Big Brains

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Episodes

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Big Brains

University of Chicago Podcast Network•big-brains.simplecast.com

Big Brains explores the groundbreaking research and discoveries that are changing our world. In each episode, we talk to leading experts and unpack their work in straightforward terms. Interesting conversations that cover a gamut of topics from how music affects our brains to what happens after we die.

Episodes

Economist’s Journey to the Nobel with Richard Thaler

Richard Thaler has been dubbed one of the "founding fathers" of behavioral economics, bridging the gap between psychology and economics, and in 2017 he received the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his work. It has been a long and unusual journey for Thaler, who has made a career out of disrupting economic assumptions, as well as writing two best-selling books and appearing in the 2015 Oscar-nominated film "The Big Short." On this episode of Big Brains , Thaler discusses how a bowl of cashew...

Jun 04, 2018•44 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast

Future of Energy Innovation with Michael Polsky

When UChicago alumnus Michael Polsky first ventured into the field of renewable energy in 2003 with his company Invenergy, he thought they had missed the boat. “When we got into renewables in earnest, I thought we were too late,” said Polsky, MBA’87, believing people were well ahead of him in building clean energy projects. Today, he said we’re barely in “the third inning” of the renewables game. The founder and CEO of Invenergy, one of the largest renewables company in North America, Polsky, be...

May 21, 2018•23 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast

The Expanding Universe with Wendy Freedman

Wendy Freedman spent part of her career measuring the age of the universe. Now she’s working on a project that may very well give scientists a chance to glimpse into its birth. Freedman, the John & Marion Sullivan University Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics, works in the field of observational cosmology, measuring the expansion rate of the universe. In 2001, she and a team of scientists found that the universe is around 13.7 billion years old—far more precise than the previous estimate in t...

May 14, 2018•23 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast

Nature’s Design Secrets with Rama Ranganathan

From the smallest proteins of cells to entire ecosystems, nature might be the most sophisticated engineer on earth. Researchers like UChicago molecular biologist Rama Ranganathan are trying to uncover the basic design principles that govern biology and apply them to human engineering. He calls the field “evolutionary physics,” and the goal is to unlock the secrets of evolutionary history. On this episode of Big Brains , Ranganathan shares his pioneering research on evolutionary physics, and expl...

May 07, 2018•25 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast

Mind of a Virtuoso Composer with Augusta Read Thomas

To say Augusta Read Thomas is prolific is an understatement. A past Grammy Award winner and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music, Thomas has been hailed as “a true virtuoso composer” by The New Yorker , and her work has been performed more than almost any other living composer. Thomas, the University Professor of Composition in the Department of Music and the College, champions classical music as co-curator of the Chicago Ear Taxi Festival and works with new musicians as founder and director...

Apr 30, 2018•26 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast

Myths of U.S. Health Care with Katherine Baicker

Health care expansion. It's one of the most contentious issues in American politics. Katherine Baicker is Dean of the Harris School at the University of Chicago and one of the leading scholars on the economics of health care. Her research from the groundbreaking Oregon Medicaid Experiment has helped uncover the true costs and benefits of health care expansion. On this episode of Big Brains , Baicker shares the findings from the Oregon Experiment, and provides insights into how to improve health ...

Apr 23, 2018•27 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast

Discovering the Missing Link with Neil Shubin

Evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin spent six years in the Arctic searching for a fossil that could be a missing link between sea and land animals. In 2004, Shubin discovered Tiktaalik roseae , a 375-million-year old creature that was part fish, part land-living animal. On this episode of Big Brains , Shubin shares the story behind his discovery of Tiktaalik, what it has meant for the understanding of human evolution, and how it has impacted the future of genetic research. Subscribe to Big Brains...

Apr 16, 2018•28 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast

Big Brains Trailer

Big Brains tells the stories behind the pioneering research and breakthroughs reshaping our world. The show is produced out of the University of Chicago and hosted by Paul Rand.

Apr 05, 2018•1 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast