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Ask Ethan: Are there really charm quarks inside the proton?

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/proton-contain-charm-quark/

Published: September 4, 2026 06:00

At the start of the 20th century, we were still figuring out what the structure of matter was. We knew everything was made up of atoms, and that there were negatively charged electrons within them, but the rest of the atom was a mystery. Over the course of…

The science, medicine, and mythology of menstruation and menopause

https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/science-menopause-menstruation/

Published: September 4, 2026 04:00

OBGYN and author Dr. Jen Gunter explains what’s actually happening inside the body during menstruation and menopause, why so much of what we’ve been told is wrong, and why that information gap has been weaponized against half the population. This video…

How to make difficult decisions, according to philosophy

https://bigthink.com/mini-philosophy/how-to-make-difficult-decisions-according-to-philosophy/

Published: September 3, 2026 16:56

Every now and then, life asks us a question with no easy answer. Which career should we pursue? Should we have children? Should we move to the coast or closer to our friends? We gather information, read testimonials, and exhaustively research both options.…

Why mirrors flip left-to-right but not up-and-down

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/mirrors-flip-left-right-up-down/

Published: September 3, 2026 06:00

If you’ve ever looked in a mirror, you’ve likely noticed that everything you see is flipped. When you raise your left hand, your reflection raises their right hand. When you wink with your right eye, your reflection’s left eye winks back. And if you write…

We have the knowledge to build a better world. But is that enough?

https://bigthink.com/books/how-collective-knowledge-can-build-a-better-world/

Published: September 2, 2026 14:30

“The grand, leading principle, towards which every argument unfolded in these pages directly converges, is the absolute and essential importance of human development in its richest diversity.” — Wilhelm von Humboldt Knowledge, especially when shared and…

Time is a fundamentally different type of dimension than space

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/time-dimension/

Published: September 2, 2026 06:00

One of the most common questions we can ask about any two distinct locations is, “What’s the shortest distance between those two points?” By default, most of us will give the same answer that Archimedes gave more than 2,000 years ago: a straight line. If…

Every single crewed mission to space — on one definitive map

https://bigthink.com/strange-maps/every-single-crewed-mission-to-space-on-one-definitive-map/

Published: September 1, 2026 15:33

“A Visual History of Crewed Space Travel” is now available in Big Think’s online store on Pop Chart, where you can also find our first two posters, “A Visual History of the Universe” and “A Literary Map of the United States,” and other Big Think merch. …

Do we live inside a baby universe that’s really a black hole on the outside?

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/baby-universes-black-holes-dark-matter/

Published: September 1, 2026 06:00

One of the biggest existential questions that has puzzled humanity for as long as humans have been around is simply, “Where did all this come from?” After countless centuries of wondering and speculating, the 20th century brought with it our first…

The surprising link between false memories and imagination

https://bigthink.com/mind-behavior/the-surprising-link-between-false-memories-and-imagination/

Published: August 31, 2026 16:47

In his memoir Uncle Tungsten, British neurologist Oliver Sacks described two bombing incidents from his childhood during the Blitz. One involved a bomb that landed near his family’s home but failed to explode. The other involved a thermite bomb that fell…

Yes, the Sun is a star, but it’s far from typical

https://bigthink.com/starts-with-a-bang/sun-typical-star/

Published: August 31, 2026 06:00

Our starry skies make us wonder, “Is the Sun a typical star?” From their earliest beginnings to their final extent before fading away, Sun-like stars will grow from their present size to the size of a red giant (~the Earth’s orbit) to up to ~5…

The Philosopher’s Guide to Uncertainty

https://bigthink.com/series/full-interview/the-philosophers-guide-to-uncertainty/

Published: August 28, 2026 21:16

There is a paradox at the heart of being human. On the one hand, we have to make plans for the future. We go to jobs, book vacations, and save for our retirement. But on the other, life is never straightforward, and the best laid plans often go wrong. The…