Night Science

Itai Yanai & Martin Lercher
  • 5.0 (50)
  • NATURAL SCIENCES
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Night Science

Where do ideas come from? In each episode, scientists Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher explore science's creative side with a leading colleague. New episodes come out every second Monday. 

  1. 70 | Meghan O’Rourke on being the artist and their caretaker

    5 DAYS AGO

    70 | Meghan O’Rourke on being the artist and their caretaker

    Meghan O'Rourke, acclaimed author of The Invisible Kingdom, poet, and Yale professor, joins us to explore the parallels between creative writing and scientific discovery. She describes how deep immersion in a project attracts unexpected insights, and she introduces Night Poetry and Day Poetry, inspired by our concepts of Night Science and Day Science—where night represents raw creation and day embodies refinement. We discuss how scientists and writers face similar challenges: questioning assu...

    45 min
  2. 69 | Keith Yamamoto and the freedom to fail

    JAN 27

    69 | Keith Yamamoto and the freedom to fail

    Keith Yamamoto, professor and science policy leader at UCSF, discusses with us how modern science became trapped in a system that discourages creative risk-taking. Keith contrasts academia's fear of failure with Silicon Valley's acceptance of it as just another day at the office. We also talk about Keith’s introduction of a new NIH grant category specifically for paradigm-challenging ideas, where he deliberately chose generalist reviewers rather than domain experts who might reject ideas thre...

    41 min
  3. 68 | Peter Godfrey-Smith and middle class science

    JAN 14

    68 | Peter Godfrey-Smith and middle class science

    Peter Godfrey-Smith, a Professor of the Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney, explores with us the differences between creativity in science and philosophy. While philosophers speculate unconstrainedly, scientists must balance creative thinking with the need for empirical testing and within our fields’ paradigms – if you mention the “Lamarck” word at a bar full of geneticists, don’t be surprised if the piano suddenly stops and everybody looks at you in disbelief. We also talk abo...

    34 min
  4. 67 | A hypothesis is a liability

    12/16/2024

    67 | A hypothesis is a liability

    In this episode, Itai and Martin delve into the interplay between hypothesis-driven and exploratory research, drawing on insights from past guests of the Night Science Podcast. They discuss how being focused on a single hypothesis can prevent us from making discoveries, while emphasizing the value of open-ended exploratory analyses—often dismissed as “fishing expeditions.” The episode also examines the risks inherent to both approaches: hypothesis-driven Day Science may overlook key insights,...

    40 min
  5. 66 | Michael Fischbach and the scientific decision tree

    11/25/2024

    66 | Michael Fischbach and the scientific decision tree

    In this episode, Stanford professor Michael Fischbach discusses insights from his course on how to choose meaningful research problems. Highlights include: - Invest time in problem selection: Spend more time upfront selecting the right research problem. - Date ideas: Before settling on an idea, explore multiple alternatives without emotional attachment. - Fixed vs. floating parameters: Early on, clearly define what aspects of your research idea are fixed and which can be flexible. - Manage r...

    51 min
  6. 65 | James Kaufman and the art of creativity maintenance

    11/04/2024

    65 | James Kaufman and the art of creativity maintenance

    James Kaufman, Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, discusses the psychological underpinnings of creative thinking with Itai & Martin. Together, we delve into the complex nature of creativity, exploring its roots as both a trait and a skill that can be nurtured. We examine the role of personality traits in creativity, the impact of interdisciplinary team dynamics, and how creative metacognition—the ability to recognize one’s own creative strengths and weak...

    31 min
  7. 64 | Robert Weinberg and the perils of being a Fachidiot

    09/30/2024

    64 | Robert Weinberg and the perils of being a Fachidiot

    MIT's Bob Weinberg is perhaps the world's most prominent cancer researcher. In this episode, Bob emphasizes that true innovation often comes from blending ideas from different fields – a synthesis that transcends the boundaries of one's primary area of research. We discuss the vital role of human interaction, with many scientific breakthroughs coming from informal collaborations between researchers, celebrating the collective "lab brain" as a powerful driver of creativity and discovery. And g...

    43 min
  8. 63 | Manu Prakash and how the discovery changes you

    09/09/2024

    63 | Manu Prakash and how the discovery changes you

    Manu Prakash is a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, asking biological questions with insights from physics. His most widely known contribution is the FoldScope, a $1-microscope made from paper and a lens – 2 million copies of this have been distributed to would-be scientists around the world. In this episode, Manu emphasizes how science is a sense of wonder and a personal journey with no set roads. To get to new and deep questions, Manu feels he needs to “embed” himself in t...

    45 min
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5
out of 5
50 Ratings

About

Where do ideas come from? In each episode, scientists Itai Yanai and Martin Lercher explore science's creative side with a leading colleague. New episodes come out every second Monday. 

Information

  • Creator
    Itai Yanai & Martin Lercher
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Itai Yanai & Martin Lercher
  • Show Website
    Night Science

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