Podcast Episodes
Back to Search170. Finding the God Particle
Episode 170
Physicist and former pop star Brian Cox tells Steve about discovering the Higgs boson, having a number-one hit, and why particle physics research wil…
7 months, 2 weeks ago
169. Decoding the World’s First Writing
Episode 169
Irving Finkel is an expert on cuneiform — the oldest known writing system. He tells Steve the amazing story of how an ancient clay tablet unlocked th…
7 months, 4 weeks ago
Is There a Fair Way to Divide Us? (Update)
Episode 146
Moon Duchin is a math professor at the University of Chicago whose theoretical work has practical applications for voting and democracy. Why is striv…
8 months ago
168. Chemistry, Evolved
Episode 168
Frances Arnold pioneered the process of directed evolution — mimicking natural selection to create new enzymes that have changed everything from agri…
8 months, 1 week ago
167. The Secret of Humanity? It’s Common Knowledge.
Episode 167
Steven Pinker’s new book argues that all our relationships depend on shared assumptions and “recursive mentalizing” — our constant efforts to underst…
8 months, 3 weeks ago
How to Have Great Conversations (Update)
Episode 126
The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Steve shares how the book helped him un…
9 months ago
166. The World’s Most Effective Public Health Intervention Is Under Attack
Episode 166
Seth Berkley used to run the world's largest vaccine funding organization. He and Steve talk about the incredible value of vaccines, the economics of…
9 months, 1 week ago
165. The Economist Who (Gasp!) Asks People What They Think
Episode 165
Stefanie Stantcheva’s approach seemed like career suicide. In fact, it won her the John Bates Clark Medal. She talks to fellow winner Steve Levitt ab…
9 months, 3 weeks ago
Rick Rubin on How to Make Something Great (Update)
Episode 103
From recording some of the first rap hits to revitalizing Johnny Cash's career, the legendary producer has had an extraordinary creative life. In thi…
9 months, 4 weeks ago
164. Unravelling the Universe, Again
Episode 164
More than two decades ago, Adam Riess’s Nobel Prize-winning work fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe. His new work is reshaping c…
10 months ago