Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe Physics of Life's Emergence
Episode 456
Life as No One Knows It by Sara Imari Walker tackles the challenging question of defining life, a problem as complex as understanding consciousness o…
1 year, 8 months ago
Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of a Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire
Episode 455
As cryptocurrency surged in popularity during the pandemic, many were drawn by the promise of wealth and revolutionizing sectors like finance, art, a…
1 year, 8 months ago
Richard Dawkins on Genetic Insights Into the History of Life
Episode 454
Evolutionary biologist and author, Richard Dawkins, explores how the body, behavior, and genes of every living creature serve as a record of their an…
1 year, 8 months ago
UFO Sightings Around the World: A Comprehensive History
Episode 453
After the Flying Saucers Came explores the global fascination with UFOs, tracing its origins to the summer of 1947 when a pilot's sighting in Washing…
1 year, 9 months ago
Parent-Child Estrangement: How Does Divorce Affect Children?
Episode 452
Psychologist Joshua Coleman, PhD, explores the complex issue of estrangement between parents and adult children, which he terms a "silent epidemic." …
1 year, 9 months ago
The Influence of Politics and Tribalism on Climate Science
Episode 451
Shermer and Lipsky discuss: the scientists who first sounded the alarm about climate change • science consensus that global warming is real and human…
1 year, 9 months ago
Death and the Search for Meaning in the Afterlife
Episode 450
For years as an award-winning war reporter, Sebastian Junger traveled to many front lines and frequently put his life at risk. And yet the closest he…
1 year, 9 months ago
Division and Polarization in American Politics: Balancing Majority Rule and Minority Rights
Episode 449
Common ground is hard to find in today's politics. Many people, frustrated with a system demanding constant compromise, blame the Constitution for th…
1 year, 9 months ago
Michael Shermer Reflects on the Trump Assassination Attempt
Episode 448
In this episode, we explore the conspiracy theories surrounding the July 13 assassination attempt on President Donald Trump. Despite the evidence sug…
1 year, 9 months ago
Thinking Critically About COVID: Conspiracies vs. Nuance and Facts (Jay Bhattacharya)
Episode 447
Jay Bhattacharya is a Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research. He dir…
1 year, 9 months ago