Language comes naturally to us, but is also deeply mysterious. On the one hand, it manifests as a collection of […]
Episode 15: David Poeppel on Thought, Language, and How to Understand the Brain Read More
To paraphrase Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, scientists tend to focus on whether they can do something, not whether they
Episode 14: Alta Charo on Bioethics and the Law Read More
For something of such obvious importance, money is kind of mysterious. It can, as Homer Simpson once memorably noted, be
Episode 13: Neha Narula on Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and the Future of the Internet Read More
Jazz occupies a special place in the American cultural landscape. It’s played in elegant concert halls and run-down bars, and
Episode 12: Wynton Marsalis on Jazz, Time, and America Read More
Few events in recent astronomical history have had the worldwide emotional resonance as the 2006 announcement that Pluto was no
Episode 11: Mike Brown on Killing Pluto and Replacing It with Planet 9 Read More
We’re all going to die. But while we are alive, it’s up to us how we understand and deal with
Episode 10: Megan Rosenbloom on the Death Positive Movement Read More
It’s fun to be in the exciting, chaotic, youthful days of the podcast, when anything goes and experimentation is the
Episode 9: Solo — Why Is There Something Rather than Nothing? Read More
Our understanding of heredity and genetics is improving at blinding speed. It was only in the year 2000 that scientists
Episode 8: Carl Zimmer on Heredity, DNA, and Editing Genes Read More
Both words in the phrase “liberal democracy” carry meaning, and both concepts are under attack around the world. “Democracy” means
Episode 7: Yascha Mounk on Threats to Liberal Democracy Read More
Poker, like life, is a game of incomplete information. To do well in such a game, we have to think
Episode 6: Liv Boeree on Poker, Aliens, and Thinking in Probabilities Read More