Ep128 "Would space aliens see the world as we do?" with Daniel Whiteson
Imagine we eventually meet some alien scientists. If they can see electrons or smell photons, would their science look like ours? Is physics a universal language, or just a local dialect of the human ...
3 Nov 20251h 3min
EP127 "What happens when we marry brains to machines?" with Sergey Stavisky
What is a brain-computer interface? How can a paralyzed person use her brain to control a robotic arm? How can someone who's lost the gift of speech use brain signals to broadcast his voice again? Can...
27 Okt 20251h
Ep126 "Does science fiction shape reality?" with Bethanie Maples
How is sci-fi like a cultural research and development lab? Will we someday have AI agents that live in robot bodies, and will we be liable if they commit murder? What happens when reality is no longe...
20 Okt 202535min
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
