Big Brains: All Episodes

Translating groundbreaking research into digestible brain food. Big Brains, little bites. Produced out at the University of Chicago. Winner of CASE "Grand Gold" award in 2022, Gold award in 2021, and named Adweek's "Best Branded Podcast" in 2020.

Big Brains podcst

Episode List

Why Air Pollution Is Cutting Years Off Our Lives, with Christa Hasenkopf and Anant Sudarshan (Ep. 95)

Scholars behind Air Quality Life Index report warn of threat to our global health

How tax dodging and corporate secrecy found a home in Delaware, with Hal Weitzman (Ep. 94)

Scholar examines how the wealthy, global corporations exploit tax loopholes in the tiny U.S. state

Why Countries Choose War Over Peace, with Chris Blattman (Ep. 93)

Studying gangs and political enemies, scholar tries to understand why we fight—and how to stop conflict

From green burials to DIY funerals, how death in America is changing with Shannon Lee Dawdy (Ep. 92)

Anthropologist examines what our rituals reveal about society, especially after 9/11

Why we need to invest in parents during a child's earliest years, with Dana Suskind (Ep. 91)

Book examines how better policies can bolster families and boost early childhood development

The troubling rise of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, with Christopher Murray (Ep. 90)

Global health expert warns about a potential ‘pandemic in the shadows’

Is scientific progress slowing? with James Evans (Ep. 89)

Scholar examines how researchers could generate greater innovation and discovery

Could we vaccinate against opioid addiction? with Sandra Comer and Marco Pravetoni (Ep. 88)

Scientists discuss promising solution, now in clinical trials, to address drug overdose epidemic

The man who fought to sanction Putin and Russian oligarchs, with Bill Browder

Businessman explains how his work on the Magnitsky Act made him country’s No. 1 enemy

Why big ideas fail to scale—and how to fix it, with John List (Ep. 87)

Economist discusses the secrets of using science to scale promising social programs