Big Brains: All Episodes

Translating groundbreaking research into digestible brain food. Produced out at the University of Chicago. Honored by CASE for the past four years as the best podcast in higher ed; winner of the PRNEWS's Platinum Award, Communicators Award and Adweek's "best branded podcast." 

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Episode List

The Crucial Race to Build a Better Battery with Shirley Meng (Ep. 98)

One scientist’s quest to improve technology as we transition to green energy

Do Animals Dream? with David M. Peña-Guzmán (Ep. 97)

Scholar explores the science behind animal consciousness

Extreme Heat Waves: Why Are They Surging? with Noboru Nakamura (Ep. 96)

Research examines—and could help predict—extreme weather events around the world 

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