Big Brains

University of Chicago Podcast Network
  • 4.7 (420)
  • 科学
  • 半月一更
Big Brains

Translating groundbreaking research into digestible brain food. Big Brains, little bites. Produced by the University of Chicago Podcast Network & Winner of CASE "Grand Gold" award in 2022, Gold award in 2021, and named Adweek's "Best Branded Podcast" in 2020.

  1. 4天前

    The "Magic Words" That Turn Resolutions Into Reality

    As we step into 2025, many of us are thinking about how to turn our New Year's resolutions into lasting changes. But what if the secret to success lies not in willpower but in the words we use every day? To kick off the year, we’re sharing our past episode with Jonah Berger, a professor at The Wharton School and author of Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way. In this episode, Berger uncovers the science behind the language we use and how it shapes our habits, decisions, and relationships. From simple word swaps that can help you stay on track with your goals to strategies for using language to connect with others more effectively, this conversation is packed with insights to help you make 2025 a year of transformation.

    32 分钟
  2. What’s The Truth About Alcohol’s Benefits And Risks? with Tim Stockwell

    2024/12/19

    What’s The Truth About Alcohol’s Benefits And Risks? with Tim Stockwell

    We have long heard the claims that a glass of red wine is good for your heart, but it turns out that the research that fueled this wisdom was actually skewed. Some studies made it appear like moderate drinkers were healthier than people who didn't drink at all, leading the public to believe that alcohol was healthier than it is. While drinking alcohol occasionally might not have catastrophic effects on your health, the data shows that even moderate drinking will reduce your life expectancy. In this episode, we speak with Tim Stockwell, a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and a professor of psychology at the University of Victoria. Stockwell has reviewed hundreds of studies that he claims embellished alcohol's effects, and he explains how the new science of drinking is changing the public perception of alcohol. Today, trends like sober-curiosity and “Dry January” are on the rise, and some countries around the world are even implementing new policies around alcohol regulation.

    33 分钟
  3. What Happens When We Die? with Sam Parnia

    2024/12/05

    What Happens When We Die? with Sam Parnia

    For centuries, death has been seen as a final, inescapable line—a moment when the heart stops and the brain ceases to function. But revolutionary research asks: What if everything we thought we knew about death was wrong? Sam Parnia, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Langone, is the author of Lucid Dying: The New Science Revolutionizing How We Understand Life and Death. His groundbreaking work explores how science is pushing the boundaries of life and death, uncovering the potential to resuscitate animals—and maybe one day humans—after they've been declared dead. From recalling experiences of consciousness after death (what some call “near-death experiences”) to using AI and advanced techniques to study the brain in its final moments, he explores the profound implications for medicine, ethics and our understanding of what it means to be alive.

    30 分钟

  4. 2024/11/21

    The Illusion of Moral Decline

    This year’s election might have been the most contentious in modern memory. It's not just that politics have changed, but it seems that people have too. You’ve probably heard this phrase: “People aren’t as kind as they used to be”. Maybe you’ve experienced the feeling that people are acting meaner to each other, year after year. But is it true? Are people really less kind than they used to be? With that question in mind, and as we take some time off for the Thanksgiving holiday, we wanted to reshare our episode with psychologist Adam Mastroianni. Mastroianni wondered if people are really becoming less moral in today's world, so he set out to find an answer, and published his findings in the journal Nature, “The Illusion of Moral Decline.” While the title may be a giveaway for his findings, he asks: If people are becoming less moral, why do we all feel the same way—and what can we do to shake this “illusion?”

    32 分钟
  5. Can We Predict The Unpredictable? with J. Doyne Farmer

    2024/11/14

    Can We Predict The Unpredictable? with J. Doyne Farmer

    What if we could predict the economy the way we predict the weather? What if governments could run simulations to forecast the effects of new policies—before they happen? And what if the key to all of this lies in the same chaotic systems that explain spinning roulette wheels and rolling dice? J. Doyne Farmer is a University of Oxford professor, complexity scientist, and former physicist who once beat Las Vegas casinos using his scientific-based methods. In his recent book “Making Sense of Chaos: A Better Economics for a Better World” Farmer is using those same principles to build a new branch of economics called complexity economics—one that uses big data to help forecast market crashes, design better policies and find ways to confront climate change. But can we really predict the unpredictable? And how will using chaos theory shake up well-established economic approaches?

    33 分钟
  6. Unlocking The Secrets Of ‘SuperAgers’, with Emily Rogalski

    2024/10/31

    Unlocking The Secrets Of ‘SuperAgers’, with Emily Rogalski

    We used to think aging inevitably led to memory loss, but a small group of people—known as SuperAgers—are defying the odds. These individuals, all over 80, have the memory performance of someone in the 50s. The question is: how? One of the leading experts studying SuperAgers is University of Chicago neurologist Emily Rogalski. She explores the fascinating science behind SuperAgers—uncovering what makes their physical brains different and how their lifestyle choices could be the key to a having a sharper, healthier brain well into old age. Are you or someone you know a SuperAger? Get involved with the project at this link: https://haarc.center.uchicago.edu/

    23 分钟
  7. 2024 Nobel Laureate Explains What Makes Countries Fail Or Succeed, with James A. Robinson

    2024/10/17

    2024 Nobel Laureate Explains What Makes Countries Fail Or Succeed, with James A. Robinson

    On Big Brains, we get to speak to a lot of groundbreaking scholars and experts, but some conversations we walk away knowing we’ve just heard from someone who is really changing the world. We certainly felt that way years ago after talking to University of Chicago scholar James Robinson, and it turns out…the Nobel Prize committee agreed in 2024 when it awarded him a share of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. Robinson was honored for the exact work that we talked to him about nearly five years ago. The author of numerous best-selling books, including Why Nations Fail (2012) and The Narrow Corridor (2019), he won the Nobel this year because his work researching what makes nations succeed and…what makes them fail. There’s no better time to refamiliarize ourselves with his important research and celebrate his Nobel win.

    29 分钟
  8. Why Can’t Scientists Agree On The Age Of The Universe? with Wendy Freedman

    2024/10/03

    Why Can’t Scientists Agree On The Age Of The Universe? with Wendy Freedman

    How old is the universe—and how fast is it expanding? These are part of one of the biggest—and most contested—questions in science, and the answers could change our understanding of physics. In this episode, we talk with renowned UChicago astronomer Wendy Freedman, who’s spent decades trying to solve these very questions. There are two ways to measure how fast the universe is expanding, also known as the Hubble constant; Freedman has done groundbreaking research to calculate this number using stars, but the problem is, her numbers don’t match up with scientists using a different method. And the implications of that difference are massive, because it could indicate that our Standard Model of physics could be broken. Yet Freedman’s latest research, using the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, might finally give us a clearer answer. In our conversation, we explore the age of the universe, the mysteries of dark matter and what all this could mean for the future of physics—and maybe even the discovery of life beyond Earth.

    24 分钟
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关于

Translating groundbreaking research into digestible brain food. Big Brains, little bites. Produced by the University of Chicago Podcast Network & Winner of CASE "Grand Gold" award in 2022, Gold award in 2021, and named Adweek's "Best Branded Podcast" in 2020.

信息

  • 创作者
    University of Chicago Podcast Network
  • 活跃年份
    2018年 - 2025年
  • 单集
    183
  • 分级
    儿童适宜
  • 节目网站
    Big Brains

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