Neutrino Hunters: Searching for Ghostly Particles in Antarctic Ice, with Abigail Vieregg
Deep beneath the ice of Antarctica and high above its frozen expanse, University of Chicago astrophysicist Abby Vieregg is hunting for neutr...
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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....
Episodes
20 of 228 episodes
Recreating A Sense of Touch, Using Our Minds, with Nicholas Hatsopoulos
What if your thoughts could allow you to feel the texture of an object, type a message or move a robotic arm? How does the brain translate t...
Why The Key to Treating Cancer May Be In Your Gut, with Thomas Gajewski
For decades, traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation have targeted tumors directly—often with severe side effects and...
The Little-Known Secrets To A Good Life, with Shigehiro Oishi
What makes a good life? For decades, psychologists have debated whether true fulfillment comes from happiness—a life of comfort and joy—or m...
How to Use Nature to Restore Your Focus, with Marc Berman
What if the secret to restoring your focus, improving your mental health, and even reducing crime rates wasn’t found in an app or a pill, bu...
How to Raise Kids in the Age of AI, with Dana Suskind
As AI rapidly changes how we work, learn, and communicate, it also raises an urgent question: What does it mean to grow up in a world domina...
What Our Trash Problem Says About Our Culture, with Sarah Newman
Every day, we throw things away, only to be forgotten forever. But society didn’t always work in the same way. In this episode, we speak wit...
How Websites Trick You Using ‘Dark Patterns’ with Marshini Chetty
Why does it seem so difficult to cancel an online subscription, delete an account, or opt out of data tracking? You might think it’s just ba...
Quantum Technology, Explained: A Big Brains Live Event
Quantum technology is at a pivotal moment. No longer the faraway dream of scientists, the field is rapidly developing across the world, fuel...
Our Untapped Superpower: Connecting With Others, with Nicholas Epley
As humans, we have a biological need for connecting with others, but in today's modern world, we tend to avoid it. This paradox is something...
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...
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...