Inquiring Minds
Summary: Each week Inquiring Minds brings you a new, in-depth exploration of the space where science, politics, and society collide.We’re committed to the idea that making an effort to understand the world around you though science and critical thinking can benefit everyone—and lead to better decisions. We endeavor to find out what’s true, what’s left to discover, and why it all matters with weekly coverage of the latest headlines and probing discussions with leading scientists and thinkers.
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- Artist: Indre Viskontas
- Copyright: 2020 Indre Viskontas
Podcasts:
Dava Newman is the Deputy Administrator of NASA. On the show this week we talked to her about the future of space exploration. http://patreon.com/inquiringminds
On the show this week we talk to Adam Galinsky and Maurice Schweitzer about the research behind their new book Friend & Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both. “A lot of what we call gender differences are really just power differences in disguise. The big irony is that women and men get affected by power in very similar ways yet because women have less power in society, there’s a constraint on their ability to act with that power.” http://patreon.com/inquiringminds
Ariel Waldman makes “massively multiplayer science”, instigating unusual collaborations that spark clever creations for science and space exploration. On the show this week we talk to her about Science Hack Day, Spacehack.org, how she ended up working for NASA, and much more. This episode also features a follow-up interview with last week’s guest Brad Bushman on video games and violence. http://patreon.com/inquiringminds
On the show this week we talk to psychologist Brad Bushman about the science of gun violence. Brad Bushman is a professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University and a professor of communication science at the VU University Amsterdam. For over 25 years he has studied the causes, consequences, and solutions to the problem of human aggression and violence. He is a member of President Obama’s committee on gun violence, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on the topic of youth violence. http://patreon.com/inquiringminds
The website for neuroscientist Brad Voytek’s lab begins like this: “Do not buy into the false belief that neuroscientists actually know what the brain is doing.” On the show this week we talked to Voytek to find out what he actually means by that. Brad Voytek is an Assistant Professor of Computational Cognitive Science and Neuroscience at UC San Diego.
In 2014 there were 585 magnitude three or above earthquakes in Oklahoma. In 2013 that number was only 109. And it turns out we’re to blame for the increase. On the show this week we talk to Research Geophysicist and Deputy Chief of the USGS Induced Seismicity Project Justin Rubinstein to find out more about induced earthquakes—and why they’re happening in places you might not expect.
On the show this week we talk to M. R. O'Connor about her book Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things.
How do you clone a mammoth? We asked Beth Shapiro. Shapiro is associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the author of How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction.
This week we have an extra special episode: It was recorded live on stage in Atlanta for this year’s Dragon Con. We talk about the science of Archer—the hit FX series TV series created by Adam Reed. To do that, we welcome to the show Dr. Krieger himself, Lucky Yates, as well as forensic chemist and former Inquiring Minds guest Raychelle Burks—a.k.a. Dr. Rubidium. Check out behind the scenes photos and video of the entire show at patreon.com/inquiringminds. Note: We swear more than usual on this episode and you might not want to listen to it with your kids. Sorry about that. Or, you're welcome.
This week, on our 100th episode, we remember Oliver Sacks, neurologist, author, and mentor to Indre. We talk to Steve Silberman—who was also close with Sacks, about his legacy and influence on, among many other things, Silberman's latest book, NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity.
Marc Lewis is a neuroscientist, professor of developmental psychology, and author of the new book The Biology of Desire: Why Addiction Is Not a Disease. On the show this week we talk to Lewis about the biology of addiction—and what it does to our brains.
The science behind genetically modified food is a very divisive issue for a lot of people. We’ve already talked about it a few times on the show, but this week we sought out a new perspective and talked to Fred Perlak, a Monsanto Distinguished Science Fellow. He’s been with Monsanto since 1981 and his work has focused on Bt genes, insect control, and plant gene expression. In this episode, he talks about his research and responds to concerns about GM health safety, risks to our eco-system, and the economics associated with food security.
Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis was trained as a concert pianist and is now the director of the Music Cognition Lab at the University of Arkansas. On the show this week we talk to Margulis about her latest book On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind.
On the show this week we talk to David Casarett, M.D. about his latest book Stoned: A Doctor's Case for Medical Marijuana. iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/inquiring-minds/id711675943 RSS: feeds.feedburner.com/inquiring-minds Stitcher: stitcher.com/podcast/inquiring-minds Tumblr: http://inquiringshow.tumblr.com
On the show this week we talk to journalist and educator Wade Roush about how disasters can affect our appreciation of the science behind them—and what we can do to be sure the right story gets out. iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/inquiring-minds/id711675943 RSS: feeds.feedburner.com/inquiring-minds Stitcher: stitcher.com/podcast/inquiring-minds Tumblr: http://inquiringshow.tumblr.com
