Science & the Big Questions

Should We Live in the Moment — or Not?

In essays, philosopher John Martin Fischer explores whether the concept of “Be here now” is all it’s cracked up to be.

UC Riverside News

Topics: Meditation Metaphysics Spirituality

Renowned Conservationist Jane Goodall Wins Templeton Prize

Jane Goodall was named as this year’s winner of the prestigious Templeton Prize, honoring individuals whose life’s work embodies a fusion of science and spirituality.

The Associated Press

Topics: Animal Studies Human Uniqueness Nature Spirituality

The New Science of Neurotheology

Studies show that religion and spirituality are positively linked to good mental health. Our research aims to figure out how and why.

Big Think

Topics: Andrew Newberg Religiosity Spirituality

Can You Be Scientific and Spiritual?

Spirituality can be an uncomfortable word for atheists. But does it deserve the antagonism that it gets?

13.8, Big Think

Topics: Spirituality Transformation

‘Probable Impossibilities’ Review: An Infinitely Curious Mind

From the origins of thought to the cause of the big bang, Alan Lightman takes on brain teasers of all sizes.

The Wall Street Journal

Topics: Big Bang Consciousness Spirituality Universe

Why Awesome Natural Beauty Drops the Jaw and Lifts the Spirit

Psychological research increasingly reveals that experiences of awe in nature can boost both our feeling of connectedness to others and also a sense of spiritual fulfilment.

Psyche

Topics: Awe Emotion Nature Spirituality Transformation

Study Finds 2 Psychological Factors Influence Supernatural Encounters

The team pinpointed porosity and absorption as strong predictors of spiritual presence events, regardless of people’s religion or community.

Inverse

Topics: Faith Spirituality

Heart and Soul

Spirituality can affect proteins linked to cardiovascular disease.

Harvard Medicine News

Topics: Religiosity Spirituality

‘Fundamentals’ Review: The Simplicity of Abundance

The cosmos is so vast as to defy the imagination. So too the atomic realm, with its inner vastness. Yet the ‘ingredients’ are few.

The Wall Street Journal

Topics: Reality Spirituality Universe

How God Works

PopTech 2020

Topics: Compassion Faith Resilience Ritual Spirituality

The Pandemic Is Making People More Religious

The Boston Globe

Topics: Coping Faith Religiosity Religious Change Spirituality

The Global Flourishing Study

Seeking input on the next critical steps in the study of well-being.

Human Flourishing, Psychology Today

Topics: Flourishing Happiness Meaning Purpose Religiosity Spirituality

Does Adversity Really Make Us Stronger? Usually Not

After experiencing a very stressful event or personal misfortune, many people say that the event helped them grow in various ways. However, studies suggest that most people don’t experience genuine posttraumatic growth. So what’s the truth?

Character & Context, Society for Personality and Social Psychology

Topics: Coping Religiosity Spirituality

AI Religion Is Upon Us. Welcome to the Future

Robot priests can bless you, advise you, and even perform your funeral.

Vox

Topics: Ethics Faith Religious Change Religious Groups Robots Spirituality Technology

Mythical Beings May Be Earliest Imaginative Cave Art by Humans

The paintings on an Indonesian island are at least 43,900 years old and depict humanoid figures with animal-like features in a hunting scene.

The New York Times

Topics: Belief Cognition Cognitive Development Human Evolution Language Spirituality

Experiencing Awe From Science Influences Beliefs About God

A study from the ASU Department of Psychology found how people engage with science can change how they think about God — and even promote belief in God.

ASU Department of Psychology

Topics: Awe Belief Faith Spirituality

Humans Are ‘a Species in a Very Rare Planet’: Cosmologist Makes the Case Against Existential Dread

Templeton Prize recipient Marcelo Gleiser says we have a ‘moral imperative’ to protect life on this planet.

Tapestry, CBC Radio

Topics: Marcelo Gleiser Nature Spirituality Universe

Secularism Is on the Rise, but Americans Are Still Finding Community and Purpose in Spirituality

Where are Americans turning for what religion has traditionally provided?

Vox

Topics: Faith Purpose Religiosity Spirituality

The Believing Brain: Evolution, Neuroscience, and the Spiritual Instinct

Straddling the gap between science and religion, Brian Greene is joined by renowned neuroscientists, anthropologists, and evolutionary biologists, to explore one of the most profound mysteries of our existence.

World Science Festival

Topics: Belief Brian Greene Faith Spirituality

Do Humans Have a ‘Religion Instinct’?

BBC Future

Topics: Andrew Newberg Belief Bonding Evolution of Religion Morality Religiosity Ritual Scientific Study of Religion Spirituality

Aging With Resilience

An interview with experts on cultivating resilience as we get older.

Hope + Resilience, Psychology Today

Topics: Aging Faith Resilience Spirituality