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Great Question

35 episodes

Big Thinkers join us to ruminate on a great question that they may — or may not — have pondered before.

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All Episodes (35)

Various capsules arranged diagonally on a blue surface, alternating between light and dark colors.

The truth about supplements, from a doctor

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5 min

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A baby with blonde hair and blue eyes looks upward with a curious expression against a blue background.

The “unethical” myth about having children

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5 min

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A bear attempting to catch a jumping fish near a waterfall.

Nature’s “perfect balance” is a mystery scientists are trying to decode

A man in a suit looks upward with a surprised expression. There is a fiery effect in the foreground. Buildings and people are visible in the background.

How your brain works in an emergency, in 9 minutes

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9 min

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A bulletin board with newspaper clippings, maps, and strings. The text "THE HIDDEN TRUTH?" is prominently displayed in the center.

Our information pipelines have shifted. They’re fueling conspiracy theories

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8 min

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People say altruism is selfish. They’re not wrong

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6 min

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How to evaluate social norms as an independent thinker

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5 min

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Series of six images displaying the diffraction patterns of light as it passes through various shaped apertures.

A 7-minute guide to the relationship between quantum mechanics and black holes

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7 min

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A man sitting on a bench in the dark.

How loneliness is killing us, according to a Harvard professor

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6 min

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with

Robert Waldinger

A man in a suit with white hair and a red tie.

The four types of planetary civilizations, explained by Michio Kaku

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6 min

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A group of sheep in a barn with a green arrow in front of them.

The unexpected impact of AI on animals

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5 min

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A man in a suit is pointing his finger at a yellow background, referencing string theory.

Einstein failed to solve the Universe. Here’s what it would take to succeed. | Michio Kaku

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6 min

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The cover of a dying profession.

More accountants are leaving the field than joining. What’s going on?

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4 min

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with

Kelly Richmond Pope

A man doing push ups in a gym.

How to grow your brain by moving your body

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4 min

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An image of two people kissing on a blue background.

Neurodivergence is absent in sex education. That’s a problem.

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6 min

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a close up of a person wearing a suit and tie.

Hitler, Churchill, and the real trolley problem

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6 min

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a birthday cake with the number 100 on it.

How to eat if you want to age slowly

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5 min

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Game theory can explain humanity’s biggest problem

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4 min

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Is marriage dying?

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6 min

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The mind-blowing virality of music

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5 min

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Michael Spitzer

Ask a physicist: Do humans have souls?

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5 min

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Sabine Hossenfelder

The physics of entropy and the origin of life

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6 min

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Should you bring a kid into this world?

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4 min

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What psychedelics can’t explain

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4 min

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Matthew W. Johnson

Debate world champion explains how to argue

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5 min

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1 in 3 people cheat. Here’s what to do if you’re the 1.

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5 min

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Michael Slepian

Columbia professor: “Drug use is your birthright”

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4 min

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Can we build a Metaverse that’s GOOD?

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4 min

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Celebrity CEOs are amazing. Until they backfire.

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dao leadership

DAOs: The end of bosses?

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2 min

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Related

Person in a red sweater sitting on a stool in a bright studio with white walls and colorful striped rugs.

Anne-Laure Le Cunff: The 3 cognitive scripts that rule over your life | Full Interview

“We try to stick to routines and we try to go through very long lists of tasks, often ignoring our mental health in the process. There is a lot more to think about on a daily basis, but our brains haven’t evolved.”

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50 min

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Anne-Laure Le Cunff

A person sitting on a chair in a studio setting with a white backdrop and two small tables on either side, each holding a small plant.

The Hard Problem of Consciousness | Annaka Harris

“Everything that we care about, everything we experience, everything we know, we know it through our conscious awareness of it.”

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11 min

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A woman with a bowl haircut and red lipstick sits on a sofa wearing a dark, floral dress. A textured yellow pillow and patterned wall are visible in the background.

Atsuko Okatsuka: Comedy, Chaos, and Finding a Place to Belong

She was searching for perfection – until she discovered what she truly needed by letting go of what didn’t fit.

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8 min

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Atsuko Okatsuka

A person sits on a chair in a library setting, with bookshelves on either side and a white backdrop behind them.

Hannah Ritchie: We can tackle our biggest environmental problems | Full Interview

“It’s not that I don’t think these problems are big or that they’re urgent, but I can start to see that these problems are solvable.”

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01:17:21 min

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A person with long curly hair and a headband gestures with one hand, wearing a black shirt that says "everyday" and a smartwatch on the other wrist, against a plain background.

Former CIA agent: The truth about manipulation

“The truth is that the skills that go into both motivation and manipulation are almost the same skills. The same level of persuasion, the same level of influence, the same level of charisma and dynamic creative thinking drives us to both be manipulated and be motivated.”

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13 min

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Andrew Bustamante