Your Brain Needs Friends

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1. 

   S6 · E16 · 30 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 9 min

   Full Interview: The Future of AI and Us

   Daniela Rus brings robots and AI together, and as a computer scientist and roboticist at MIT, she's here to set the record straight. She's not just studying AI from the outside. She's building it, and finding ways to make everyday life better. Daniela joins Hakeem to pull back the curtain on what AI actually is, how it really works, and where it is genuinely headed. What happens when AI leaves the cloud and moves into your phone, your car, and even your body? And what does a tiny worm with 302 neurons have to do with the future of machine intelligence? From the history of AI to so-called…

2. 

   S6 · E15 · 28 Jul 2026 · 19 min

   AI Origins

   Daniela Rus is cutting through the AI hype and headlines to give us a real understanding of its future. As Director of MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, she has a front-row seat to what AI actually is, how it actually works, and what it can and cannot do. Daniela joins Hakeem to map out the full landscape of a field that is far richer than chatbots and large language models. What are the different types of AI we have today, and how does each one work? Why did methods invented 40 years ago suddenly start working? And how does Daniela envision the impact of AI on…

3. 

   S6 · E14 · 23 Jul 2026 · 23 min

   AI Robots

   Daniela Rus has built a robot you can swallow, and that is one of the less surprising things her lab is working on. At MIT's CSAIL, she is leading research at the frontier where artificial intelligence meets the physical world, and the results are unlike anything people have imagined. Daniela joins Hakeem to explore what it will really take for machines to move, reason, and interact the way humans do. Why are today's humanoid robots mechanically impressive but intellectually limited? What is the difference between physical AI and embodied intelligence, and why does it matter? From origami…

4. 

   S6 · E13 · 21 Jul 2026 · 32 min

   When AI Escapes the Data Center

   Daniela Rus wants to put AI in your pocket, your car, and your dishwasher. In fact, she has already started. As one of the world's leading AI and robotics researchers, she is building a future where artificial intelligence doesn't live in a distant data center but runs quietly and efficiently on the devices around you. The key is liquid networks, AI models inspired by a tiny worm that gets by on just 302 neurons and that are up to 1,000 times more energy efficient than traditional approaches. Daniela joins Hakeem to explore what that shift actually means: for self-driving vehicles, for…

5. 

   S6 · E12 · 16 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 15 min

   Full Interview: Anxiety Hacking

   Wendy Suzuki hopes you have anxiety—good anxiety. She thinks that feeling you try to avoid could actually be your edge! Wendy joins Hakeem to explore how anxiety can be harnessed, rather than eliminated, and how it connects to two other powerful forces shaping your brain: exercise and human connection. What’s happening in that surge of stress—or in the “neurochemical bubble bath” after a hard run? Can you really train your brain to use it differently? And what do oxytocin, prairie voles, and decades of research reveal about why social bonds may be the most powerful force shaping our health,…

6. 

   S6 · E10 · 9 Jul 2026 · 21 min

   Neuroscience of Exercise

   Wendy Suzuki says just 10 minutes of movement can change your brain.But how? What’s actually happening in your head during a walk—or a workout—and why does it matter so much? Wendy joins Hakeem to unpack the science of exercise and the brain, from chemical surges to lasting rewiring. Plus: how do meditation, cold showers, and your environment really change your brain? Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTube channel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Wendy Suzuki is a neuroscientist and the Dean of the College of Arts and Science at New York University, where her research focuses on…

7. 

   S6 · E9 · 7 Jul 2026 · 21 min

   Good Anxiety

   Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki thinks your anxiety could be a superpower. What if you stopped trying to shut it down—and started using it? Wendy joins Hakeem to reframe anxiety as fuel, not flaw, and shows how to turn that rush of stress into focus and action. Plus, Wendy gives some hot takes on anxiety hacks like fidget spinners and weighted blankets. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTube channel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Wendy Suzuki is a neuroscientist and the Dean of the College of Arts and Science at New York University, where her research focuses on the effects of…

8. 

   S6 · E8 · 2 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 25 min

   Full Interview: T. rex to Birds

   Steve Brusatte has the dirt on dinosaurs and joins Hakeem to trace the full 100-million-year history of the tyrannosaur dynasty, the asteroid that ended it, and the remarkable truth that dinosaurs never actually disappeared. One small lineage survived to become every bird alive today, and Steve walks through the long and contested scientific history of how we came to understand that connection. He also shares what it was like to serve as the official paleontology consultant on the Jurassic World films, and how to find the balance between science and cinema. Make sure to subscribe now so you…

9. 

   S6 · E7 · 30 Jun 2026 · 27 min

   Real World vs “Jurassic World"

   Steve Brusatte, a real paleontologist, contributed to the Jurassic World franchise, but what really happens when science meets cinema? In this episode, Steve joins Hakeem to discuss what that paleontology consultant role actually looks like, how he navigates the tension between scientific accuracy and Hollywood storytelling, and what the films have gotten increasingly right about dinosaurs over the years. They also dig into which documentaries offer the most accurate modern picture of dinosaurs, how AI is beginning to reshape paleontology, and what Steve would love to see in a future…

10. 

    S6 · E6 · 25 Jun 2026 · 31 min

    How Birds Survived the Asteroid

    Steve Brusatte knows every bird today is a living dinosaur, and as a paleontologist, he can tell you how that happened. Steve joins Hakeem to walk through the catastrophic asteroid impact 66 million years ago that ended the age of T. rex, and to explain why one small, beaked, seed-eating lineage was the only branch of the dinosaur family tree to survive. He traces the long and contested scientific history of the bird-dinosaur connection and the discovery by Chinese farmers in the 1990s that finally settled the debate. The age of dinosaurs did not end with the asteroid. It transformed. Make…