The Breakthrough Quantum Sensor That Sees Inside Your Cells, with Peter Maurer

More from Big Brains All episodes →

1. 

   E190 · 19 Mar 2026 · 40 min

   Are Judges Too Powerful? The Rise of Universal Injunctions, with Samuel Bray

   In recent years, a judge in one state had gained the power to halt policies across the entire United States. Known as nationwide or universal injunctions, these actions have become one of the sweeping tools in the federal court—affecting cases ranging from student loan forgiveness to environmental policies to birthright citizenship. How did universal injunctions become such a central feature of modern constitutional battles? And should one judge really be able to block a policy for the entire country? In this episode, UChicago legal scholar Samuel Bray explains the history and legal debate…

2. 

   E189 · 6 Mar 2026 · 37 min

   Could Data Centers Break Our Power Grid? with Andrew Chien

   Artificial intelligence may live in “the cloud,” but its footprint is firmly on the ground. As AI systems grow more powerful, the data centers that train and run them are consuming massive amounts of land, water and electricity—as well as reshaping regional power grids. What does this surge in demand mean for the environment, energy infrastructure, and the future of innovation? In this episode, we speak with UChicago computer scientist Andrew Chien, an expert in large-scale computing and cloud computing, about why these data centers require so much power, why they’re stirring such…

3. 

   E188 · 19 Feb 2026 · 26 min

   Remarkable New Treatments for Spinal Cord Injuries, with Mohamad Bydon

   When a two-year-old boy suffered a catastrophic injury that severed the connection between his skull and spine, doctors across Europe told his family there was no hope. His spinal cord was completely severed, and the injury was not considered survivable. But University of Chicago neurosurgeon Mohamad Bydon saw a possibility. In this episode of Big Brains, Dr. Bydon walks us through the extraordinary, multi-stage surgery at UChicago that not only saved the boy’s life but helped him regain the ability to breathe, talk and move his fingers and toes. He examines the future of surgery for spinal…

4. 

   E187 · 5 Feb 2026 · 36 min

   Can You Improve Your Working Memory and Attention? with Edward Awh

   In today’s world, our brains are overloaded with information, making it hard to focus and remember. But what are the true limits of the human mind—and why do they exist? And why are some people seem so much better than remembering things than others? In this episode, we talk with with Edward Awh, a cognitive neuroscientist and professor of psychology at the University of Chicago. Whose lab studies how the brain controls focus, memory and attention. His research explores the connection between attention and working memory, why our conscious awareness is far more limited than it feels, and…

5. 

   E186 · 22 Jan 2026 · 32 min

   Why Knowing Your True Self Is So Difficult, with Eric Oliver

   The process of understanding who we are is a lifelong journey for many of us. For two decades, that question has been one that University of Chicago scholar Eric Oliver has asked his students in class—and inspired him to write a new book called "How to Know Your Self: The Art & Science of Discovering Who You Really Are." A renowned political scientist, Oliver draws upon science, philosophy, psychology and his personal experiences to better examine the mysteries of the human experience—and explore what it truly means to be “you.”

6. 

   E184 · 29 Dec 2025 · 32 min

   How to Manifest Your Destiny with the Late James Doty

   We've all heard the phrase "Manifest Your Destiny" when it comes to wanting a new promotion, figuring out a new career path or just trying to achieve that long-term goal. It turns out that the act of manifestation is not merely pseudoscience—it actually has a body of research in neuroscience to back it up. James Doty was a clinical professor of neurosurgery at Stanford University, and founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. He wrote several books, including "Mind Magic: The Neuroscience of Manifestation and How It Changes Everything".

7. 

   E183 · 11 Dec 2025 · 36 min

   What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift

   The internet and social media have transformed the way in which we hear and understand music today—and online communities and platforms from YouTube to TikTok have changed how music circulates and ultimately goes viral. Why do some pop stars have more success creating hit songs and building online following than others? In this episode, we speak with Paula Clare Harper, a musicologist and assistant professor at the University of Chicago. Harper co-edited the book Taylor Swift: The Star, The Songs, The Fans, which explores the online musical cultures that produced and propelled the image of…

8. 

   E182 · 24 Nov 2025 · 38 min

   How Wearable Tech Will Heighten Our Senses and Abilities, with Pedro Lopes

   Can you imagine a world in which a wearable device, like a smartwatch, could move your fingers to strum the guitar or play the drums? That kind of technology is part of the innovative research coming out of the Human-Computer Integration Lab at the University of Chicago, led by renowned computer scientist Pedro Lopes. His lab is developing a new generation of gadgets that use haptics (or tactile sensations like the buzz of your smartphone) to move your body, replicate your sense of smell and even make you feel things. In this episode, Lopes explores the potential of wearable devices to…

9. 

   E181 · 13 Nov 2025 · 32 min

   Why Are More Women Saying No To Having Kids? With Peggy O'Donnell Heffington

   More and more women in the United States are saying no to motherhood. In 2023, the U.S. fertility rate reached the lowest number on record. But the idea of non-motherhood is actually not a new phenomenon, nor did it come out of the modern feminist movement. For centuries, women have made choices about limiting births and whether or not to become mothers at all. This history is documented in a new book, "Without Children: The Long History of Not Being a Mother," by University of Chicago Assistant Instructional Professor Peggy O'Donnell Heffington. Heffington writes about the historic trends…

10. 

    E180 · 30 Oct 2025 · 35 min

    How Full-Body MRIs Could Predict Your Long-Term Health, with Daniel Sodickson

    What does it mean to see beneath the surface — of the human body, the brain, or even the universe itself? In his new book, The Future of Seeing: How Imaging Is Changing Our World, Prof. Daniel Sodickson of NYU explores the future of imaging: How technology is transforming not just medicine, but our very ways of perceiving the world. With the rise of AI-driven “digital vision,” Sodickson, a pioneer of MRI innovation, argues that imaging is no longer just a diagnostic tool — it’s becoming a new language of discovery. In this conversation, Sodickson explores the promises and pitfalls of this…