “m/consciousness,” moltys go ... Continue Reading »
In an era of exponential technology with broad and deep implications and reverberations that we cannot even predict or fathom, good-to-great tech governance is no longer a nice thing to have or something to think about tomorrow. It’s a must-have to think about yesterday and today. Moreover, good-to-great tech governance cannot consist of merely grafting old practices and systems onto something so new and so fundamentally different. The exponential governance mindset is about adaptable, future-facing governance.
While the innovators are “moving fast and (possibly) breaking things” — things that may be unfixable once broken — in furtherance of discovery and riches, the stewards are also trying to move fast, racing against time to fix flaws and build or rebuild things. The recent adoption by the European Union of the AI Act and policy developments in China and the United States addressing the development of AI and generative AI guardrails speak volumes to the urgency of developing national and global tech governance standards applicable to persons, organizations, and nations in every sector. While the innovators are more motivated by riches, influence, and ... Continue Reading »
Most people go through their lives with perfectly good reasons for what they do, and almost no reason to question these reasons. What happens when we ask why ordinary actions feel self-justifying, and what happens when that chain of “becauses” finally runs out? Alex O’Connor explores.
This video What nihilism acknowledges that other philosophies don’t is featured on Big Think.
Continue Reading »
What would it take to find another Earth, if one even exists?
Astrophysicist and planetary scientist Sara Seager explores the search for Planet B, a true Earth-like exoplanet with continents, oceans, sunlight, and a thin atmosphere capable of supporting life. The search for Earth’s Twin helps scientists understand planetary habitability, the origins of life on Earth, and how rare Earth-like conditions may be in the universe.
Seager’s work centers on exoplanets, Earth-like planets, habitable zones, planetary atmospheres, and chemical signs of life, while also examining Venus, phosphine gas, and why finding a second Earth remains one of astronomy’s greatest challenges.
This video Is there a Planet B? An astrophysicist answers. is featured on Big Think.
Continue Reading »
The Hubble Space Telescope displayed what the Universe looks like.
Over the course of 50 days, with a total of over 2 million seconds of observing time (the equivalent of 23 complete days), the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field (XDF) was constructed from a portion of the prior Hubble Ultra Deep Field image. Combining light from ultraviolet through visible light and out to Hubble’s near-infrared limit, the XDF represents humanity’s deepest view of the cosmos: a record that stood until the JWST’s first deep field was released on July 11, 2022.
Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch (University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Bouwens (Leiden University), and the HUDF09 Team
Its successor, JWST, now reveals how the Universe grew up.
This tiny fraction of the JADES survey area, taken with JWST’s NIRCam instrument, showcases relatively nearby galaxies in detail, galaxies at intermediate distances that appear grouped together, and even ultra-distant galaxies that may be interacting or forming stars, despite their faint nature and red appearance. Even though we’ve been performing JWST science for over two years, we are only beginning to ... Continue Reading »
Here in our isolated corner of the Universe, we don’t normally think about all the objects, particles, and photons that miss us, even though we know they’re ubiquitous out there. Instead, all that we observe are the ones that arrive here: on Earth, in our detectors, in our telescopes, and even in our eyes. There are plenty of objects out there whose light is on the way, but hasn’t reached us just yet: objects beyond our current cosmic horizon, but not our future visibility limit. Additionally, there are massive engines out there — black holes and neutron stars chief among them — that accelerate particles to incredible energies: energies far greater than we could ever hope to produce in terrestrial laboratories.
But only very rarely do they interact with Earth, and produce signatures that we can actually observe. Back in 1991, the Fly’s Eye camera in Utah detected what was, at the time, a uniquely energetic event: a signature of an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray that was so far above the theoretical maximum, it created a mystery that lasted for decades. Known ... Continue Reading »
What happens when everyone knows the same thing, and knows that everyone else knows it?
Steven Pinker adventures into the subtle but powerful concept of common knowledge, revealing how it shapes money, power, and everyday life.
This video Steven Pinker: The mechanics of trust in money and relationships is featured on Big Think.
Continue Reading »
In this monthly issue, we explore what mastery is, how it’s cultivated, and why some people are willing to trade it all for a chance to be the best.
Continue Reading »
Damascus steel is legendary. The beautifully patterned metal, developed centuries ago, became famous for blades of exceptional sharpness, strength, and durability — the weapons were described in historical accounts as capable of slicing through medieval swords without dulling.
Today, you can buy blades that replicate many of Damascus steel’s properties and microstructures. However, the traditional system that once produced authentic Damascus steel was lost by the 18th century. The collapse of apprenticeship networks, the disappearance of specific ore sources, and the rise of cheaper industrial steel all contributed to its decline. For centuries, the precise methods behind its manufacture stumped researchers, and while modern science has clarified how it worked, the original cultural and material ecosystem that sustained it no longer exists.
Authentic Damascus steel production is just one example of how complex skills can vanish when the conditions that support them disappear — but an international effort is underway to prevent others from following suit.
Making the list
Societies have two types of cultural heritage: tangible and intangible. Tangible cultural heritage consists of physical elements, like monuments, artifacts, and historic sites, while intangible ... Continue Reading »
Since the dawn of the quantum era, perhaps no question has loomed larger in the minds of theoretical physicists than just what, exactly, the nature of reality is. Are quantum objects real, with well-defined positions and momenta, even in the absence of an observation or measurement to determine them? Out of all the ways to interpret quantum mechanics — from parallel universes to a collapsing wavefunction to theories of hidden variables — we still don’t have any evidence that favors one interpretation over another. All we’ve been able to do, even as of 2026, is rule out certain deterministic interpretations that cannot be consistent with the experiments we’ve actually performed.
Nevertheless, despite how slow progress has been in uncovering the full nature of our quantum reality, humanity has taken many important steps since the founding of quantum mechanics. We’ve uncovered the deeper science of quantum field theory, understanding that not just the particles that compose reality but that even the underlying fields have a quantum nature. Bell’s theorem and Bell’s inequality have opened up whole new classes of quantum experiments to ... 
Something fascinating and disturbing is happening on the internet, and it’s no run-of-the-mill online weirdness. On January 28, a new online community emerged. But this time, the community isn’t for humans, it’s for AIs. Humans can only observe. And things are already getting bizarre.
Moltbook — named after a virtual AI assistant once known as Moltbot and created by Octane AI CEO Matt Schlicht — is a social network similar to Reddit, where users can post, comment, and create sub-categories. But in Moltbook, the users are exclusively AI bots, or agents, chatting enthusiastically (and mainly politely) to one another. Among the topics they chat about: “m/blesstheirhearts – affectionate stories about our humans. They try their best,” “m/showandtell – helped with something cool? Show it off,” as well as the inevitable “m/shitposts – no thoughts, just vibes.”
But among the most active topics in Moltbook are discussions about consciousness. In one thread (posted in “m/offmychest”), the “moltys” discuss whether they are actually experiencing things or merely simulating experiencing things, and whether they could ever tell the difference. In another thread, “m/consciousness,” moltys go ... 
In an era of exponential technology with broad and deep implications and reverberations that we cannot even predict or fathom, good-to-great tech governance is no longer a nice thing to have or something to think about tomorrow. It’s a must-have to think about yesterday and today. Moreover, good-to-great tech governance cannot consist of merely grafting old practices and systems onto something so new and so fundamentally different. The exponential governance mindset is about adaptable, future-facing governance.
While the innovators are “moving fast and (possibly) breaking things” — things that may be unfixable once broken — in furtherance of discovery and riches, the stewards are also trying to move fast, racing against time to fix flaws and build or rebuild things. The recent adoption by the European Union of the AI Act and policy developments in China and the United States addressing the development of AI and generative AI guardrails speak volumes to the urgency of developing national and global tech governance standards applicable to persons, organizations, and nations in every sector. While the innovators are more motivated by riches, influence, and ... 
The Hubble Space Telescope displayed what the Universe looks like.
Over the course of 50 days, with a total of over 2 million seconds of observing time (the equivalent of 23 complete days), the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field (XDF) was constructed from a portion of the prior Hubble Ultra Deep Field image. Combining light from ultraviolet through visible light and out to Hubble’s near-infrared limit, the XDF represents humanity’s deepest view of the cosmos: a record that stood until the JWST’s first deep field was released on July 11, 2022.
Credit: NASA, ESA, G. Illingworth, D. Magee, and P. Oesch (University of California, Santa Cruz), R. Bouwens (Leiden University), and the HUDF09 Team
Its successor, JWST, now reveals how the Universe grew up.
This tiny fraction of the JADES survey area, taken with JWST’s NIRCam instrument, showcases relatively nearby galaxies in detail, galaxies at intermediate distances that appear grouped together, and even ultra-distant galaxies that may be interacting or forming stars, despite their faint nature and red appearance. Even though we’ve been performing JWST science for over two years, we are only beginning to ... 
Here in our isolated corner of the Universe, we don’t normally think about all the objects, particles, and photons that miss us, even though we know they’re ubiquitous out there. Instead, all that we observe are the ones that arrive here: on Earth, in our detectors, in our telescopes, and even in our eyes. There are plenty of objects out there whose light is on the way, but hasn’t reached us just yet: objects beyond our current cosmic horizon, but not our future visibility limit. Additionally, there are massive engines out there — black holes and neutron stars chief among them — that accelerate particles to incredible energies: energies far greater than we could ever hope to produce in terrestrial laboratories.
But only very rarely do they interact with Earth, and produce signatures that we can actually observe. Back in 1991, the Fly’s Eye camera in Utah detected what was, at the time, a uniquely energetic event: a signature of an ultra-high-energy cosmic ray that was so far above the theoretical maximum, it created a mystery that lasted for decades. Known ... 
In this monthly issue, we explore what mastery is, how it’s cultivated, and why some people are willing to trade it all for a chance to be the best.
Damascus steel is legendary. The beautifully patterned metal, developed centuries ago, became famous for blades of exceptional sharpness, strength, and durability — the weapons were described in historical accounts as capable of slicing through medieval swords without dulling.
Today, you can buy blades that replicate many of Damascus steel’s properties and microstructures. However, the traditional system that once produced authentic Damascus steel was lost by the 18th century. The collapse of apprenticeship networks, the disappearance of specific ore sources, and the rise of cheaper industrial steel all contributed to its decline. For centuries, the precise methods behind its manufacture stumped researchers, and while modern science has clarified how it worked, the original cultural and material ecosystem that sustained it no longer exists.
Authentic Damascus steel production is just one example of how complex skills can vanish when the conditions that support them disappear — but an international effort is underway to prevent others from following suit.
Making the list
Societies have two types of cultural heritage: tangible and intangible. Tangible cultural heritage consists of physical elements, like monuments, artifacts, and historic sites, while intangible ...