Ep125 "Why do brains need friends?" (with Ben Rein)
Why do human brains need social interaction? Why might AI chatbots be insufficient to scratch the itch? What do we love so much about real human touch and in-person interaction? Why do so many of us l...
13 Okt 202554min
Ep124 "Why don't we notice gaps in time?"
How is your consciousness like a flame that continually goes out and gets re-lit? Why can you see other people's eyes move, but you can't see your own eyes move in the mirror? And what does any of thi...
6 Okt 202541min
Ep123 "Will AI cure loneliness?" with Paul Bloom
On the one hand, AI companions are (increasingly) amazing at rectifying isolation. But on the other hand, loneliness is a biological signal that pushes us toward improving ourselves socially. So what'...
29 Sep 202540min
Ep122 "Why do we so rarely say what we mean?" (with Steven Pinker)
Why do people on a date speak in innuendo? Why do dictators squelch protests? Why do humans stand apart from the rest of the animal kingdom by blushing, laughing, and crying? And what does any of this...
22 Sep 202544min
Ep121 "What’s the secret to intelligence (in brains and AI)?" with Ramesh Raskar
Is AI going to go the same way as computing: from colossal LLMs owned by a few companies to billions of networked AI agents? How does that parallel one of the great underappreciated secrets of the hum...
15 Sep 202541min
Ep120 "Will AI build us into better humans?"
Will AI end up building us into stronger, more talented humans? What might this have to do with linguistics, the movie Arrival, self-driving cars, debate, video games, elections, chess, and the ancien...
8 Sep 202533min
Ep119 "Why do brains believe in the unbelievable?" with Bruce Hood
Why are brains superstitious? Would you wear a nice sweater that belonged to a murderer? What does this have to do with lucky socks, ghosts, our interpretation of coincidences, why kids often need the...
1 Sep 202536min
Ep118 "Why has the brain always been our hardest puzzle?" with Matthew Cobb
How have humans through the ages tried to crack the mysteries of the brain, and why are our theories always yoked to the most recent technologies? What does the history of brain science have to do wit...
25 Aug 202559min
