Big Brains
Big Brains explores the groundbreaking research and discoveries that are changing our world. In each episode, we talk to leading experts and unpack their work in straightforward terms. Interesting conversations that cover a gamut of topics from how music affects our brains to what happens after we die.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 28 minutes
- Episodes
- 201
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
What Ripples in Space-Time Tell Us About the Universe with Daniel Holz
All around us in the universe, stars and black holes are smashing into each other with tremendous force. These events are so powerful that they literally ripple the fabric of space-time—and these rip…
Vietnam and the Rise of the White Power Movement with Kathleen Belew
The revelation for historian Kathleen Belew came while researching a 1979 anti-Ku Klux Klan rally in Greensboro, North Carolina that turned deadly when five members were murdered by a group of Klansm…
Big Brains: Back in 2019
Seasons Greetings! Big Brains will return in January 2019 with some very exciting guests.
Until that time, we encourage you to go back and listen to some of our previous episodes — especially if you …
Climate Change’s Human Cost With Michael Greenstone
As climate change continues to stir concern and debate around the world, Prof. Michael Greenstone knows the importance of using his research to better explain the connection between the environment, …
David Axelrod on Why ‘Democracy is Messy’ and the Future of Politics
David Axelrod departed Washington, D.C. because he knew it’d be hard to top his role in helping Barack Obama make history.
But when the president’s former senior adviser began the next chapter in his…
How Talk Builds Babies’ Brains with Dana Suskind
When Prof. Dana Suskind first began implanting devices called cochlear implants on babies who couldn’t hear, she quickly noticed something about her patients.
“The cochlear implant would allow sound …
What Makes Us Uniquely Human with Neuroscientist Bobby Kasthuri
Neuroscientist Bobby Kasthuri wants to do the near impossible: map the entire human brain.
That means identifying each of the trillions of neural connections that exist inside the mind—a number bigge…
From Sci-Fi to Reality, Quantum Technology with David Awschalom
David Awschalom is one of the world’s leading scientists studying the growing field of quantum engineering, turning what was once in the realm of science fiction into reality—which could offer revolu…
Future of Higher Education and College Access with Robert J. Zimmer
As president of the University of Chicago, Robert J. Zimmer has a unique view to the challenges and opportunities facing higher education, and one of the biggest obstacles he sees is access for all s…
The Hidden Abuse of U.S. Immigration with Claudia Flores
UChicago Law professor Claudia Flores has spent a career advocating for human rights of vulnerable populations around the world, from East Timor to Mexico.
But her latest work revealed the hidden abu…
SCOTUS Nears Unimaginable Era with Geoffrey Stone
UChicago Law professor Geoffrey Stone has an intimate knowledge of the Supreme Court.
From his time as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan where he witnessed the decision Roe v. …
Special University of Chicago Convocation Podcast with Student Speaker Andrea Popova
A special Convocation edition podcast from the UChicago Podcast Network, featuring an interview with student speaker Andrea Popova, followed by the complete speeches from Andrea and fellow graduates …
Special University of Chicago Convocation Podcast featuring Valerie Jarrett and Marianne Bertrand
A special Convocation edition podcast from the UChicago Podcast Network, featuring the full speeches given by Class Day speaker Valerie Jarrett, distinguished senior fellow in the University of Chica…
Economist’s Journey to the Nobel with Richard Thaler
Richard Thaler has been dubbed one of the "founding fathers" of behavioral economics, bridging the gap between psychology and economics, and in 2017 he received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences f…
Future of Energy Innovation with Michael Polsky
When UChicago alumnus Michael Polsky first ventured into the field of renewable energy in 2003 with his company Invenergy, he thought they had missed the boat.
“When we got into renewables in earnest…
The Expanding Universe with Wendy Freedman
Wendy Freedman spent part of her career measuring the age of the universe. Now she’s working on a project that may very well give scientists a chance to glimpse into its birth.
Freedman, the John &…
Nature’s Design Secrets with Rama Ranganathan
From the smallest proteins of cells to entire ecosystems, nature might be the most sophisticated engineer on earth.
Researchers like UChicago molecular biologist Rama Ranganathan are trying to uncove…
Mind of a Virtuoso Composer with Augusta Read Thomas
To say Augusta Read Thomas is prolific is an understatement.
A past Grammy Award winner and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, Thomas has been hailed as “a true virtuoso composer” by The New Y…
Myths of U.S. Health Care with Katherine Baicker
Health care expansion. It's one of the most contentious issues in American politics. Katherine Baicker is Dean of the Harris School at the University of Chicago and one of the leading scholars on the…
Discovering the Missing Link with Neil Shubin
Evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin spent six years in the Arctic searching for a fossil that could be a missing link between sea and land animals. In 2004, Shubin discovered Tiktaalik roseae, a 375-m…