Podcast
Particles of Thought
Episodes — page 3
AI Is Coming for Blue Collar Jobs | Hany FaridBonusAI isn’t just coming for office jobs—it’s coming for some hands-on blue collar professions, too. AI expert Hany Farid explains which jobs are safe, and which are at risk. For more…
What Species Can We De-Extinct? | Beth ShapiroBonusScientists claimed in 2024 that they "de-extincted" the dire wolf… so what’s next, and what determines whether a species can be brought back? Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro ex…
Were Dinosaurs Able to Sing? | Erich JarvisBonusDinosaurs might not have been the roaring beasts many imagine. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explains why modern birds—living dinosaurs—offer clues about vocal learning and why dinos…
Space-Time Expansion, Explained | Adam RiessBonusIf the universe is expanding, why aren’t galaxies stretching apart? Cosmologist Adam Riess breaks down the physics behind cosmic expansion, the forces that resist it, and why dark…
Your Brain’s Peak Performance Mode | Heather BerlinBonusWhy does thinking too hard ruin your rhythm? Neuroscientist Heather Berlin unpacks the science of flow states, explaining why mastery means trusting your brain’s hidden systems to…
Black Hole Geometry Will Warp Your Brain | Janna LevinBonusBlack holes can be bigger on the inside than they are on the outside. Astrophysicist Janna Levin explains how this is possible, and what that means about how black holes work. For…
What Exactly Is a Law of Nature? | Robert Hazen & Michael WongBonusWhat’s the difference between a fact, a law, and a theory? Mineralogist Robert Hazen and astrobiologist Michael Wong unpack the hierarchy of scientific ideas and reveal how laws of…
How Many Microbes Live on Earth? | Peter GirguisBonusSorry, Beyoncé, it turns out microbes rule the world. Microbiologist Peter Girguis explains how to conceptualize just how many microbes are on Earth… and how understanding this hel…
Why Tropical Trees Don’t Have Rings | Kirk JohnsonBonusGrowth rings on trees can measure time, allowing scientists to date things from the deep past. But, paleobotantist Dr. Kirk Johnson explains why, in the tropics, some trees have no…
How Weight Loss Drugs Were Inspired by Gila Monsters | Sean B. CarrollBonusNature has been solving problems for billions of years. Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll reveals why scientists still turn to evolution’s inventions for life-saving breakthro…
De-Extincted” Dire Wolf Pups Are Growing Up | Beth ShapiroBonusIn 2024, scientists claimed they achieved the unthinkable: the birth of dire wolf pups, reviving a species that vanished thousands of years ago. Now, those pups are growing—and cha…
How AI Is Taking “Future-Proof” Jobs | Hany FaridBonusIs AI coming for your job? AI Expert Hany Farid breaks down how AI is taking jobs once considered “future-proof” and shares his advice to prepare young people for the future. For m…
Discovering Dark Energy and the Hubble Tension with Adam RiessWhat does it feel like to make one of the biggest discoveries in physics? Adam Riess knows — because his work revealed that the universe isn’t just expanding, it’s accelerating. In…
Hubble Tension, Explained | Adam RiessBonusThe universe isn’t adding up—and it’s creating a crisis in cosmology. Nobel Prize winner Adam Riess explains why measurements of the universe’s expansion rate from its earliest lig…
Einstein’s “Biggest Blunder” | Adam RiessBonusDiscovering dark energy wasn’t just thrilling—it was terrifying. Nobel Prize Winner Adam Riess explains the nerve-wracking process behind confirming that the universe’s expansion i…
How Fame Affects the Brain | Heather BerlinBonusFame can hijack the brain like a drug—activating the same reward circuits that fuel a relentless chase for dopamine highs. Neuroscientist Heather Berlin reveals the antidote—and wh…
How Fossils Form and How to Find Them | Kirk JohnsonBonusFossilization isn’t luck - it’s geology. Paleobotanist Kirk Johnson explains how fossils only form in certain conditions, the tricks to finding them, and why one fossil leaf can le…
Why Only Some Species Can Talk—and Dance | Erich JarvisBonusSpeech is rare in the animal kingdom because it requires a very specific brain architecture. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explains how duplicating neural pathways for movement unloc…
Evolution of New Species, Venom, Wings, and More with Sean B. CarrollHow does evolution invent entirely new things, like limbs, wings, and venom? Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll joins us to reveal the hidden rules behind nature’s creativity a…
How the Fruit Fly Revolutionized Biology | Sean B. CarrollBonusFrom legs on heads to missing eyes, fruit fly mutations exposed the genetic toolkit that builds all animals. Evolutionary Biologist Sean B. Carroll shows how these discoveries rewr…
