Insight Video: Is it possible to be in politics without becoming tainted by political corruption?

Twentieth-century totalitarians shared a number of characteristics. With a new crop of autocrats entering the world stage, learning the lessons of our recent history is vital.

Both Stephen Hawking and Martin Rees have expressed optimism about the role of science and technology in resolving humanity’s overarching questions and problems. Vision reviews their recent books.

Historian Lisa Vox argues for finding a way to address the threats that face us all. It starts, she says, with not condemning others for holding a different worldview.

Bouncing back from traumatic stress requires a lot more than a strong will. Understanding why we don’t all respond the same way is a good place to start.

Is there hope for a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian impasse in what some have called “a dangerous neighborhood”?

Insight Video: Men such as Lenin, Stalin, Mussolini, Hitler and Mao could one day reappear, but in a different form. Their shared traits serve as warning signs for us today.

Technology gives us access to the universe while at the same time creating risks to our continued existence. Does humankind’s best hope for long-term survival come down to leaving Earth behind?

The mining industry may seem an unlikely place to find practical examples of the Golden Rule in action.

That sports, conventionally seen as promoting health, should be deemed a cause of death raises serious ethical questions.

The chief engineer for NASA’s robotic Mars Exploration Program talks about what it would take to put people on the Red Planet. Will Mars be humanity’s lifeboat?

Insight Video: Around the globe, the illicit economy shows no signs of slowing. Whatever form it takes, corruption touches us all.

From bribery and cronyism to counterfeit goods and money laundering, corruption touches every nation and every level of society. And it was predicted to be so.

Part Two: AI expert Seán Ó hÉigeartaigh answers questions about the rapidly developing technology behind artificial intelligence.

Mexico City is one of the world’s biggest population centers, yet the city’s infrastructure is extremely unstable. The resulting challenges serve as a warning—and a lesson—to the rest of our urbanizing world.

A brief look at Mexico City’s history helps explain the modern city’s water troubles.

Insight Video: Artificial intelligence is changing lives for the better, but its developers acknowledge that it also poses serious risks. This raises some far-reaching questions.

Increasingly sophisticated and “intelligent” technologies now allow us to alter not only day-to-day life but the planet itself. They also invite abuse—and chaos. What can be done?

Part One: What can we look forward to in a world where artificial intelligence plays a bigger role? What should we be concerned about? An AI expert provides some answers.

From genes to geophysics, our world is increasingly what we make it. But environmental philosopher Christopher Preston urges restraint.