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
Jan 31, 2021 • 52min
The science behind your voice
Your voice is much more than just the medium by which your thoughts can be heard—it's as fundamental to who you are as your face or your fingerprints. This week we talk to journalist John Colapinto about his new book This Is the Voice.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Jan 21, 2021 • 40min
We need to rethink toilets
We talk to Jay Bhagwan from the International Water Association about his work reinventing how we think about sanitation.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Jan 7, 2021 • 29min
Up To Date | A look back at 2020, and what’s next for the podcast
This week we take a look back at some of our favorite episodes from 2020 and talk about what’s next for the podcast.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Dec 29, 2020 • 38min
Five ways the universe might die
We talk to cosmologist and writer Katie Mack about her new book The End of Everything: (Astrophysically Speaking).Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Dec 18, 2020 • 41min
The Surprising Story of Medieval Science
We talk to historian of medieval science Seb Falk about his new book The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Dec 3, 2020 • 44min
The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton
We talk to journalist Kermit Pattison about his new book Fossil Men: The Quest for the Oldest Skeleton and the Origins of Humankind.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Nov 26, 2020 • 41min
You’re full of bones. How do they work?
We talk to orthopedic surgeon Roy A. Meals about his new book Bones: Inside and Out.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Nov 19, 2020 • 45min
Thinking isn’t your brain’s most important job
We talk to neuroscientist Lisa Feldman Barrett about why the idea that you have a lizard brain and a rational brain is completely wrong, how you can fight against implicit biases by swamping your brain with new data, why your brain’s most important job isn’t actually to think or be rational, and about one time Carl Sagan was very wrong about how brains work. Her most recent books are How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain and Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Nov 11, 2020 • 22min
Up To Date | Moon water implications and new research on why you understand words
This week we explore the implications of there being much more water on the moon than we previously thought; a new study that looked at the possibility that our brains have an underlying propensity to understand words; and a quick look at a paper about Tennessee bicycle crashes.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
Nov 3, 2020 • 33min
Feed Drop: Cadence S3E1: The Music of Politics
A special drop of the first episode of the new season of Indre’s other podcast, Cadence—which is about what music can tell us about our minds. This new season explores how music influences us, and the first episode is all about politics. Indre talks to musicians, academics, and politicians to find out what role music plays in the political machine—how it’s used to sway minds and gather votes. If you’re interested in hearing more, check out the earlier seasons of Cadence wherever you get your podcasts.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds
