Big Brains cover art

Big Brains

Big Brains

By: University of Chicago Podcast Network
Listen for free

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
  • What Our Trash Problem Says About Our Culture, with Sarah Newman

    What Our Trash Problem Says About Our Culture, with Sarah Newman
    Jun 25 2026
    Every day, we throw things away, only to be forgotten forever. But society didn’t always work in the same way. In this episode, we speak with University of Chicago scholar and anthropologist Sarah Newman to discuss her book, Unmaking Waste: New Histories of Old Things. An archaeologist by training, Newman discusses the history of trash across time—from the ancient Mayan civilization through today’s disposable culture. She argues that other societies valued objects much more deeply, reusing and recycling items in innovative ways. But will we ever return to this kind of zero-waste mentality? Newman argues that true sustainability requires a radical, systemic overhaul of how products are designed, valued and dismantled. She challenges us to look beyond the recycling bin and imagine a world where waste isn't just managed, but systematically unmade if we are to genuinely rethink our relationship with garbage and reshape our future. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • How Websites Trick You Using ‘Dark Patterns’ with Marshini Chetty

    How Websites Trick You Using ‘Dark Patterns’ with Marshini Chetty
    Jun 11 2026

    Why does it seem so difficult to cancel an online subscription, delete an account, or opt out of data tracking? You might think it’s just bad luck or a confusing online interface, but more often than not, it’s by design.

    In this episode of Big Brains, we speak with Marshini Chetty, Professor in the University of Chicago’s Department of Computer Science. As a leading expert in human-computer interaction, Chetty reveals the science behind "dark patterns” online—the subtle, manipulative design choices woven into the apps and websites we use every day. We explore how these deceptive interfaces weaponize human psychology to keep us clicking, spending and sharing our data.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    37 mins
  • Quantum Technology, Explained: A Big Brains Live Event

    Quantum Technology, Explained: A Big Brains Live Event
    May 28 2026

    Quantum technology is at a pivotal moment. No longer the faraway dream of scientists, the field is rapidly developing across the world, fueled by major investments from governments, industry, and universities racing to lead its promising future. But what exactly is quantum technology? And how will it affect our lives today—and in the coming decades?

    A recent event at the University of Chicago, hosted by Big Brains in partnership with 1440, sought to demystify quantum, separate the hype from reality and explore how it could transform our daily lives. Three renowned scientists—Prof. David Awschalom, Fred Chong and Nadya Mason—discussed how UChicago was leading innovative research, in partnership with its affiliated labs Argonne and Fermilab, as well as other universities across the Midwest. They explained how quantum has the potential to revolutionize our world—from creating unhackable communications to supercharging quantum computers to detecting disease at the cellular level. They discussed the challenges as well as the opportunities, especially for the next generation of quantum engineers and scientists needed to make these dreams a reality.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
No reviews yet