Big Brains

What Our Trash Problem Says About Our Culture, with Sarah Newman 25.06.2026 36min

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 with University of Chicago scholar and anthropologist Sarah Newman to discuss her book, Unmaking Waste: New Histories of Old Things. An archaeologist by training, Newman discusses the history of trash across time—from the ancient Mayan civilization through today’s disposable culture. She argues that other societies valued objects much more deeply, reusing and recycling items in innovative ways. But will we ever return to this kind of zero-waste mentality? Newman argues that true sustainability requires a radical, systemic overhaul of how products are designed, valued and dismantled. She challenges us to look beyond the recycling bin and imagine a world where waste isn't just managed, but systematically unmade if we are to genuinely rethink our relationship with garbage and reshape our future.

How Websites Trick You Using ‘Dark Patterns’ with Marshini Chetty 11.06.2026 37min

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 bad luck or a confusing online interface, but more often than not, it’s by design. In this episode of Big Brains, we speak with Marshini Chetty, Professor in the University of Chicago’s Department of Computer Science. As a leading expert in human-computer interaction, Chetty reveals the science behind "dark patterns” online—the subtle, manipulative design choices woven into the apps and websites we use every day. We explore how these deceptive interfaces weaponize human psychology to keep us clicking, spending and sharing our data.

Quantum Technology, Explained: A Big Brains Live Event 28.05.2026 39min

Quantum technology is at a pivotal moment. No longer the faraway dream of scientists, the field is rapidly developing across the world, fueled by major investments from governments, industry, and universities racing to lead its promising future. But what exactly is quantum technology? And how will it affect our lives today—and in the coming decades? A recent event at the University of Chicago, hosted by Big Brains in partnership with 1440, sought to demystify quantum, separate the hype from reality and explore how it could transform our daily lives. Three renowned scientists—Prof. David Awschalom, Fred Chong and Nadya Mason—discussed how UChicago was leading innovative research, in partnership with its affiliated labs Argonne and Fermilab, as well as other universities across the Midwest. They explained how quantum has the potential to revolutionize our world—from creating unhackable communications to supercharging quantum computers to detecting disease at the cellular level. They discussed the challenges as well as the opportunities, especially for the next generation of quantum engineers and scientists needed to make these dreams a reality.

Our Untapped Superpower: Connecting With Others, with Nicholas Epley 14.05.2026 38min

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 that Prof. Nicholas Epley of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business has been fixated on in his research. In his new book, A Little More Social: How Small Choices Create Unexpected Happiness, Health, and Connection, Epley shows why we consistently underestimate the positive impact of reaching out to others. From experiments tracking commuters on the train to deep conversations with hedge fund executives, Epley reveals that our beliefs about social interaction are often “precisely backwards” leading us to choose solitude even when engagement would make us happier and healthier.

Why the Fed Matters Now More Than Ever, with Douglas Diamond 30.04.2026 37min

From setting interest rates to keeping inflation in check, the Federal Reserve sits at the center of some of the most important economic decisions shaping our daily lives. As the Fed prepares for new leadership, following the tenure of Jerome Powell, many are wondering: What’s next for the Fed, especially when it comes to their financial decisions and their independence? We spoke with Prof. Douglas Diamond, the Nobel Prize-winning economist of the University of Chicago, in order to explain the Fed’s crucial role in our financial system—and why it matters so much for our future. Renowned as one of the founders of modern banking theory, Diamond has conducted groundbreaking research on banking, particularly during financial crises. He described the lessons we can learn from past bank runs, including the 2023 collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, and warns that we must remain on guard to help prevent the next financial crisis from happening.

Anxious? Avoidant? How to Build More Secure Relationships 16.04.2026 36min

What if the way you relate to others isn’t fixed—but fundamentally changeable? In this episode, we speak with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine, who is an Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center. He's the author of the best-selling book Attached, which examined how people’s attachment styles—from secure to anxious to avoidant. In his new book, Secure: The Revolutionary Guide to Creating a Secure Life, Levine argues that attachment styles aren’t lifelong labels but actually patterns the brain can relearn. He explores the emerging science of “earned security”—how relationships reshape our neural wiring, why some people feel safe under pressure while others spiral, and what it takes to move from insecurity to stability.

Could AI Models Forecast Extreme Weather Events? with Pedram Hassanzadeh 02.04.2026 35min

What if we could predict the world’s most dangerous weather events—not days, but weeks in advance? Extreme events like heat waves, hurricanes, and floods cause massive loss of life and billions in damage, but they’re also some of the hardest events for traditional weather forecasting to predict. In this episode, Assoc. Prof. Pedram Hassanzadeh of the University of Chicago explains why forecasting extreme weather has long pushed science to its limits—and how a new wave of AI models could transform the field at a time when climate change is making these events more common. By learning directly from decades of atmospheric data, these systems can generate forecasts faster, more cheaply, and in some cases more accurately than traditional models—even to predict freak ‘gray swan’ weather events no one has ever seen.

Are Judges Too Powerful? The Rise of Universal Injunctions, with Samuel Bray 19.03.2026 40min

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 tools in the federal court—affecting cases ranging from student loan forgiveness to environmental policies to birthright citizenship. How did universal injunctions become such a central feature of modern constitutional battles? And should one judge really be able to block a policy for the entire country? In this episode, UChicago legal scholar Samuel Bray explains the history and legal debate behind such actions, including his research which was cited more than a dozen times in the 2025 Supreme Court case Trump v. Casa, which examined how courts use this remedy—and whether injunctions fit within the Constitution’s design.

Could Data Centers Break Our Power Grid? with Andrew Chien 06.03.2026 37min

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 land, water and electricity—as well as reshaping regional power grids. What does this surge in demand mean for the environment, energy infrastructure, and the future of innovation? In this episode, we speak with UChicago computer scientist Andrew Chien, an expert in large-scale computing and cloud computing, about why these data centers require so much power, why they’re stirring such controversy—and whether there are sustainable approaches that could keep our energy use in check.

Remarkable New Treatments for Spinal Cord Injuries, with Mohamad Bydon 19.02.2026 26min

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 severed, and the injury was not considered survivable. But University of Chicago neurosurgeon Mohamad Bydon saw a possibility. In this episode of Big Brains, Dr. Bydon walks us through the extraordinary, multi-stage surgery at UChicago that not only saved the boy’s life but helped him regain the ability to breathe, talk and move his fingers and toes. He examines the future of surgery for spinal cord injury patients—from minimally invasive surgery techniques to robotic surgery and AI to stem cell therapy—is even helping some paralyzed patients regain movement and even walk again after their injuries.

Can You Improve Your Working Memory and Attention? with Edward Awh 05.02.2026 35min

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 so much better than remembering things than others? In this episode, we talk with with Edward Awh, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. Whose lab studies how the brain controls focus, memory and attention. His research explores the connection between attention and working memory, why our conscious awareness is far more limited than it feels, and what those limits mean for life in an information-saturated world. He explains what we can actually do to improve our memory—including one easy thing we can all do every day—and how using the “remote control of your mind” could help you focus your attention, given the limited space in our brains.

Why Knowing Your True Self Is So Difficult, with Eric Oliver 22.01.2026 31min

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—and inspired him to write a new book called "How to Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Discovering Who You Really Are." A renowned political scientist, Oliver draws upon science, philosophy, psychology and his personal experiences to better examine the mysteries of the human experience—and explore what it truly means to be “you.”

The Breakthrough Quantum Sensor That Sees Inside Your Cells, with Peter Maurer 08.01.2026 35min

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 breakthrough discovery of turning a protein found in living cells into the first biological quantum bit, also known as a qubit. Maurer explains how quantum systems—once thought to be too fragile for real-world use—are becoming some of the most powerful sensors ever built, and what they could teach us about the brain, the body and more.

How to Manifest Your Destiny with the Late James Doty 29.12.2025 31min

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 manifestation is not merely pseudoscience—it actually has a body of research in neuroscience to back it up. James Doty was a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. He wrote several books, including "Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything".

What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift 11.12.2025 35min

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 ultimately goes viral. Why do some pop stars have more success creating hit songs and building online following than others? In this episode, we speak with Paula Clare Harper, a musicologist and assistant professor at the University of Chicago. Harper co-edited the book Taylor Swift: The Star, The Songs, The Fans, which explores the online musical cultures that produced and propelled the image of megastar Taylor Swift. Harper unpacks how gendered narratives around "the fangirl" continue to influence which musical practices we take seriously—and how studying music on the internet helps us understand contemporary cultural power.

How Wearable Tech Will Heighten Our Senses and Abilities, with Pedro Lopes 24.11.2025 38min

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 out of the Human-Computer Integration Lab at the University of Chicago, led by renowned computer scientist Pedro Lopes. His lab is developing a new generation of gadgets that use haptics (or tactile sensations like the buzz of your smartphone) to move your body, replicate your sense of smell and even make you feel things. In this episode, Lopes explores the potential of wearable devices to transform our future as well as brain-computer interfaces that are being developed by companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink that directly into the body.

Why Are More Women Saying No To Having Kids? With Peggy O'Donnell Heffington 13.11.2025 32min

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 phenomenon, nor did it come out of the modern feminist movement. For centuries, women have made choices about limiting births and whether or not to become mothers at all. This history is documented in a new book, "Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother," by University of Chicago Assistant Instructional Professor Peggy O'Donnell Heffington. Heffington writes about the historic trends of non-motherhood as well as the modern factors that are playing a role in women's choices to not have children today — from lack of structural support in the workplace, to a national law for paid maternity leave, and the sheer lack of affordability. She writes that if these trends continue, American millennials could become the largest childless cohort in history.

How Full-Body MRIs Could Predict Your Long-Term Health, with Daniel Sodickson 30.10.2025 34min

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 Sodickson of NYU explores the future of imaging: How technology is transforming not just medicine, but our very ways of perceiving the world. With the rise of AI-driven “digital vision,” Sodickson, a pioneer of MRI innovation, argues that imaging is no longer just a diagnostic tool — it’s becoming a new language of discovery. In this conversation, Sodickson explores the promises and pitfalls of this promising new technology. Reflecting on the history of scientific discovery, we examine what the next generation of imaging might reveal about life itself.

Is There Such A Thing As A Psychopath? 16.10.2025 35min

Few ideas have gripped the public imagination quite like the idea of the “psychopath.” From Hollywood thrillers to true-crime podcasts, popular culture has led us to believe that psychopaths are dangerous and biologically distinct from the rest of us. But what if almost everything we think we know about them is wrong? In this episode, we talk with Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen, an Assistant Professor of Forensic Epistemology at the University of Toronto and author of "Psychopathy Unmasked," whose research is challenging the very foundation of psychopathy as a diagnosis. Larsen explains how the term “psychopath” is relatively new, dating to the Ted Bundy trial in the 1970s, and how TVs and movies have skewed our understanding of the “psychopath.” He discusses psychopathy tests, their impact on the criminal justice system—and what the latest science reveals about the minds we’ve long misunderstood.

Why We Haven’t Solved Brain Disorders—And How To Fix It, with Nicole Rust 02.10.2025 36min

For decades, neuroscience has promised breakthroughs in treating conditions like depression, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s. Yet despite powerful technologies and billions invested, progress has been frustratingly slow. Why? On this episode of Big Brains, we talk with Nicole Rust, neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Elusive Cures. Rust argues that the traditional “domino” view of the brain—where one broken piece can simply be fixed—has held us back. Instead, she says we need to embrace the brain’s true nature: a complex, dynamic system more like the weather than a machine. We explore why treatments so often fail, what makes mood such a scientific mystery, and whether a new era of brain research—powered by models, feedback loops, and fresh ways of thinking—can finally deliver the cures that have long eluded us.