Powerful images from the past 12 months

If the menhaden decline continues, striped bass could be next to vanish.

Before we can build the future, we have to imagine it. KEY TAKEAWAYS In this op-ed, Beatrice Erkers argues that progress begins with culture: the stories, symbols, and shared visions that make certain futures feel worth building. She explores how cultural forces like memes and movies act as “invisible infrastructure,” shaping technology, policy, and ambition long before they materialize in the real world. According to Erkers, we must deliberately invest in a culture of hope —

Since devoting nearly all of its profits to climate and nature in late 2022, the company has given away an extra $180 million

Qasem Waleed is a 28-year-old physicist who has lived in Gaza his whole life. In 2024, he joined a chorus of Palestinians sharing videos and pictures and writing about the chaos and violence they were living through, as Israel’s military bombardment devastated their lives. But Qasem was trying to describe his reality through the lens of the most notoriously confusing and inscrutable field of science ever, quantum mechanics. We talked to him, from a cafe near the Al-Mawasi sec

The sleek new vessel cuts emissions by 99% compared to air freight, and 90% compared to container ships.

Brookings experts weigh in

NASA’s Caleb Scharf talks with Big Think about life’s long experiment in expansion.

At this year’s climate summit, the United States is out and Europe is struggling. But emerging countries are embracing renewable energy thanks to a glut of cheap equipment.

One important lesson: Keep pressing our limits until we reach our limits Quick Summary A retired couple completed a 4,800-mile tandem bicycle trip across America, emphasizing continuous learning and challenging limits. They found that slowing down, engaging with locals, and prioritizing nine hours of sleep daily were crucial for their journey. The experience provided a fresh perspective on retirement, highlighting the generosity of Americans and reducing daily anxieties.

Soft batteries and water-walking robots are among the many creations made possible by studying animals and plants.

Many places may become uninhabitable. Many people may be on their own.

Beijing’s massive manufacturing investments have driven the costs of clean energy down

We’ve known intuitively for centuries that spending time in nature can give us a boost. But it’s only recently that scientists have begun to identify exactly what it is about the outdoors that has such a powerful effect on our mood and our minds. This week, psychologist Marc Berman explores how spending time in nature can actually undo some of the harmful effects of our modern lives.

Where climate forces are fueling more dangerous flooding

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Mapmakers of the 19th century sought to render both the natural and political worlds with clarity and beauty. Somewhat related

DM Good day to you! Today I'm pondering (while scheduling my flu and covid vaccines) as to whether our seemingly distinctly separate, yet interrelated, innate and adaptive immune "systems" are different holophrens, or are of one more complex or "compound" phenomenon? Your thoughts? (Refer to our many past conversation on the Universal Holophren™ with its 4 primary domains and 13 total contexts.) What a delightful convergence of ideas - contemplating immunity while caring for

In a memo, the Microsoft co-founder warned against climate alarmism and appears to have shifted some of his views about climate change.

Tighter regulations on cell phones, less on nuclear plants?