How is it possible that we can’t yet explain consciousness?

“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 intricacies of quantum mechanics and field theory, unpacking the critical roles of quanta and fields within modern physics. In his trademark style, Sean blends his expertise in both physics and philosophy to render these complex topics thoroughly accessible and relevant not only to specialists but to all who are captivated by the frontiers of scientific understanding. Venturing beyond the book’s content, he and Indre also examine how these theories permeate daily scientific conversation and enhance our understanding of fundamental principles. There’s a very good reason why Sean Carroll has an open invitation to return to the Inquiring by Inquiring Minds

39 min listen

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 Crick to pioneer the study of neural correlates of consciousness, shares a wealth of both personal experiences and scientific insights here today. Together with Indre, he introduces concepts discussed in his latest book, Then I Am Myself the World: What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It, and also examines the practical applications of these theories in comprehending human cognition and the futuristic possibility of an 'uber mind' through technological innovations. As will become readily apparent, today's episode invites listeners to rethink the limits of their own minds and the interconnectedness of all conscious entities, pro by Inquiring Minds

43 min listen

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 Oxford, contributing writer for The Atlantic, creator of the award-winning Power Corrupts Podcast, and prolific author, Brian shares details from his most recent publication, FLUKE: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters. In doing so, he unravels the conventional tapestry of predictability, highlighting the omnipresence of chance in dictating the courses of personal lives, scientific endeavors, and political landscapes. Today’s episode not only shatters the illusion of control fostered by historical data but also prompts a profound reevaluation of the role randomness plays in the intricacies of artificial intelligence, the methodologies of scientific resea by Inquiring Minds

37 min listen

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 Neurodiversity Edge, they delve into the profound benefits of welcoming neurodivergent individuals into workplaces and educational settings. Bolstered by insights into Gen Z's growing acknowledgment of neurodivergent identities and the critical importance of supportive settings, Maureen offers actionable advice for organizations of all sizes to excel in this area. In essence, today’s crucial conversation emphasizes the essential role diverse cognition plays in driving innovation and success, advocating for a reevaluation of traditional views and embracing a society that values diversity in every aspect. Links: Inquiring Minds Homepage: https:// by Inquiring Minds

33 min listen

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 to his status as a National Geographic Explorer and award-winning artist underscores his unique ability to see beyond the lens, using photography to explore the world and connect with subjects on a deeply personal level. His conversation here today offers details of his appearance on National Geographic’s new series, Photographer, and reveals how photography acts as a powerful medium for storytelling, capable of capturing the essence of human experience and the natural world with profound depth and emotion. As the episode unfolds, it becomes clear that photography, in Winters' hands, transcends mere visual capture to become a conduit for exploration, by Inquiring Minds

29 min listen

Why We Die with Venki Ramakrishnan by Inquiring Minds

44 min listen

“X”-amining the Battle for the Bird with Kurt Wagner by Inquiring Minds

39 min listen

Revealing Why We Remember with Charan Ranganath by Inquiring Minds

49 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

48 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

44 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

36 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

31 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

45 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

45 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

37 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

43 min listen

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 Neurotechnology." Many people choose to give up unprecedented levels of privacy in exchange for convenience. So why not give up your brain data too? Is it really that different? While the proposition may seem analogous, and despite how it’s often presented, says Farahany, what could get decoded from your brain is a very different thing. “Everybody has something to hide when it comes to what’s in their brain. Not in the sense of like, you’re thinking about committing some horrible crime. But it is the space where you work out everything. And if you don’t have that space to work out everything, suddenly what it means to be human is fundamental by Inquiring Minds

43 min listen

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 exactly happened, why it’s been decades in the making, and why it’s such a big deal. This is everything you need to know about their team’s fusion breakthrough. by Inquiring Minds

37 min listen

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 in ways we’re still figuring out. Not only does our way of thinking and living impact our art, but art also has an impact on how we think and live. by Inquiring Minds

42 min listen

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 incredible stories of nonhuman sound along with the often overlooked impact human sound has on the natural world. Plus, things like: What do plants hear? How likely is interspecies communication? Will we one day be able to talk to dolphins? by Inquiring Minds

61 min listen

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 of self; how our brains develop the ability to process sound and how formal music training can help us become "auditory athletes," or people who can analyze sound on a deeper level; the concept of the "default mode network," a group of brain structures that are active when we are “in our own heads,” and how our favorite records can light up this network and create a private, emotional connection with us; and Rogers talks about her time as Prince’s full-time recording engineer during which she worked on albums like Purple Rain. (!) by Inquiring Minds

49 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

39 min listen

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 hasn’t always involved pillow salesmen and crypto billionaires, there have always been people trying to con you. So there’s no better time than right now to brush up on all the ways people get conned, the psychology of why it works, and what you can do to avoid it. by Inquiring Minds

39 min listen

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 non-scientists. The goal is to help you understand what physicists are talking about—equations and all—without needing to know much more than some algebra. by Inquiring Minds

29 min listen

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. by Inquiring Minds

33 min listen

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 look into how much control you actually have over what Youtube decides to show you. by Inquiring Minds

25 min listen

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. It’s a book about nine unusual numbers that, once understood, can help you grasp how the universe actually works—from black holes, to gravity, to the passing of time itself. by Inquiring Minds

35 min listen

The Science of How Your Dog’s Brain Works by Inquiring Minds

43 min listen

The Neuroscience of What Makes You You by Inquiring Minds

42 min listen

What do animals dream about? by Inquiring Minds

51 min listen

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How is it possible that we can’t yet explain consciousness?

How is it possible that we can’t yet explain consciousness?

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