2012 : WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE DEEP, ELEGANT, OR BEAUTIFUL EXPLANATION?

andrei_linde's picture
Theoretical Physicist, Stanford; Father of Eternal Chaotic...
richard_h_thaler's picture
Father of Behavioral Economics; Recipient, 2017 Nobel...
charles_simonyi's picture
Software Engineer, Computer Scientist, Entrepreneur,...
nathan_myhrvold's picture
CEO and Managing Director, Intellectual Ventures; Co-Author...
vilayanur_ramachandran's picture
Neuroscientist; Professor & Director, Center for Brain...
tania_lombrozo's picture
Professor of Psychology, UC Berkeley
mahzarin_banaji's picture
Department Chair; Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social...
raphael_bousso's picture
Professor, Berkeley Center for Theoretical Physics, UC...
david_pizarro's picture
Associate Professor of Psychology, Cornell University
helena_cronin's picture
Co-director of LSE's Centre for Philosophy of Natural...
dan_sperber's picture
Social and Cognitive Scientist; CEU Budapest and CNRS Paris...
marco_iacoboni's picture
Neuroscientist; Professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral...
hazel_rose_markus's picture
Davis-Brack Professor in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford...
antony_garrett_lisi's picture
Theoretical physicist
carolyn_porco's picture
Planetary Scientist; Cassini Imaging Team Leader; Director...
tim_oreilly's picture
Founder and CEO, O'Reilly Media, Inc.; Author, WTF?:...
alana_conner's picture
Cultural psychologist, writer, and consultant
eduardo_salcedo_albaran's picture
Philosopher; Director, Scientific Vortex, Inc.
anton_zeilinger's picture
Nobel laureate (2022 - Physics); Physicist, University of...
david_m_eagleman's picture
Neuroscientist, Stanford University; Author, Incognito, Sum...
dave_winer's picture
Blogging and RSS Software Pioneer; Editor, Scripting News...
brian_knutson's picture
Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience; Stanford...
stewart_brand's picture
Founder, the Whole Earth Catalog; Co-founder, The Well; Co-...
seirian_sumner's picture
Reader, Behavioral Ecology, University College London
emily__pronin's picture
Associate Professor of Psychology, Princeton University
david_m_buss's picture
Professor of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin;...
kevin_p_hand's picture
Deputy Chief Scientist for Solar System Exploration, NASA...
david_dalrymple's picture
Research affiliate, MIT Media Lab
andrian_kreye's picture
Editor-at-large of the German Daily Newspaper, Sueddeutsche...
dimitar_d_sasselov's picture
Professor of Astronomy, Harvard University; Director,...
matt_ridley's picture
Science Writer; Fellow, Royal Society of Literature and the...
gregory_cochran's picture
Consultant; Adaptive Optics and Adjunct Professor of...
bart_kosko's picture
Information Scientist and Professor of Electrical...
virginia_heffernan's picture
Columnist, The New York Times Magazine; Editorial Director...
a_c_grayling's picture
Master of the New College of the Humanities; Supernumerary...
christine_finn's picture
Archaeologist; Journalist; Author, Artifacts, Past Poetic
stephon_h_alexander's picture
Professor of Physics at Brown University; Author, The Jazz...
helen_fisher's picture
Biological Anthropologist, Rutgers University; Author, Why...
timo_hannay's picture
Founding Managing Director, SchoolDash; Co-organizer, Sci...
andrew_lih's picture
Associate Professor of Journalism, American University;...
gregory_paul's picture
Independent Researcher; Author, The Princeton Field Guide...
john_naughton's picture
Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Research in the Arts,...
paul_bloom's picture
Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor of Psychology and...
p_z_myers's picture
Biologist; Associate Professor, University of Minnesota,...
bruce_hood's picture
Chair of Developmental Psychology in Society, University of...
barry_c_smith's picture
Professor & Director, Institute of Philosophy School of...
giulio_boccaletti's picture
Chief Strategy Officer of The Nature Conservancy; Author,...
max_tegmark's picture
Physicist, MIT; Researcher, Precision Cosmology; Scientific...
amanda_gefter's picture
Science writer; Author, Trespassing on Einstein's Lawn
michael_vassar's picture
Co-founder and Chief Science Officer, MetaMed Research
stuart_a_kauffman's picture
Professor of Biological Sciences, Physics, Astronomy,...
brian_eno's picture
Artist; Composer; Recording Producer: U2, Coldplay, Talking...
eric_r_weinstein's picture
Mathematician and Economist; Managing Director of Thiel...
douglas_coupland's picture
Writer, Artist, Designer; Author; Google Artist in Residence
john_mcwhorter's picture
Professor of Linguistics and Western Civilization, Columbia...
john_tooby's picture
Founder of field of Evolutionary Psychology; Co-director,...
lisa_randall's picture
Physicist, Harvard University; Author, Dark Matter and the...
thomas_metzinger's picture
Professor of Theoretical Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg-...
carlo_rovelli's picture
Theoretical Physicist; Aix-Marseille University, in the...
p_murali_doraiswamy's picture
Professor of Psychiatry, Translational Neuroscience...
marcelo_gleiser's picture
Appleton Professor of Natural Philosophy, Dartmouth College...
paul_saffo's picture
Technology Forecaster; Consulting Associate Professor,...
rebecca_newberger_goldstein's picture
Philosopher, Novelist; Recipient, 2014 National Humanities...
patrick_bateson's picture
Professor of Ethology, Cambridge University; Co-author,...
seth_lloyd's picture
Professor of Quantum Mechanical Engineering, MIT; Author,...
richard_saul_wurman's picture
Founder, TED Conference; EG Conference; TEDMED Conferences...
simone_schnall's picture
Director, Cambridge Embodied Cognition and Emotion...
s_abbas_raza's picture
Founding Editor, 3QuarksDaily.com
john_c_mather's picture
Nobel Prize in Physics; Senior Astrophysicist,...
bruce_parker's picture
Visiting Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology; Author...
joel_gold's picture
Psychiatrist; Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry,...
gregory_benford's picture
Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy, UC-Irvine;...
laurence_c_smith's picture
Professor of Environmental Studies, Brown University;...
frank_tipler's picture
Professor of Mathematical Physics, Tulane University;...
kai_krause's picture
Software Pioneer; Philosopher; Author, A Realtime...
evgeny_morozov's picture
Contributing Editor, Foreign Policy; Syndicated Columnist;...
melanie_swan's picture
Philosophy and Economic Theory, the New School for Social...
robert_sapolsky's picture
Neuroscientist, Stanford University; Author, Behave
jon_kleinberg's picture
Tisch University Professor of Computer Science, Cornell...
ernst_p_ppel's picture
Head of Research Group Systems, Neuroscience and Cognitive...
david_haig's picture
George Putnam Professor of Biology, Harvard University;...
jordan_pollack's picture
Professor and Chairman of Computer Science, Brandeis...
marti_hearst's picture
Computer Scientist, UC Berkeley, School of Information;...
gary_klein's picture
Senior Scientist, MacroCognition LLC; Author, Seeing What...
stuart_pimm's picture
Doris Duke Chair of Conservation Ecology, Duke University;...
lee_smolin's picture
Physicist, Perimeter Institute; Author, Einstein's...
benjamin_k_bergen's picture
Associate Professor, Cognitive Science, University of...
stanislas_dehaene's picture
Neuroscientist; Collège de France, Paris; Author, How We...
terrence_j_sejnowski's picture
Computational Neuroscientist; Francis Crick Professor, the...
gerd_gigerenzer's picture
Psychologist; Director, Harding Center for Risk Literacy,...
peter_atkins's picture
Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, University of Oxford;...
thomas_a_bass's picture
Professor of English and Journalism, State University of...
luca_de_biase's picture
Journalist; Editor, Nova 24, of Il Sole 24 Ore
eric_topol's picture
Professor of Genomics, The Scripps Translational Science...
beatrice_golomb's picture
Professor of Medicine at UCSD
alison_gopnik's picture
Psychologist, UC, Berkeley; Author, The Gardener and the...
hans_ulrich_obrist's picture
Curator, Serpentine Gallery, London; Editor: A Brief...
samuel_barondes's picture
Professor of Neurobiology and Psychiatry, UCSF; Author,...
marcel_kinsbourne's picture
Neurologist and Cognitive Neuroscientist, The New School;...
david_g_myers's picture
Professor of Psychology, Hope College; Co-author,...
elizabeth_dunn's picture
Social Psychologist, University of British Columbia; Co-...
hugo_mercier's picture
Cognitive Scientist, French National Center for Scientific...
neil_gershenfeld's picture
Physicist, Director, MIT's Center for Bits and Atoms;...
charles_seife's picture
Professor of Journalism, New York University; Former...
steve_giddings's picture
Theoretical Physicist; Professor, Department of Physics,...
judith_rich_harris's picture
Independent Investigator and Theoretician; Author, The...
nicholas_a_christakis's picture
Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science, Yale...
karl_sabbagh's picture
Producer; Founder, Managing Director, Skyscraper...
frank_wilczek's picture
Physicist, MIT; Recipient, 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics;...
gino_segre's picture
Professor of Physics & Astronomy, University of...
richard_dawkins's picture
Evolutionary Biologist; Emeritus Professor of the Public...
simon_baron_cohen's picture
Professor of Developmental Psychopathology, University of...
katinka_matson's picture
Artist, Literary Agent; Co-Founder, Edge.org; President,...
timothy_d_wilson's picture
Sherrell J. Aston Professor of Psychology at the University...
christopher_sykes's picture
TV documentary producer
adam_alter's picture
Psychologist; Assistant Professor of Marketing, Stern...
gerald_holton's picture
Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics and Professor of the...
eric_r_kandel's picture
Recipient, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2002;...
michael_i_norton's picture
Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration,...
albert_l_szl_barab_si's picture
Complex Network Scientist; Distinguished Professor and...
alvy_ray_smith's picture
Co-founder, Pixar; Digital Imagery Pioneer & Visionary
david_gelernter's picture
Computer Scientist, Yale University; Chief Scientist,...
philip_zimbardo's picture
Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Stanford University;...
paul_j_steinhardt's picture
Albert Einstein Professor in Science, Departments of...
todd_c_sacktor's picture
Distinguished Professor of Physiology, Pharmacology, and...
sherry_turkle's picture
Abby Rockefeller Mauzé Professor of the Social Studies of...
roger_highfield's picture
Director, External Affairs, Science Museum Group; Co-author...
james_j_odonnell's picture
Classics Scholar, University Librarian, ASU; Author, Pagans
alun_anderson's picture
Senior Consultant (and former Editor-in-Chief and...
samuel_arbesman's picture
Complexity Scientist; Scientist in Residence at Lux Capital...
rodney_a_brooks's picture
Panasonic Professor of Robotics (emeritus); Former Director...
gerald_smallberg's picture
Practicing Neurologist, New York City; Playwright, Off-Off...
robert_kurzban's picture
Psychologist, UPenn; Director, Penn Laboratory for...
randolph_nesse's picture
Research Professor of Life Sciences, Director (2014-2019),...
nigel_goldenfeld's picture
Physicist, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
susan_blackmore's picture
Psychologist; Visiting Professor, University of Plymouth;...
richard_foreman's picture
Playwright & Director; Founder, The Ontological-...
robin_s_rosenberg's picture
Clinical Psychologist; Author, What's the Matter with...
roger_schank's picture
CEO, Socratic Arts Inc.; John Evans Professor Emeritus of...
nicholas_humphrey's picture
Emeritus Professor of Psychology, London School of...
gloria_origgi's picture
Philosopher and Researcher, Centre National de la Recherche...
victoria_stodden's picture
Associate Professor of Information Sciences, University of...
robert_provine's picture
Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland, Baltimore...
george_dyson's picture
Science Historian; Author, Analogia
nicholas_g_carr's picture
Author, Utopia is Creepy
martin_rees's picture
Former President, The Royal Society; Emeritus Professor of...
jamshed_bharucha's picture
Psychologist; President Emeritus, Cooper Union
stephen_m_kosslyn's picture
Founding Dean, Minerva Schools at the Keck Graduate...
derek_lowe's picture
Chemistry Blogger, Pipeline; Medicinal Chemist, Preclinical...
emanuel_derman's picture
Professor, Financial Engineering, Columbia University;...
steven_pinker's picture
Johnstone Family Professor, Department of Psychology;...
douglas_rushkoff's picture
Media Analyst; Documentary Writer; Author, Throwing Rocks...
jared_diamond's picture
Professor of Geography, University of California Los...
jennifer_jacquet's picture
Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, NYU; Author,...
michael_shermer's picture
Publisher, Skeptic magazine; Monthly Columnist, Scientific...
mihaly_csikszentmihalyi's picture
Psychologist; Director, Quality of Life Research Center,...
juan_enriquez's picture
Managing Director, Excel Venture Management; Co-author (...
kevin_kelly's picture
Senior Maverick, Wired; Author, What Technology Wants and...
donald_d_hoffman's picture
Cognitive Scientist, UC, Irvine; Author, The Case Against...
clay_shirky's picture
Social & Technology Network Topology Researcher;...
leonard_susskind's picture
Felix Bloch Professor in Theoretical Physics, Stanford;...
ed_regis's picture
Science writer; Author, Monsters
alan_alda's picture
Actor; Writer; Director; Host, PBS program Brains on Trial...
rudy_rucker's picture
Mathematician; Computer Scientist; Cyberpunk Pioneer;...
freeman_dyson's picture
Physicist, Institute of Advanced Study; Author, Disturbing...
satyajit_das's picture
Former Financier; Author, Age of Stagnation
george_church's picture
Professor, Harvard University; Director, Personal Genome...
andy_clark's picture
Professor of Cognitive Philosophy, Department of Philosophy...
keith_devlin's picture
Mathematician; Executive Director, H-STAR Institute,...
armand_marie_leroi's picture
Professor of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, Imperial...
clifford_pickover's picture
Author, The Math Book, The Physics Book, and The Medical...
tor_n_rretranders's picture
Writer; Speaker; Thinker, Copenhagen, Denmark
jeremy_bernstein's picture
Professor Emeritus, Stevens Institute of Technology; Former...
philip_campbell's picture
Editor-in-Chief of Nature since 1995; Beginning summer 2018...
haim_harari's picture
Physicist, former President, Weizmann Institute of Science...
nassim_nicholas_taleb's picture
Distinguished Professor of Risk Engineering, New York...
david_christian's picture
Director, Big History Institute and Distinguished Professor...
jonathan_gottschall's picture
Distinguished Research Fellow, English Department,...
james_croak's picture
Artist
timothy_taylor's picture
Jan Eisner Professor of Archaeology, Comenius University in...
irene_pepperberg's picture
Research Associate & Lecturer, Harvard; Author, Alex...
howard_gardner's picture
Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard...
shing_tung_yau's picture
Mathematician, Harvard; Co-author, The Shape of Inner Space
peter_woit's picture
Mathematical Physicist, Columbia University; Author, Not...
aubrey_de_grey's picture
Gerontologist; Chief Science Officer, SENS Foundation;...
scott_atran's picture
Anthropologist; Emeritus Research Director, Centre National...
scott_sampson's picture
President & CEO, Science World British Columbia;...
lawrence_m_krauss's picture
Theoretical Physicist; Foundation Professor, School of...
arnold_trehub's picture
Psychologist, University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Author...
dylan_evans's picture
Founder and CEO of Projection Point; Author, The Utopia...
sean_carroll's picture
Theoretical Physicist, Caltech; Author, Something Deeply...
daniel_c_dennett's picture
Philosopher; Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, Co...
richard_nisbett's picture
Theodore M. Newcomb Distinguished University Professor of...