Why the Fed Matters Now More Than Ever, with Douglas Diamond
From setting interest rates to keeping inflation in check, the Federal Reserve sits at the center of some of the most important economic dec...
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Big Brains
Some of the biggest discoveries and insights changing our world for the better have happened at the University of Chicago. Meet the pioneering thinkers behind those big ideas on "Big Brains....
Big Brains Podcast Guide
Listen to Big Brains, a Society & Culture podcast by University of Chicago Podcast Network. Stream 218 episodes in English, follow new audio stories, and play episodes online on Radio and Podcast.
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Episodes
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Anxious? Avoidant? How to Build More Secure Relationships
What if the way you relate to others isn’t fixed—but fundamentally changeable? In this episode, we speak with psychiatrist and neuroscientis...
Could AI Models Forecast Extreme Weather Events? with Pedram Hassanzadeh
What if we could predict the world’s most dangerous weather events—not days, but weeks in advance? Extreme events like heat waves, hurricane...
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 universa...
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 cente...
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 h...
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 huma...
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...
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 P...
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 t...
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...
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 k...
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....
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 See...
Is There Such A Thing As A Psychopath?
Few ideas have gripped the public imagination quite like the idea of the “psychopath.” From Hollywood thrillers to true-crime podcasts, popu...
Why We Haven’t Solved Brain Disorders—And How To Fix It, with Nicole Rust
For decades, neuroscience has promised breakthroughs in treating conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s. Yet despite pow...
Life On Mars: Is It Possible For Humans? with Edwin Kite
Billions of years ago, Mars may have looked less like the barren red desert we know today and more like Earth—with a blue sky, flowing river...
How To Use Nature To Restore Your Focus, with Marc Berman
We’re living in an attention economy—and most of us are broke. But what if the secret to restoring your focus, improving your mental health,...
Could Plants Unlock Quantum Medicine’s Potential? with Greg Engel
We’ve long marveled at how efficiently plants convert sunlight into energy—but no one guessed they were using quantum mechanics to do it. In...
How Microplastics Are Invading Our Bodies, with Matthew Campen
You’ve heard of plastic polluting oceans. But what if it’s polluting you—your brain, your reproductive system, even your unborn children? In...