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) Are Judges Too Powerful? The Rise of Universal Injunctions, with Samuel Bray
In recent years, a judge in one state had gained the power to halt policies across the entire United States. Known as nationwide or universal injunctions, these actions have become one of the sweeping...Show More
4) Could Data Centers Break Our Power Grid? with Andrew Chien
Artificial intelligence may live in “the cloud,” but its footprint is firmly on the ground. As AI systems grow more powerful, the data centers that train and run them are consuming massive amounts of ...Show More
5) Remarkable New Treatments for Spinal Cord Injuries, with Mohamad Bydon
When a two-year-old boy suffered a catastrophic injury that severed the connection between his skull and spine, doctors across Europe told his family there was no hope. His spinal cord was completely ...Show More
6) 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
7) 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
8) 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
9) 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
10) 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