There are 20 quadrillion ants on Earth. How do we make sense of a number like that?

We recently heard that scientists are estimating that there are 20 quadrillion ants on Earth. Which made us wonder: how do we make sense of a number like that?

This hour is all about how we relate to unimaginable numbers, both large and small. And, why our inability to conceptualize large numbers can have a real-world impact during times like a pandemic.

GUESTS:

• Shabnam Mousavi: A scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and a senior scientist at the Center for Artificial Intelligence
• Sabine Nooten: An insect ecologist and a temporary principal investigator at the University of Würzburg
• Elizabeth Toomarian: Director of the Brainwave Learning Center at Synapse School and an educational neuroscience Researcher at Stanford University
• Edward Tufte: The author of five books on information design and data visualization

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Colin McEnroe and Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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