Inquiring Minds
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
Mentioned books
Nov 20, 2015 • 43min
111 Steve Croft - The Feeding Habits of Supermassive Black Holes
On the show this week we talk to UC Berkeley astronomy researcher Steve Croft about the science of supermassive black holes.http://patreon.com/inquiringmindsSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Nov 13, 2015 • 58min
110 Cady Coleman - Our Calling to Space
On the show this week we talk to astronaut Dr. Cady Coleman about the human side of space exploration.“Leaving the planet is just something people are going to do because we live off the planet as well as on—we live in the universe.”http://patreon.com/inquiringmindsSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Nov 6, 2015 • 44min
109 Dava Newman - The Future of Space Exploration
Dava Newman is the Deputy Administrator of NASA. On the show this week we talked to her about the future of space exploration.http://patreon.com/inquiringmindsSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Oct 30, 2015 • 50min
108 Adam Galinsky & Maurice Schweitzer - The Science of Sex, Power, and Competition
On the show this week we talk to Adam Galinsky and Maurice Schweitzer about the research behind their new book Friend & Foe: When to Cooperate, When to Compete, and How to Succeed at Both. “A lot of what we call gender differences are really just power differences in disguise. The big irony is that women and men get affected by power in very similar ways yet because women have less power in society, there’s a constraint on their ability to act with that power.”http://patreon.com/inquiringmindsSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Oct 25, 2015 • 58min
107 Ariel Waldman - Hacking Science
Ariel Waldman makes “massively multiplayer science”, instigating unusual collaborations that spark clever creations for science and space exploration.On the show this week we talk to her about Science Hack Day, Spacehack.org, how she ended up working for NASA, and much more.This episode also features a follow-up interview with last week’s guest Brad Bushman on video games and violence.http://patreon.com/inquiringmindsSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Oct 16, 2015 • 53min
106 Brad Bushman - The Science of Gun Violence
On the show this week we talk to psychologist Brad Bushman about the science of gun violence. Brad Bushman is a professor of communication and psychology at The Ohio State University and a professor of communication science at the VU University Amsterdam. For over 25 years he has studied the causes, consequences, and solutions to the problem of human aggression and violence. He is a member of President Obama’s committee on gun violence, and has testified before the U.S. Congress on the topic of youth violence.http://patreon.com/inquiringmindsSupport the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Oct 9, 2015 • 60min
105 Brad Voytek - We Neuroscientists Don't Really Know What Your Brain Is Doing
The website for neuroscientist Brad Voytek’s lab begins like this: “Do not buy into the false belief that neuroscientists actually know what the brain is doing.” On the show this week we talked to Voytek to find out what he actually means by that.Brad Voytek is an Assistant Professor of Computational Cognitive Science and Neuroscience at UC San Diego.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Oct 2, 2015 • 41min
104 Justin Rubinstein - Humans Are Causing Earthquakes in Oklahoma
In 2014 there were 585 magnitude three or above earthquakes in Oklahoma. In 2013 that number was only 109. And it turns out we’re to blame for the increase.On the show this week we talk to Research Geophysicist and Deputy Chief of the USGS Induced Seismicity Project Justin Rubinstein to find out more about induced earthquakes—and why they’re happening in places you might not expect.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Sep 25, 2015 • 59min
103 M. R. O'Connor - Resurrection Science and the Precarious Future of Wild Things
On the show this week we talk to M. R. O'Connor about her book Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Sep 18, 2015 • 58min
102 Beth Shapiro - The Science of De-Extinction
How do you clone a mammoth? We asked Beth Shapiro. Shapiro is associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz and the author of How to Clone a Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
