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Big Brains

Big Brains

Written by: University of Chicago Podcast Network
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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. Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Why Knowing Yourself Is So Difficult, with Eric Oliver
    Jan 22 2026

    The process of understanding who we are is a lifelong journey for many of us. For two decades, that question has been one that University of Chicago scholar Eric Oliver has asked his students in class—and inspired him to write a new book called "How to Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Discovering Who You Really Are."

    A renowned political scientist, Oliver draws upon science, philosophy, psychology and his personal experiences to better examine the mysteries of the human experience—and explore what it truly means to be “you.”


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    32 mins
  • The Breakthrough Quantum Sensor That Sees Inside Your Cells, with Peter Maurer
    Jan 8 2026

    What if we could precisely measure a cell at its most fundamental level? In this episode, we talk with the University of Chicago scientist Peter Maurer about how he and his colleagues made the breakthrough discovery of turning a protein found in living cells into the first biological quantum bit, also known as a qubit.

    Maurer explains how quantum systems—once thought to be too fragile for real-world use—are becoming some of the most powerful sensors ever built, and what they could teach us about the brain, the body and more.


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    36 mins
  • How to Manifest Your Destiny with the Late James Doty
    Dec 29 2025

    We've all heard the phrase "Manifest Your Destiny" when it comes to wanting a new promotion, figuring out a new career path or just trying to achieve that long-term goal. It turns out that the act of manifestation is not merely pseudoscience—it actually has a body of research in neuroscience to back it up.

    James Doty was a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. He wrote several books, including Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything.


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    32 mins
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