Robby Berman, Big Think

Robby Berman

Big Think

Upper Peninsula of Michigan, MI, United States

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Recent:
  • Unknown
Past:
  • Big Think
  • Slate
  • Upworthy

Past articles by Robby:

Hundreds of prehistoric paintings have been found in caves with barely enough oxygen to breathe

A new study says the reason cave paintings are in such remote caverns was the artists' search for transcendence. → Read More

World’s blackest black? Purdue made the world’s whitest white

In paint form, the world's "whitest white" reflects so much light that surfaces become cooler than the surrounding air. → Read More

This singing lemur is the first known nonhuman mammal with "categorical rhythm"

A 12-year study shows that indri — a species of large "singing" lemurs — possess a sophisticated sense of rhythm. → Read More

Meet Mylodon, an ancient, 10-foot-long, meat-eating sloth

Long assumed to be a devoted vegetarian, ancient sloths were fine with some meat. But they most likely didn't work hard for it. → Read More

Electrodes zap away depression in landmark study

Deep brain stimulation could represent a breakthrough in the treatment of mental health disorders like major depressive disorder. → Read More

"Micro-swimmers": Tiny bots could soon deliver medicine through the bloodstream

Researchers at Cornell University have developed a new type of microrobot that may someday swim through the bloodstream to deliver medicine. → Read More

Ancient Mars was once home to thousands of supervolcanoes

A new study from NASA shows that a region of Mars was once the site of thousands of explosive supervolcanoes. → Read More

As we listen to melodies, our brain guesses what's next

The way we imagine and listen to melodies sheds light on imagination. → Read More

Massive fossil find in California includes mastodon, petrified forest

Mastodons, rhinos, and even camels — all in the great state of California. → Read More

Vertical farming: disrupting agriculture

Vertical farming is a radical new form of agriculture that may solve a range of long-standing food production problems. This new agricultural revolution could forever change the planet. → Read More

30 grunts and sounds that may have been the first language

Linguists discover 30 sounds that may have allowed communication before words existed. → Read More

Want to live 100+ years? You may need unusually good DNA repair

A new study finds an unusual genetic difference in people over 105. → Read More

Asteroid impact: NASA simulation shows we are sitting ducks

Even with six months' notice, we can't stop an incoming asteroid. → Read More

Evolution has robbed us of horse-sized bunnies

The size of rabbits and hares has long been evolutionarily constrained by competitors roughly their size. → Read More

World’s blackest black? Purdue made the world’s whitest white

Purdue scientists announce the whitest white coating ever created. The new paint can actually cool surfaces on which it's applied, potentially reducing the need for climate-unfriendly air conditioners. → Read More

Ancient cave artists were getting high on hypoxia

A new study says the reason cave paintings are in such remote caverns was the artists' search for transcendence. → Read More

‘Zombie’ genes in the brain get to work after you die

Researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago find that death triggers increased activity in certain brain cells. → Read More

Cornell creates the world’s tiniest self-folding origami bird

The bird demonstrates cutting-edge technology for devising self-folding nanoscale robots. → Read More

Meteorite older than Earth likely came from a "protoplanet"

Scientists find a 4.6 billion year old meteorite probably from a failed protoplanet. Erg Chech 002's composition raises interesting possibilities concerning how it was formed. → Read More

NASA's Perseverance rover has a 1997 computer chip brain. Here's why.

For Mars Perseverance's primary computer, NASA chose a fairly slow computer chip from the late 1990s instead of cutting-edge new tech. The reasoning has to do with reliability and durability. → Read More