The 2 Best Big Brains Podcast Episodes
1) How the Loss of Community Threatens Society With Raghuram Rajan
UChicago economist Raghuram Rajan became infamous for predicting the 2008 financial collapse three years before it happened. Now, he’s warning that an imbalance in our society is threatening global st...Show More
2) The Science of Conspiracy Theories And Political Polarization With Eric Oliver
The “birthers”, “Pizzagate”, anti-vaxxers. Since the election of Donald Trump, it’s seemed that belief in conspiracy theories is on the rise. At the same time, our polarization is worse than ever. Cou...Show More
3) Can You Improve Your Working Memory and Attention? with Edward Awh
In today’s world, our brains are overloaded with information, making it hard to focus and remember. But what are the true limits of the human mind—and why do they exist? And why are some people seem s...Show More
4) Why Knowing Your True Self Is So Difficult, with Eric Oliver
The process of understanding who we are is a lifelong journey for many of us. For two decades, that question has been one that University of Chicago scholar Eric Oliver has asked his students in class...Show More
5) The Breakthrough Quantum Sensor That Sees Inside Your Cells, with Peter Maurer
What if we could precisely measure a cell at its most fundamental level? In this episode, we talk with the University of Chicago scientist Peter Maurer about how he and his colleagues made the breakt...Show More
6) How to Manifest Your Destiny with the Late James Doty
We've all heard the phrase "Manifest Your Destiny" when it comes to wanting a new promotion, figuring out a new career path or just trying to achieve that long-term goal. It turns out that the act of ...Show More
7) What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift
The internet and social media have transformed the way in which we hear and understand music today—and online communities and platforms from YouTube to TikTok have changed how music circulates and ult...Show More
8) How Wearable Tech Will Heighten Our Senses and Abilities, with Pedro Lopes
Can you imagine a world in which a wearable device, like a smartwatch, could move your fingers to strum the guitar or play the drums? That kind of technology is part of the innovative research coming ...Show More
How Wearable Tech Will Heighten Our Senses and Abilities, with Pedro Lopes
38:17 | Nov 24th, 2025
9) Why Are More Women Saying No To Having Kids? With Peggy O'Donnell Heffington
More and more women in the United States are saying no to motherhood. In 2023, the U.S. fertility rate reached the lowest number on record. But the idea of non-motherhood is actually not a new phenome...Show More
Why Are More Women Saying No To Having Kids? With Peggy O'Donnell Heffington
32:04 | Nov 13th, 2025
10) How Full-Body MRIs Could Predict Your Long-Term Health, with Daniel Sodickson
What does it mean to see beneath the surface — of the human body, the brain, or even the universe itself? In his new book, The Future of Seeing: How Imaging Is Changing Our World, Prof. Daniel Sodicks...Show More
How Full-Body MRIs Could Predict Your Long-Term Health, with Daniel Sodickson
34:43 | Oct 30th, 2025