PODCAST · science
Inquiring Minds
by Indre Viskontas
Each week we bring you a new, in-depth exploration of the space where science 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 want to find out what’s true, what’s left to discover, and why it all matters.
Episodes
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Unlocking the Mysteries of the Social Brain with Dr. Bruce Miller
In this powerful episode of Inquiring Minds, host Indre Viskontas reconnects with her longtime mentor, Dr. Bruce L. Miller—one of the world’s foremost authorities on dementia, empathy, and the neuroscience of human behavior. Dr. Miller is a Distinguished Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at…
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Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's with Charles Piller
In this episode of Inquiring Minds, host Indre Viskontas speaks with investigative journalist Charles Piller about his explosive new book, Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance, and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer's. Piller unearths the troubling reality behind decades of Alzheimer's research…
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Outraged: Why We Fight About Morality and Politics and How to Find Common Ground with Kurt Gray
In this episode of Inquiring Minds, host Indre Viskontas speaks with Kurt Gray, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and director of the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding. Gray’s groundbreaking new book, Outraged: Why We Fight...
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The Purpose Code: How To Unlock Meaning, Maximize Happiness, and Leave A Lasting Legacy with Jordan Grumet
In the wake of the devastating fires in Los Angeles where people have lost their homes and all their worldly possessions and when many are questioning their purpose it was a timely moment for host Indre Viskontas to sit with hospice physician, financial independence expert, and author Jordan…
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Journey to 2125: One Century, One Family, Rising to Challenges with Gary F. Bengier
In this episode of Inquiring Minds, host Adam Bristol sits down with Silicon Valley tech expert, philosopher, and acclaimed science fiction author Gary Bengier to discuss his new novel, Journey to 2125: One Century, One Family, Rising to Challenges. As a prequel to his celebrated book Unfettered...
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Power Metal: The Race for the Resources That Will Shape the Future with Vince Beiser
In this episode of Inquiring Minds, Indre Viskontas sits down with award-winning journalist and author Vince Beiser to delve into the environmental, social, and ethical implications of our growing reliance on electronics and artificial intelligence. Drawing from his new book, Power Metal: The…
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Thrive: Maximizing Well-Being in the Age of AI with Ravi Bapna
Indre sits to chat with co-author of "Thrive: Maximizing Well-Being in the Age of AI" and chair of business analytics at the University of Minnesota, Ravi Bapna, to explore the complex relationship between artificial intelligence and society. They talk about the potential benefits and risks of AI...
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Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Making of the World with Peter Godfrey-Smith
In this episode of Inquiring Minds, Indre Viskontas sits down with Peter Godfrey-Smith, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney and author of Living on Earth: Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Making of the World. Peter takes us on an enthralling journey...
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Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves with Nicola Twilley
Did you know that many apples sold in stores are nearly a year old by the time you get to buy them? Indre sits down once again to talk with science journalist and non-fiction author and co-host of the award-winning Gastropod podcast, Nicola Twilley, about a project she has been passionately…
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The Most Delicious Poison with Noah Whiteman
Indre welcomes evolutionary biologist and UC Berkeley professor, Noah Whiteman unto the Inquiring Minds Show to delve into the world of nature’s toxins and Whiteman’s new book. "Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature's Toxins from Spices to Vices.” explores the adaptations that have enabled...
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Revealing the Secrets of Supercommunicators with Charles Duhigg
In this intriguing episode, Indre chats with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and renowned author of The Power of Habit and Smarter, Better, Faster, Charles Duhigg, to discuss his latest book “Supercommunicators”. Their conversation delves into he crucial role of effective communication in...
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“The Good Stuff” about Quanta and Fields with Sean Carroll
Indre welcomes Sean Carroll, Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University and host of the Mindscape podcast, back to Inquiring Minds today for an engaging exploration of his latest book, "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Quanta and Fields." Together, they delve into the...
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Understanding and Expanding Consciousness with Dr. Christof Koch
In yet another thoroughly intriguing episode, Indre engages with renowned neuroscientist Christof Koch this week to explore the complexities of consciousness and its impact on our understanding of self and free will. Koch, a pivotal figure in the field who worked alongside the legendary Francis...
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Are Flukes Actually the Norm?
Indre examines the realm of randomness and its undeniable sway over our lives and the fabric of society, as she welcomes global politics luminary, Brian Klaas, to the podcast today. An Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College London, affiliate researcher at the University of...
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Capitalizing on The Neurodiversity Edge with Maureen Dunne
Globally recognized neurodiversity expert, thought leader, and public policy professional and champion, Maureen Dunne, joins Indre today to discuss the evolving perceptions of neurological diversity within our society. Centering their discussion around Maureen's recent publication, The...
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Making the Mundane Magic with Dan Winters
In this latest installment of Inquiring Minds, Indre explores the intricate world of photography with the renowned Dan Winters, whose career spans the realms of celebrity portraiture, scientific documentation, and beyond. Winters' journey from a childhood captivated by the narratives of Star Wars...
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Why We Die with Venki Ramakrishnan
Among his many achievements, the esteemed Venki Ramakrishnan has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth, served as the President of the Royal Society, and shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Today, he adds being a special guest on the Inquiring Minds podcast to this impressive list of...
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“X”-amining the Battle for the Bird with Kurt Wagner
Join Indre and guest Kurt Wagner, renowned business and technology journalist and author of Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul, as they embark on an insightful exploration of Twitter's evolution. From Jack Dorsey's humble beginnings to the...
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Revealing Why We Remember with Charan Ranganath
Welcome back to Inquiring Minds, where, after a brief hiatus, host Indre Viskontas returns with yet another memorable episode, this time featuring Charan Ranganath, Director of the Memory and Plasticity Program and a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of California at…
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Don’t Panic, but Robert Sapolsky Says There’s No Free Will
This week we talk to Robert Sapolsky—MacArthur “Genius” Fellow and professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford—about his new book Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection…
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The Science of Allergies and Why We Have Them
This week we talk to medical anthropologist and science writer Theresa MacPhail about her new book Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Why It’s Important to Know What’s Actually in Your Clothes
This week we talk to journalist and sustainable fashion expert Alden Wicker about her book To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick—and How We Can Fight Back. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for...
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How You Could Have Survived History’s Disasters
This week we talk to writer Cody Cassidy about his new book How to Survive History: How to Outrun a Tyrannosaurus, Escape Pompeii, Get Off the Titanic, and Survive the Rest of History's Deadliest Catastrophes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...
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How to Stop Your Brain from Falling for Lies
This week we talk to psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris about their new book Nobody's Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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How Society Created “You”
This week we talk to social psychologist and Stanford professor Brian Lowery about his new book Selfless: The Social Creation of “You”. In it, he proposes that what you think of as “you” is actually a social construct created by your relationships and affected by every interaction you have.…
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The Science of Silo with Hugh Howey
This week we talk to Hugh Howey, author of the bestselling Silo series of books and executive producer of the new Apple TV+ series of the same name. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Improbable Experiments That Changed the World
This week we talk to accelerator physicist Suzie Sheehy about her most recent book The Matter of Everything: How Curiosity, Physics, and Improbable Experiments Changed the World. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...
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The Perilous Combination of Brain Wave Data and Generative AI
On the show this week we talk to Nita A. Farahany, distinguished professor of law and philosophy at Duke University and the founding director of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, about her new book, "The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of...
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Everything you need to know about that fusion breakthrough
Last December, a team of scientists made history by creating a fusion reaction that—for the first time ever—gave off more energy that it took to start. It’s a groundbreaking milestone. We talked to two researchers who were part of that team—Sabrina Nagel and Matthias Hohenberger—about what…
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Art can make you live longer
This week we talk to pioneering art & science researcher Susan Magsamen along with vice president of design for hardware products at Google, Ivy Ross, about their new book Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. While sometimes considered opposites, art and science are unequivocally linked…
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Plants have been listening to us this whole time
This week, with guest co-host Majel Connery, we talk to author and researcher Karen Bakker about her new book The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology Is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants. The book explores stories of nonhuman sound and the often overlooked impact our own...
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How is it possible that we can’t yet explain consciousness?
This week we talk to neuroscientist and author Patrick House about his new book Nineteen Ways of Looking at Consciousness. The book explores the complexity of consciousness and how it’s possible that it has thus far eluded explanation. To do so he examines one single study about consciousness...
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The Science of Why You Fall in Love With Music
This week we talk to cognitive neuroscientist and multi-platinum record producer Susan Rogers about her new book This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You. In this episode: The science behind how we perceive and process music and how it can affect our emotions and sense…
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The Powerful Ways Secrets Shape Your Life
This week we talk to behavioral scientist Michael Slepian about secrets: keeping them, telling them, and the powerful ways in which they influence our lives. His new book is The Secret Life of Secrets: How Our Inner Worlds Shape Well-Being, Relationships, and Who We Are. Hosted by Simplecast, an...
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The Psychology of Getting Conned
The show this week features an interview with science writer Maria Konnikova about her book The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time. We recorded this interview back when the book first came in out in 2016, but it is, perhaps depressingly, still as relevant as ever. While it…
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Understanding the Biggest Ideas in the Universe Without Being a Physicist
This week we welcome back theoretical physicist and philosopher Sean Carroll to talk about how his most recent book, The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion, attempts to bridge the gap between how scientists talk about physics and how they usually go about explaining it to...
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The Overlooked Gifts of Visual Thinkers with Temple Grandin
This week we’re joined by returning guest, animal behavior scientist, and autism rights advocate Temple Grandin to talk about her latest book Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See…
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Up to Date | Nanoparticle toothbrushes and a promising Alzheimer's drug
This week: new research into using nanoparticles and programmable magnets to clean your teeth; a potentially breakthrough study on a drug for Alzheimer's disease featuring the first positive trial ever for a disease of aging; recapping NASA’s recent Double Asteroid Redirection Test mission; and a...
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These Numbers Explain the Nature of Reality
This week we talk to theoretical physicist and cosmologist Antonio Padilla about his new book Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them: A Cosmic Quest from Zero to Infinity. It’s a book about nine unusual numbers that, once understood, can help you grasp how the universe actually works—from black...
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The Science of How Your Dog’s Brain Works
This week we talk to Alexandra Horowitz from the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College about her new book The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves. Horowitz’s book examines how a dog’s brain works and develops—how it dramatically changes during their first 12 months of life, her shifting...
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The Neuroscience of What Makes You You
This week we talk to cognitive neuroscientist Chantel Prat about her new book The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours. The book is the result of Prat’s decades of work on the biological basis of individual differences in cognition—what makes you you....
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What do animals dream about?
This week we talk to philosopher and animal ethicist David Peña-Guzmán about his new book When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness. David explores the idea that there really is a subjective world—a dream world—that lights up when animals sleep, what that actually looks like…
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The Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion
This week we’re joined by podcaster, journalist, and author David McRaney to discuss his latest book How Minds Change: The Surprising Science of Belief, Opinion, and Persuasion. It’s a deep look at what we know about what it takes to change someone’s mind and why it’s more complicated than you...
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The language of food, science, and critical thinking with J. Kenji López-Alt
This week we welcome back James Beard award winning food science writer J. Kenji López-Alt. He talks about growing up around science, studying architecture at MIT, and how, strangely enough, both subjects pertain to cooking. Kenji is the author of the bestselling The Food Lab and the recently...
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Derek Gow Is Turning His Farm Into an Ark for Lost Species
You might not be aware of it, but the UK is experiencing a wildlife crisis. Ecologist Derek Gow joins us this week to talk about what we ought to do about it and how he’s trying to rewild the country with his farm-turned-wildlife breeding center. Gow wrote the bestselling Bringing Back the Beaver...
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Wild but Delicate: What Hawks Can Teach Us About Nature, Life, and Love
On the show this week we’re joined by naturalist, author, and returning guest Sy Montgomery. Throughout her career, Montgomery has repeatedly shown an incredible ability to understand, befriend, and interact with animals. We last heard from her in episode #128 where she talked about her 2016 book...
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Can Fish Count? What Animals Reveal About Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds
On the show this week we’re joined by Brian Butterworth, emeritus professor of cognitive neuropsychology and author of the new book Can Fish Count? What Animals Reveal About Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds. He’s spent his career looking at the genetics and neuroscience of mathematical ability—and...
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The Science of Creativity and How It Can Help You
How do you feel fear and be creative anyway? How is letting your mind wander key to coming up with, and following through on, creative ideas? Returning to the show this week is journalist Matt Richtel, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for a series on distracted driving…
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The Misunderstood Nature of Pain with Haider Warraich
How do you define how painful something is? On the show this week we welcome back physician, writer, and clinical researcher Haider Warraich to talk about his new book The Song of Our Scars: The Untold Story of Pain. Warraich explores the idea that far from being something objective and easily...
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The Untold Story of the Neuron with Benjamin Ehrlich
This week we’re joined by Benjamin Ehrlich, author of The Brain in Search of Itself: Santiago Ramón y Cajal and the Story of the Neuron. It’s a book about the discoveries and life of Spanish neuroscientist Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who has been called the ‘father of modern neuroscience.’ While…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Each week we bring you a new, in-depth exploration of the space where science 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 want to find out what’s true, what’s left to discover, and why it all matters.
HOSTED BY
Indre Viskontas
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Inquiring Minds have?
Inquiring Minds currently has 461 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Inquiring Minds about?
Each week we bring you a new, in-depth exploration of the space where science 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 want to find out what’s...
How often does Inquiring Minds release new episodes?
Inquiring Minds publishes regularly with 461 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Inquiring Minds?
You can listen to Inquiring Minds on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Inquiring Minds?
Inquiring Minds is created and hosted by Indre Viskontas.
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