Culture & Religion — May 22, 2010

The Metaphorical Mississippi

100 years after Mark Twain’s death, the Mississippi River that inspired his mature writing has changed, and yet, Twain’s ideas remain discernible through it.

bigthinkeditor

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

100 years after Mark Twain’s death, the Mississippi River that inspired his mature writing has changed, and yet, Twain’s ideas remain discernible through it. “To know Twain fully, you first have to know the river. He was raised on its banks, but their acquaintance goes much further.”

The most surprising and impactful new stories delivered to your inbox every week, for free.

Illustration of a comet from an old manuscript on the left, and a black and white image of a comet in space on the right.

The Past

Asteroid anxiety: Astronomy’s 300-year quest to predict cosmic collisions

Fears of celestial collisions — and calculations of their likelihood — go back to the very origins of modern science itself.

Collage featuring scientific diagrams, two black-and-white portraits of men, wheat plants, and "Solutionism" text in the center.

Thinking

Blind optimism is not a cure for blind pessimism

We need to fully acknowledge problems, while vigorously pursuing solutions. Call it “solutionism.”

The letters "AI" appear with a glitch effect in multicolored pixels against a black background.

The Present

AI skeptic Gary Marcus on AI’s moral and technical shortcomings

The cognitive scientist argues the current AI environment is failing us as consumers and a society. But it’s not too late to change course.

Starts With A Bang

The secret reason the USA beat the USSR to the Moon

Sixty years ago, the Soviet Union was way ahead of the USA in the space race. Then one critical event changed everything.

An older man with white hair and a suit receives a document from another man in a robe during an event, as several people look on in the background. In the age of viral misquotes, capturing such moments accurately becomes ever more crucial.

High Culture

Einstein didn’t say that: How viral misquotes evolve and replicate

From Einstein to Twain, Garson O’Toole investigates the truth behind your favorite — and often misattributed — quotes.

Up Next

Surprising Science

Green Skies

MIT is designing commercial aircrafts that use 70 percent less fuel than current airplanes after winning a contract from NASA in 2008; air traffic is expected to double by 2035.