Particles of Thought

Earthquakes can be more powerful than atomic bombs. Luckily, Harvard geophysicist John Shaw has ideas on how to beat them. What really causes earthquakes? How can cities and buildings be engineered to survive them? John and Hakeem trace the science of shaking ground from ancient myth to cutting-edge machine learning, and reveal just how much is still left to discover deep beneath the surface. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: John Shaw is the Harry C. Dudley Professor of Structural and Economic Geology at Harvard University, where he also serves as Vice Provost for Research. A structural geologist and applied geophysicist, he studies the faults deep beneath our feet, with research spanning earthquake hazards, energy systems, and carbon storage.

We can cause earthquakes.  Geophysicist John Shaw joins Hakeem to reveal how humans have been triggering earthquakes for decades, and in some cases, it’s on purpose. John explains how an experiment 50 years ago turned earthquakes on and off and clarifies all the confusion around the process of fracking. It's a surprising look at how understanding human-triggered quakes might be the key to predicting natural ones. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: John Shaw is the Harry C. Dudley Professor of Structural and Economic Geology at Harvard University, where he also serves as Vice Provost for Research. A structural geologist and applied geophysicist, he studies the faults deep beneath our feet, with research spanning earthquake hazards, energy systems, and carbon storage.

We can’t predict earthquakes, but we can beat them. Geophysicist breaks down what actually keeps people alive when the ground starts shaking. From flexible buildings to early warning systems, John walks Hakeem through what separates cities that survive major earthquakes from cities devastated by them, and why the difference often comes down to policy not physics. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: John Shaw is the Harry C. Dudley Professor of Structural and Economic Geology at Harvard University, where he also serves as Vice Provost for Research. A structural geologist and applied geophysicist, he studies the faults deep beneath our feet, with research spanning earthquake hazards, energy systems, and carbon storage.

Big earthquakes can change the Earth’s rotation. And Harvard geophysicist John Shaw says these giant events can teach us a lot. He traces our understanding from ancient myths to modern studies and unpacks what;s really going on beneath the surface. John reveals why a magnitude 7 earthquake releases 30 times the energy of a WWII-era atomic bomb, how the largest quakes make the Earth ring like a bell for days, and why the deadliest earthquake in history wasn't even the biggest one. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: John Shaw is the Harry C. Dudley Professor of Structural and Economic Geology at Harvard University, where he also serves as Vice Provost for Research. A structural geologist and applied geophysicist, he studies the faults deep beneath our feet, with research spanning earthquake hazards, energy systems, and carbon storage.

There is a near-limitless energy source to power our world, and it may be almost here.  Dennis Whyte shares with Hakeem that we're closer than ever to bottling the power of the sun. He would know. He’s now the CEO of the United Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Authority and a nuclear scientist at MIT. What happens when we finally unlock nuclear fusion, the same energy source that powers the sun? What even is fusion? How does it work, and why are scientists now so close to building commercially viable fusion systems that could put power on the grid?  From fusion fundamentals, to the future of energy, to interstellar space travel, Dennis and Hakeem deliver a big conversation on an innovation that could change everything.  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Dennis Whyte is the Hitachi America Professor of Engineering at MIT and former director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. He co-founded Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the MIT spinout building a compact fusion reactor using record-breaking superconducting magnets, and is now the CEO of the United Kingdom's Atomic Energy Authority.

Dennis Whyte has designed a fusion reactor for Mars, and it turns out the red planet has plenty of fusion fuel. The MIT nuclear scientist joins Hakeem to explore fusion's wildest applications: spacecraft propulsion, space stations, and even a shield that stops radiation. While they’re at it, Dennis and Hakeem discuss the roadblocks and risks still left to solve in nuclear fusion. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Dennis Whyte is the Hitachi America Professor of Engineering at MIT and former director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. He co-founded Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the MIT spinout building a compact fusion reactor using record-breaking superconducting magnets, and is now the CEO of the United Kingdom's Atomic Energy Authority.

Dennis Whyte helped spark a multi-billion-dollar industry from a spool of tape. The nuclear scientist and entrepreneur explains the nitty gritty of nuclear fusion through the multitude of businesses that are chasing nuclear fusion. Dennis walks Hakeem through the origin story of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the company he co-founded from a class assignment, and reveals how a new superconducting material discovered in the 1980s finally made compact fusion possible. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Dennis Whyte is the Hitachi America Professor of Engineering at MIT and former director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. He co-founded Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the MIT spinout building a compact fusion reactor using record-breaking superconducting magnets, and is now the CEO of the United Kingdom's Atomic Energy Authority.

Dennis Whyte studies the physics that powers every star in the universe, and he says it can power your house, too. Now the CEO of the UK’s Atomic Energy Authority and nuclear scientist at MIT, Dennis joins Hakeem to break down what fusion actually is, why it packs 10 million times the energy density of gasoline, and who is making the biggest investment in this massive energy field. Dennis unpacks the surprisingly direct link between a society's energy use and its economic prosperity, and reveals why fusion might change everything. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Dennis Whyte is the Hitachi America Professor of Engineering at MIT and former director of the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. He co-founded Commonwealth Fusion Systems, the MIT spinout building a compact fusion reactor using record-breaking superconducting magnets, and is now the CEO of the United Kingdom's Atomic Energy Authority.

Federico Rossano convinces Hakeem that animals have a lot more to say than we've given them credit for. The cognitive scientist shares the origin story behind his record-breaking study of talking dogs, the evidence that some pets may understand more than a human toddler, and what primates reveal about the roots of communication itself. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. Federico Rossano is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego and director of the Comparative Cognition Lab, where he studies communication and social cognition across humans, primates, dogs, and cats. He leads the world's largest study of button-trained pets, and his research is featured in the NOVA documentary Can Dogs Talk?

Federico Rossano says the secret to speaking with apes is trust. For primates, the world is full of high-stakes friends and foes, and of course, there are always predators to worry about. Our closest relatives see the world a little differently than we do, and that can teach us a lot about our own communication. Federico is a cognitive scientist who questions the assumptions beneath human conversations, and in this episode, he shares lessons from the animal kingdom with Hakeem. From apes besting children in “the peanut puzzle” to baboons that seemingly sense how to travel together, there’s lots to learn. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Federico Rossano is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego and director of the Comparative Cognition Lab, where he studies communication and social cognition across humans, primates, dogs, and cats. He leads the world's largest study of button-trained pets, and his research is featured in the NOVA documentary Can Dogs Talk?

Federico Rossano caught dogs doing something that looks a lot like telling jokes. The cognitive scientist shares what he learned from speaking with dogs. Dogs can smell, hear, and in some ways see better than humans. So why wouldn’t they have something interesting to say if they could speak? Federico has found a dog's mind may be closer to a human toddler's than anyone previously believed and believes we are close to learning important lessons from our canine companions. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Federico Rossano is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego and director of the Comparative Cognition Lab, where he studies communication and social cognition across humans, primates, dogs, and cats. He leads the world's largest study of button-trained pets, and his research is featured in the NOVA documentary Can Dogs Talk?

Federico Rossano didn't care about talking dogs until science made it impossible to ignore. The cognitive scientist joins Hakeem to reveal how a viral social media trend turned into the largest citizen-science study of animal communication ever conducted, tracking over 10,000 dogs and 700 cats across 47 countries. But how can you trust a study done by volunteers from around the world? Federico shares how he secured quantity and quality data and the messages dogs want to share. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Federico Rossano is an Associate Professor of Cognitive Science at UC San Diego and director of the Comparative Cognition Lab, where he studies communication and social cognition across humans, primates, dogs, and cats. He leads the world's largest study of button-trained pets, and his research is featured in the NOVA documentary Can Dogs Talk?

Brent Minchew could have a plan to stop Thwaites Glacier, AKA the “Doomsday Glacier”, cold in its tracks. That’s good news because if this one glacier slips into the sea, it could flood coasts across the planet. The Caltech glaciologist covers what makes the “Doomsday Glacier” the single biggest wild card in sea level rise, the simple idea that could freeze it back to its bed, and his own improbable journey from 9/11 first responder to two of the world's top science institutions. It's a conversation about glaciers, courage, and what it takes to change the story. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Brent Minchew is a glaciologist and geophysicist at Caltech, where he leads research on the dynamics of ice sheets and sea level rise, and Chief Scientist at Arête Glacier Initiative. A former U.S. Marine, he now co-leads efforts to test real-world interventions that could stabilize the world's most vulnerable glaciers.

Brent Minchew responded to the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001. Before he was a glaciologist at Caltech, he was a marine aboard the Marine One presidential helicopter and was one of the first on sight after the deadly attack. Brent joins Hakeem to trace his unlikely path from a working-class upbringing in Texas to a career studying the world's most extreme ice sheets. And he traces how his experience in the military informs his scientific mission planning and decision making.  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Brent Minchew is a glaciologist and geophysicist at Caltech, where he leads research on the dynamics of ice sheets and sea -level rise, and Chief Scientist at Arête Glacier Initiative. A former U.S. Marine, he now co-leads efforts to test real-world interventions that could stabilize the world's most vulnerable glaciers.

Brent Minchew has a plan that could  stop the “Doomsday Glacier” in its tracks, and we don’t even need new technology to do it. The Caltech glaciologist returns to unveil an intervention that could save coasts around the world: refreezing Thwaites Glacier to its own bedrock using passive principles of physics. Brent walks Hakeem through the natural process that slows glaciers down, and lays out a plan to investigate if they can truly deploy it on the world's most precarious glacier. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Brent Minchew is a glaciologist and geophysicist at Caltech, where he leads research on the dynamics of ice sheets and sea -level rise, and Chief Scientist at Arête Glacier Initiative. A former U.S. Marine, he now co-leads efforts to test real-world interventions that could stabilize the world's most vulnerable glaciers.

Brent Minchew is an expert on the glacier that could devastate the world’s coastlines. As a glaciologist at Caltech, he's spent his career tracking Thwaites Glacier, AKA the "Doomsday Glacier." It’s roughly the size of Florida and already losing 50 billion tons of ice a year. Brent joins Hakeem to break down what scientists know – and don’t know – about the glacier that could determine our future. How certain is that “doom,” and how fast could it happen? They nerd out about what happens as glaciers slip into the sea, how satellites can measure glacier movement down to the millimeter from orbit, and how Thwaites might be the single most important glacier on the planet. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Brent Minchew is a glaciologist and geophysicist at Caltech, where he leads research on the dynamics of ice sheets and sea -level rise, and Chief Scientist at Arête Glacier Initiative. A former U.S. Marine, he now co-leads efforts to test real-world interventions that could stabilize the world's most vulnerable glaciers.

Jordan Ellenberg tells Hakeem that math isn't just about numbers. It's about everything. The mathematician and bestselling author shares how AI models are trained through trial and error, why geometry secretly governs everything from family trees to statistical correlation, and why uncertainty, not certainty, is the true language of the universe. From new dimensions to hurricanes we can't quite predict, Jordan and Hakeem trace math's fingerprints across physics, language, and daily life in a preview of his upcoming book, Don't Be Too Sure. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. Jordan Ellenberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in number theory and arithmetic algebraic geometry. He is the New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Be Wrong and Shape, and his forthcoming book, Don't Be Too Sure, arrives in 2027

Jordan Ellenberg finds mathematical certainty overrated. Calming our fear of the unknown, the mathematician joins Hakeem to explore why math, contrary to popular belief, is less about proof and more about probability. He traces uncertainty's surprisingly recent arrival in mathematical history and its deep ties to quantum physics. Jordan also unpacks the difference between what's unknown and what's fundamentally unknowable, why hurricanes and earthquakes are "certain u Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Jordan Ellenberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in number theory and arithmetic algebraic geometry. He is the New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Be Wrong and Shape, and his forthcoming book, Don't Be Too Sure, arrives in 2027.

Jordan Ellenberg says geometry isn’t about shapes. It’s about distance. In a tour of geometry far stranger than anything from high school, the mathematician breaks down how our ancient understanding of triangles evolved into the invisible architecture behind AI, family trees, and human relationships. Minds expand as we ask why the "closeness" between two ideas is a literal angle in a vast multi-dimensional space, and what can a 19th-century novella about a talking square teach us about worlds we'll never see?  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Jordan Ellenberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in number theory and arithmetic algebraic geometry. He is the New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Be Wrong and Shape, and his forthcoming book, Don't Be Too Sure, arrives in 2027.

Jordan Ellenberg has good news: artificial intelligence is just math you can actually understand. The mathematician joins Hakeem to pull back the curtain on how large language models really work, revealing that the "miracle" of AI is closer to trial and error scaled up billions of times than anything resembling thought. Jordan breaks down why the process works so well, how every word becomes a point in a space with hundreds of dimensions, and why your chatbot's "personality" is engineered, not accidental. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Jordan Ellenberg is a professor of mathematics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, specializing in number theory and arithmetic algebraic geometry. He is the New York Times bestselling author of How Not to Be Wrong and Shape, and his forthcoming book, Don't Be Too Sure, arrives in 2027.

Ella Al-Shamahi explores what it means to be human. She reveals the surprising truth that our ancestors shared the planet with at least seven other human species as recently as 50,000 years ago. Ella and Hakeem dig into Neanderthal culture and the mysterious Denisovans who were identified from a single finger bone. Then Ella shares something more personal: her own journey from creationist to one of the leading voices in paleoanthropology. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Ella Al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist, explorer, and presenter based in London. She specializes in human evolution and has conducted fieldwork in some of the world's most dangerous and remote regions in search of fossil evidence of our earliest ancestors. She is a TED speaker and has appeared in numerous science documentaries, including hosting NOVA and BBC’s five-part series HUMAN, available on the PBS App and NOVA’s website.

Ella Al-Shamahi set out to disprove the theory of evolution. Now she’s one of its greatest advocates. In this deeply personal conversation, Ella tells Hakeem her story. She started university as an avid creationist missionary with the intention of disproving evolution, and then her world started to fall apart.  This candid conversation covers what the journey from creationist to paleoanthropologist actually looked like, and the evidence that shifted her thinking. It is a path with personal costs and the impact of changing worldviews. It's a thoughtful reflection on science, identity, community and why empathy matters more than argument when deeply held beliefs meet new evidence.  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Ella Al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist, explorer, and presenter based in London. She specializes in human evolution and has conducted fieldwork in some of the world's most dangerous and remote regions in search of fossil evidence of our earliest ancestors. She is a TED speaker and has appeared in numerous science documentaries, including hosting NOVA and BBC’s five-part series HUMAN, available on the PBS App and NOVA’s website.

Ella Al-Shamahi thinks Neanderthals have a reputation problem, and the science backs her up. For decades, the word "Neanderthal" has been shorthand for something primitive and brutish. But the archaeological record tells a more nuanced story. Ella joins Hakeem to explore what we actually know about our closest ancient relatives: how they looked, how they lived, what their culture reveals about their inner lives, and if we would even recognize one walking around today. They also dig into the remarkable story of the Denisovans, a species shrouded in mystery and identified first not from a skull or skeleton, but from a single finger bone.  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Ella Al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist, explorer, and presenter based in London. She specializes in human evolution and has conducted fieldwork in some of the world's most dangerous and remote regions in search of fossil evidence of our earliest ancestors. She is a TED speaker and has appeared in numerous science documentaries, including hosting NOVA and BBC’s five-part series HUMAN, available on the PBS App and NOVA’s website.

Ella Al-Shamahi says the iconic picture of human evolution is all wrong. She joins Hakeem to take apart the conventional image of the straight-line march of evolution from ape to modern human. The fossil and DNA record tells a far more complex story. As recently as 50,000 years ago, our ancestors shared the planet with at least seven other human species. From the small-statured Hobbits of Indonesia to the mysterious Denisovans of East Asia, the world was very different, and new research suggests that roughly 20% of our genome may trace back to an unknown “ghost lineage” of human species. Human evolution wasn't a straight line, it was a sprawling, interconnected web.  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Ella Al-Shamahi is a paleoanthropologist, explorer, and presenter based in London. She specializes in human evolution and has conducted fieldwork in some of the world's most dangerous and remote regions in search of fossil evidence of our earliest ancestors. She is a TED speaker and has appeared in numerous science documentaries, including hosting NOVA and BBC’s five-part series HUMAN, available on the PBS App and NOVA’s website.

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 “liquid networks,” self-driving cars, humanoid robots, and an origami surgeon you can swallow, this conversation covers the full scope of what MIT's most ambitious minds are building right now. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. Daniela Rus is a computer scientist and roboticist at MIT, where she serves as Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Her research focuses on the science and engineering of autonomy, including the development of new AI models, and physically intelligent systems. She is the co-founder of Liquid AI, a startup bringing energy-efficient on-device AI models to real-world applications.

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 the job landscape of the future? Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Daniela Rus is a computer scientist and roboticist at MIT, where she serves as Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Her research focuses on the science and engineering of autonomy, including the development of new AI models,, and physically intelligent systems. She is the co-founder of Liquid AI, a startup bringing energy-efficient on-device AI models to real-world applications.

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 surgeons, to robots inspired by the octopus, this is a conversation about the machines of the future Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Daniela Rus is a computer scientist and roboticist at MIT, where she serves as Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Her research focuses on the science and engineering of autonomy, including the development of new AI models, and physically intelligent systems. She is the co-founder of Liquid AI, a startup bringing energy-efficient on-device AI models to real-world applications.

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 privacy, for security, and for the possibility that everyone could soon have offline access to powerful AI.  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Daniela Rus is a computer scientist and roboticist at MIT, where she serves as Director of the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Her research focuses on the science and engineering of autonomy, including the development of new AI models, and physically intelligent systems. She is the co-founder of Liquid AI, a startup bringing energy-efficient on-device AI models to real-world applications.

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, happiness, and longevity.  Make sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- 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 exercise on memory and brain function. She is the author of several books, including Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, and is a widely sought-after speaker on brain health, anxiety, and human performance.

Wendy Suzuki says the key to a beautiful brain is friendship, and she joins Hakeem to discuss why human connection can extend your life. By studying certain animals, like prairie voles who develop intense love bonds, we can understand what’s going on in our heads when we connect with others. Hard data and personal stories show, the power of friendship is a shockingly important part of a healthy lifestyle. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- 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 exercise on memory and brain function. She is the author of several books, including Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, and is a widely sought-after speaker on brain health, anxiety, and human performance.

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 YouTubechannel. -------------------------- 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 exercise onand memory andon brain function. She is the author of several books, including Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, and is a widely sought-after speaker on brain health, anxiety, and human performance.

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 YouTubechannel. -------------------------- 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 exercise onand memory andon brain function. She is the author of several books, including Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion, and is a widely sought-after speaker on brain health, anxiety, and human performance.

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 never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, where he leads a research group studying dinosaur evolution and the history of life on Earth. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Story of Birds, and has served as a paleontology consultant on the Jurassic World film franchise. He will be featured in NOVA's upcoming five-part documentary series Evolution, coming fall 2026.

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 Jurassic film. Make sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode.  Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, where he leads a research group studying dinosaur evolution and the history of life on Earth. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Story of Birds, and has served as a paleontology consultant on the Jurassic World film franchise. He will be featured in NOVA's upcoming five-part documentary series Evolution, coming fall 2026.

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 sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, where he leads a research group studying dinosaur evolution and the history of life on Earth. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Story of Birds, and has served as a paleontology consultant on the Jurassic World film franchise. He will be featured in NOVA's upcoming five-part documentary series Evolution, coming fall 2026.

Steve Brusatte says T. rex wasn’t always the king, and as a paleontologist, he has spent his career uncovering how it got to the top of the food chain. Steve joins Hakeem to trace the full 100-million-year history of the tyrannosaur family, from its surprisingly small and nimble origins to the bone-crushing apex predator that ruled the end of the Cretaceous. They discuss how T. rex was not just a creature of brawn but also of remarkable intelligence, with keen senses of smell and hearing that made it the ultimate predator of its time. Along the way, they explore the diversity of tyrannosaur cousins including the long-snouted “Pinocchio rex” discovered on a Chinese construction site, and how shifting climates, mass extinctions, and continental drift shaped the dynasty's rise over millions of years. Make sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: Steve Brusatte is a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh, where he leads a research group studying dinosaur evolution and the history of life on Earth. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs and The Story of Birds, and has served as a paleontology consultant on the Jurassic World film franchise. He will be featured in NOVA's upcoming five-part documentary series Evolution, coming fall 2026.

David Kaiser thinks the dark matter puzzle is getting closer to being solved.  Nearly a century of observations, from galaxy clusters to the cosmic microwave background, have built a compelling case for dark matter's existence, but in recent years, the leading candidates for this mysterious matter have been coming up short..  Enter black holes. Tiny ones. David explains how so-called primordial black holes that formed in the first moments after the Big Bang could possibly be all our dark matter… if they exist at all. Fortunately, this is a testable theory, and David explains the exciting new experiments that could potentially lay this cosmic mystery to rest.  Make sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: David Kaiser is a professor of physics and the history of science at MIT. His research spans the history of modern physics, cosmology, and the foundations of quantum theory. He is the author of several books, including How the Hippies Saved Physics, and is a frequent contributor to public conversations about science and its history.

David Kaiser thinks a good place to hunt for tiny black holes might be… Mars? How do you detect something microscopic, invisible, and speeding through space? Primordial black holes have long eluded astrophysicists—if they exist at all. But the hunt is heating up. David joins Hakeem to explore how scientists are combing through old data and designing new experiments that could finally catch one of these elusive objects—and possibly not only solve the century-old mystery of dark matter, but also confirm the existence of Hawking Radiation. And, yes, he explains why Mars might hold the key.  Make sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit our YouTubechannel. -------------------------- Guest Bio: David Kaiser is a professor of physics and the history of science at MIT. His research spans the history of modern physics, cosmology, and the foundations of quantum theory. He is the author of several books, including How the Hippies Saved Physics, and is a frequent contributor to public conversations about science and its history.

David Kaiser thinks tiny black holes from the dawn of time could be the solution to the dark matter puzzle. David joins Hakeem to discuss primordial black holes, tiny objects that may have formed in the first fraction of a second after the Big Bang. First proposed by Stephen Hawking more than 50 years ago, this hypothesis requires no new physics and no new particles, making it one of the most grounded ideas currently on the table… and one that may solve more than one cosmic mystery. David explains what these primordial black holes are, why many in the physics community are returning to this decades-old idea, and how it could potentially solve the dark matter mystery.  Make sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit YouTubechannel.  -------------------------- Guest Bio: David Kaiser is a professor of physics and the history of science at MIT. His research spans the history of modern physics, cosmology, and the foundations of quantum theory. He is the author of several books, including How the Hippies Saved Physics, and is a frequent contributor to public conversations about science and its history.

David Kaiser knows the universe is hiding something enormous – and no one can see it. Dark matter appears to be all over our universe, but what is it? As a physicist and science historian, David joins Hakeem to discuss one of astrophysics most impossible puzzles. Nearly a century of observations -  from the motion of galaxy clusters to the rotation of individual galaxies to the subtle patterns in the cosmic microwave background -  has built a remarkably consistent case that most of the matter in the universe is invisible to us. Kaiser and Hakeem work through how that evidence accumulated, why the leading candidate explanations have become increasingly constrained, and one tantalizing idea that is getting physicists excited.  Make sure to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about NOVA and visit YouTubechannel.  -------------------------- Guest Bio: David Kaiser is a professor of physics and the history of science at MIT. His research spans the history of modern physics, cosmology, and the foundations of quantum theory. He is the author of several books, including How the Hippies Saved Physics, and is a frequent contributor to public conversations about science and its history.

Need to know how many leaves are on that tree? Paleobotanist Dr. Kirk Johnson shares the surprisingly nerdy method—because you never know when leaf math will come in handy. For more, check out the extended interview with Kirk Johnson. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Long before trees and grass, microbes were shaping our atmosphere. Evolutionary biologist Peter Girguis explains how ancient bacteria learned to split water for energy, and why their waste product changed Earth forever. For more, check out the extended interview with Peter Girguis. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

How did animals first make the giant step from water to land? Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll explains how the discovery of Tiktaalik—a fossil with both fish and limb-like features—revealed a key moment in evolution. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Sean B. Carroll. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Black holes aren’t the cosmic monsters Hollywood makes them out to be. Astrophysicist Janna Levin explains why they’re so hard to detect, why they’re not as destructive as you might assume, and how you could safely orbit much closer than you think. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Janna Levin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Could the universe be governed by a law we haven’t discovered yet? Mineralogist Robert Hazen and astrobiologist Michael Wong propose a new rule—the law of increasing functional information—to explain why complex systems evolve and why complexity keeps emerging over time. For more, check out the extended interview with Robert Hazen and Michael Wong. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

AI isn’t just coming for office jobs—it’s coming for some hands-on blue collar professions, too. AI expert Hany Farid explains which jobs are safe, and which are at risk.  For more, check out the extended interview with Hany Farid.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Scientists claimed in 2024 that they "de-extincted" the dire wolf… so what’s next, and what determines whether a species can be brought back? Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro explains some of the factors that go into deciding what to try and bring back.  For more, check out the extended interview with Beth Shapiro.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Dinosaurs might not have been the roaring beasts many imagine. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explains why modern birds—living dinosaurs—offer clues about vocal learning and why dinosaurs could have been singers. For more, check out the extended interview with Erich Jarvis.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

If the universe is expanding, why aren’t galaxies stretching apart? Cosmologist Adam Riess breaks down the physics behind cosmic expansion, the forces that resist it, and why dark energy dominates the vast spaces between. For more, check out the extended interview with Adam Riess. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Why does thinking too hard ruin your rhythm? Neuroscientist Heather Berlin unpacks the science of flow states, explaining why mastery means trusting your brain’s hidden systems to do what they do best. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Heather Berlin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Black holes can be bigger on the inside than they are on the outside. Astrophysicist Janna Levin explains how this is possible, and what that means about how black holes work.  For more, check out the extended interviewwith Janna Levin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

What’s the difference between a fact, a law, and a theory? Mineralogist Robert Hazen and astrobiologist Michael Wong unpack the hierarchy of scientific ideas and reveal how laws of nature elegantly unify the universe. For more, check out the extended interview with Robert Hazen and Michael Wong. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Sorry, Beyoncé, it turns out microbes rule the world. Microbiologist Peter Girguis explains how to conceptualize just how many microbes are on Earth… and how understanding this helps us look for life on other worlds.  For more, check out the extended interview with Peter Girguis. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Growth rings on trees can measure time, allowing scientists to date things from the deep past. But, paleobotantist Dr. Kirk Johnson explains why, in the tropics, some trees have no rings. For more, check out the extended interview with Kirk Johnson. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Nature has been solving problems for billions of years. Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll reveals why scientists still turn to evolution’s inventions for life-saving breakthroughs, from GLP-1 drugs to statins. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Sean B. Carroll. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

In 2024, scientists claimed they achieved the unthinkable: the birth of dire wolf pups, reviving a species that vanished thousands of years ago. Now, those pups are growing—and changing. Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro reveals what it’s like to watch these predators mature into modern beasts. For more, check out the extended interview with Beth Shapiro.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Is AI coming for your job? AI Expert Hany Farid breaks down how AI is taking jobs once considered “future-proof” and shares his advice to prepare young people for the future. For more, check out the extended interview with Hany Farid.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

What does it feel like to make one of the biggest discoveries in physics? Adam Riess knows — because his work revealed that the universe isn’t just expanding, it’s accelerating. In this episode, the Nobel Prize–winning astrophysicist takes us behind the scenes of the moment that changed cosmology forever. How did his team use exploding stars as “standard candles” to measure the cosmos? Why did the data point to a mysterious force now called dark energy, making up nearly 70% of the universe? And what’s behind today’s biggest cosmic puzzle: the Hubble tension? Plus, Adam shares what new telescopes could uncover — and why the next decade might rewrite the laws of physics all over again.   Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  ————————— Guest Bio:  Adam Riess is an astrophysicist, professor at Johns Hopkins University, and a distinguished astronomer at Space Telescope Science Institute. In 2011, he was named as a co-winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his contributions to the discovery that the expansion rate of the universe is accelerating. Since then, he has continued refining measurements of cosmic expansion and the Hubble constant, aiming to find and measure the most distant type Ia supernovae known, to probe the origin of cosmic acceleration. Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:03:16) What Is a Type Ia Supernova?  (00:10:52) The Discovery of Dark Energy (00:44:39) What Is the Hubble Tension? (00:58:59) Winning a Nobel Prize (01:15:32) Credits

The universe isn’t adding up—and it’s creating a crisis in cosmology. Nobel Prize winner Adam Riess explains why measurements of the universe’s expansion rate from its earliest light and from nearby galaxies don’t match, and how this growing gap threatens the foundations of our standard model of the cosmos. For more, check out the extended interview with Adam Riess Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Discovering dark energy wasn’t just thrilling—it was terrifying. Nobel Prize Winner Adam Riess explains the nerve-wracking process behind confirming that the universe’s expansion is accelerating and why Einstein’s so-called “biggest blunder” turned out to be anything but. For more, check out the extended interview with Adam Riess Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Fame can hijack the brain like a drug—activating the same reward circuits that fuel a relentless chase for dopamine highs. Neuroscientist Heather Berlin reveals the antidote—and why even social media fame can trigger this cycle. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Heather Berlin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Fossilization isn’t luck - it’s geology. Paleobotanist Kirk Johnson explains how fossils only form in certain conditions, the tricks to finding them, and why one fossil leaf can lead to thousands more.  For more, check out the extended interview with Kirk Johnson. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Speech is rare in the animal kingdom because it requires a very specific brain architecture. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explains how duplicating neural pathways for movement unlocked language, dancing, and even advanced problem-solving in more than just humans. For more, check out the extended interview with Erich Jarvis.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

How does evolution invent entirely new things, like limbs, wings, and venom? Evolutionary biologist Sean B. Carroll joins us to reveal the hidden rules behind nature’s creativity and the genetic toolkit that makes it possible. Carroll explains how the same set of genes can build wildly different creatures — from fruit flies to lobsters — simply by rewiring their genetic circuits. Discover why developmental biology holds the key to understanding evolution, how snake venom evolved, and why medicines like GLP-1 drugs and statins trace their origins to nature’s own innovations. Plus, what the emergence of new species tells us about life’s future and the surprising power of evolution to repurpose old parts in new ways.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  ————————— Guest Bio:  Sean B. Carroll is a renowned evolutionary biologist and author whose work has inspired a deeper public understanding of evolution and the natural world. He is an Investigator at Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), where he was formerly Head of HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, and led the Department of Science Education from 2010-2023. He is also a Professor of Biology at the University of Maryland. His research focuses on genes that influence the evolution of animal diversity. Timestamps (00:00:00) How Does A New Species Evolve? (00:12:54) The Process of Speciation: Use It or Lose It (00:36:22) Development: What the Fruit Fly Taught Us (00:55:37) The Evolution of Defense Mechanisms & Developing Medications (01:19:55) The Role of Chance in Evolution (01:24:22) Credits

From legs on heads to missing eyes, fruit fly mutations exposed the genetic toolkit that builds all animals. Evolutionary Biologist Sean B. Carroll shows how these discoveries rewrote our understanding of evolution. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Sean B. Carroll. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

From snakes to jellyfish, venom is one of evolution’s most lethal inventions. Evolutionary Biologist Sean B. Carroll reveals how this deadly innovation emerged—and the new science behind antivenom inspired by nature’s own defenses. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Sean B. Carroll. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

The edge of a black hole isn’t what you think. Astrophysicist Janna Levin dives into the event horizon, the one-way transition where space and time warp so much that escape becomes as impossible as reversing the clock. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Janna Levin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

There’s no single ‘smoking gun’ for life beyond Earth. Microbiologist Peter Girguis explains the subtle fingerprints scientists hunt for—and why finding them on Mars could change everything. For more, check out the extended interview with Peter Girguis. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Scientists are editing genes for human speech into mice to see if they can learn vocal patterns. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis explains how this could unlock not just speech—but entirely new ways of thinking. For more, check out the extended interview with Erich Jarvis.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Can we bring extinct species back to life? Evolutionary biologist Beth Shapiro claims we just did. As Chief Science Officer at Colossal, her team made headlines in spring 2025 with the announcement of the de-extinction of the dire wolf. She takes us behind the headlines to explain how this is no “Jurassic Park” fantasy. She breaks down exactly how her team used ancient DNA, CRISPR genome editing, and the genomes of modern relatives to bring back lost traits and create animals capable of thriving in today’s ecosystems. Along the way, she dives into the surprising challenges of this work — from the quest for artificial wombs to the ethics of genetic engineering — and reveals how the same tools powering de-extinction are already helping endangered species survive.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  ————————— Guest Bio:  Beth Shapiro is an evolutionary biologist and Chief Science Officer at Colossal, a company notably responsible for the de-extinction of  the dire wolf. She is also a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on species evolution and the continued impact of human activities, considering questions about domestication, speciation and pathogen evolution. She is also exploring techniques to recover trace amounts of DNA from samples and the possible role of genomic technologies in the fields of conservation and medicine. Timestamps (00:00) What is De-Extinction? Reviving the Dire Wolf (29:45) Ethics and Backlash for Cloning  (38:10) Modifying DNA to Bring Species Back to Life (45:31) The Future of De-Extinction (54:30) Credits

Jurassic Park got it all wrong. Beth Shapiro would know… she’s Chief Science Officer at Colossal, the genetic engineering company that recently made headlines for bringing back the extinct dire wolf. She breaks down how de-extinction is really done, and why Jurassic Park can never happen. For more, check out the extended interview with Beth Shapiro. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

The deepfake game is getting real. Deepfake detective Hany Farid gets under the hood of AI and explains exactly how it can now make such convincing fake content –  so convincing that he himself has trouble identifying his own real voice from an AI-generated fraud. Can you spot the deepfake? For more, check out the extended interview with Hany Farid. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Ever wonder why you get déjà vu? Or why you keep losing your keys? Your brain does some weird stuff. Neuroscientist Heather Berlin explains the surprising science behind these everyday mysteries. For more, check out the extended interviewwith Heather Berlin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Space itself rings with gravitational waves when black holes collide—the most powerful events detected since the Big Bang. Astrophysicist Janna Levin reveals why, when the cosmic symphony fades, the merged black hole is stripped to flawless simplicity. For more, check out the extended interview with Janna Levin. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

Could a Martian rock hold the most promising sign of life beyond Earth? Microbiologist Peter Girguis unpacks NASA’s stunning discovery of ‘leopard spots’ on a rock from Mars’s Jezero Crater—and why they look eerily like the handiwork of microbes on our own planet. For more, check out the extended interview with Peter Girguis. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

A sinkhole can become a time capsule full of skeletons - layers upon layers of beasts that once walked the Earth - and Florida’s landscape is full of them. Discover the surprising science of how Florida’s sinkholes form, what they really are, and what can be found inside them. Come along with Dr. Kirk Johnson, Sant Director of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History, as he describes what he calls "the best sinkhole experience For more, check out the extended interview with Kirk Johnson. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

In a world flooded with fake videos and voice recordings that seem real, how can you detect deepfakes? Turns out, there are some aspects of the physical world that are not yet known to artificial intelligence - and those gaps are the key. Expert Hany Farid reveals techniques that can be used to detect AI-generated media. For more, check out the extended interview with Hany Farid.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.

What do deep-sea microbes and Martian “leopard spots” have in common? Marine biologist Peter Girguis thinks they might both hold clues to finding life beyond Earth. In this episode, he joins Hakeem for a journey from the ocean floor to outer space, sharing stories from his dives aboard the Alvin submersible and exploring how Earth’s most extreme lifeforms could help us find the first ETs. Along the way, he explains how Earth is truly a microbial planet — teeming with enough microbes to stretch across the galaxy –  reshaping how we think about life, both here and out there.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  ————————— Guest Bio:  Peter Girguis is a professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. His research focuses on marine organisms, and how they adapt to extreme environments. He also works on developing novel technologies like deep sea autonomous laboratories and microbial fuel cells. Girguis appears in NOVA’s Ancient Earth series Timestamps (00:00:00) Microbes Rule the Planet (00:13:45) Deep Ocean Exploration (00:36:30) Signs of Life on Mars (00:54:18) Other Life in Outer Space (01:01:23) Two Truths and a Lie: Science Headlines (01:07:00) The Future of Working With Microbes (01:11:22) Credits

Talking, singing, even dancing — they all trace back to a rare superpower: vocal learning. But humans aren’t the only animals that have it. Neuroscientist Erich Jarvis has spent his career decoding the mysterious ability to imitate sounds, a key ingredient in spoken language. In this episode, he joins Hakeem to explore why only a handful of species — like parrots, dolphins, and bats — can do it, how it evolved, and what it reveals about the brain, consciousness, and culture. Plus, Erich shares how AI is helping decode animal communication  and why engineering our pets to talk might actually be possible… but could fundamentally change the way they think.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  ————————— Guest Bio: Erich Jarvis is a neuroscientist investigating the mysteries of speech and vocal learning through groundbreaking research on birdsong and brain evolution. As a professor at The Rockefeller University and head of the Jarvis Lab, he explores how complex behaviors like human language arise from brain circuits and genetic pathways. Jarvis was also profiled in NOVA Wonders: What are Animals Saying. Timestamps (00:00:00) Language in Animals vs. Humans (00:10:37) Music and Vocal Learning (00:20:15) Can You Genetically Engineer Animals to Speak? (00:27:48) How Did Speech Evolve? (00:36:09) Can We Translate Animal Language?  (00:42:27) Brain Size and Speech (00:48:14) Writing & Symbolic Communication  (00:57:00) Conclusion (01:04:02) Credits

Your brain does all kinds of strange things — and neuroscientist Heather Berlin wants to explain how it works. In this episode, she joins Hakeem to explore the mysteries of the mind: how consciousness works, how your brain constructs reality, and how you might be able to hack it to live a better life. They dive into the effects of psychedelics and meditation, and explore the future of thought in a world shaped by AI. This episode is no placebo – it really will expand your mind.  Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  -------------------------- Guest Bio: Heather Berlin is a neuroscientist, clinical psychologist, and associate clinical professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. She is interested in how consciousness and creativity work within the brain and is also the host of NOVA’s "Your Brain" two-part special. Timestamps (00:00:00) What is Consciousness? (00:09:38) Perception Box (00:22:18) What's My Brain Doing? Deja Vu, Goosebumps & More (00:34:45) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Ketamine Treatment (00:44:55) Thoughts and Creative Flow States (00:58:02) Aversive Conditioning: Addiction, Anxiety, and Behavior (01:08:06) Fame & Fulfillment (01:18:02) The Future of Neuroscience (01:29:09) Credits

The universe loves making things complicated. From minerals and microbes to languages and societies, complexity keeps showing up — but why? Astrobiologist Mike Wong and mineralogist Bob Hazen think we’re missing a law of nature to explain this phenomenon. Hakeem sits down with them to understand – and kick the tires on – their bold new idea: what they call a Law of Increasing Functional Information. They break down how it works, why it matters, and how it could reshape our understanding of everything from life to language to the universe itself. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  -------------------------- Guest Bios: Robert Hazen is a mineralogist and astrobiologist at Carnegie Science and George Mason University. His pioneering research explores the origins of life and the evolving diversity of minerals on Earth. A prolific author and public communicator, Hazen has written widely on science, complexity, and the deep connections between the physical and biological worlds. Mike Wong is an astrobiologist and planetary scientist at Carnegie Science whose work focuses on how life begins and evolves on worlds like our own. He is also a science communicator, hosting the podcast Strange New Worlds, where he brings complex cosmic ideas to broad audiences. Wong’s research and outreach bridge cutting-edge science with big-picture questions about life in the universe. Their new book Time's Second Arrow: Evolution, Order, and a New Law of Nature will be available in February 2026. Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:05:28) Laying Out the "Law of Increasing Functional Information" (00:22:50) Functional Information: Explained (00:30:17) What is Selection? Discussing the Law (00:51:34) Testing the New Law (01:11:24) Credits

Black holes get a bad rap. They’ve been cast as the monsters of the cosmos — gobbling up stars and stretching anything that gets too close into cosmic spaghetti. But Black Hole expert Janna Levin has spent her career decoding these mysterious objects, and she thinks they’re just misunderstood. In this episode, she dives into the strange physics of black holes: what they are, what they sound like, what happens if you fall into one, and how there’s a lighter side to every black hole. Janna shares why black holes might not be the end of everything — but the beginning of something even weirder. Learn more about NOVA and subscribe to our YouTubechannel.  -------------------------- Guest Bio: Janna Levin is a professor of physics and astronomy at Barnard College of Columbia University, where she explores the profound mysteries of black holes, cosmology, and the nature of the universe. She is also the founding scientific director of Pioneer Works, a nonprofit cultural center in Brooklyn that fosters collaboration across science, art, and education. An award-winning author and renowned science communicator, Levin has written several acclaimed books, including Black Hole Blues and Other Songs from Outer Space, and has spent her career making the strange and beautiful realities of the cosmos accessible to a wide audience. She is host of NOVA’s two-part special Black Hole Apocalypse. Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:04:12) Black Holes Get a Bad Rap (00:09:08) Gravity and Free Fall (00:12:04) Black Holes 101 (00:14:48) Warping Space Time (00:21:25) Is the Universe a Black Hole? (00:23:33) This Is the Century for Black Hole Discoveries (00:25:53) Ligo & Gravitational Waves (00:39:55) Black Holes Are Hairless (00:47:50) 2 Truths & a Lie, Black Hole Edition (00:52:35) Hawking Radiation (00:58:11) Black Holes Can Be Bigger on the Inside Than the Outside (01:01:15) Holography and Black Hole Information Paradox (01:04:57) Quantum Entanglement (01:12:30) Black Holes Helping to Understand Fundamental Laws of the Universe (01:16:27) Extra Dimensions (01:20:01) Credits

In a world flooded with fake images, manipulated videos, and AI-generated voices, how do we know what’s real anymore? Hany Farid has made it his mission to find out. A leading voice in AI research and digital forensics, Hany works to authenticate digital media and expose the fakes. In this episode, Hakeem and Hany dive into how we got here. How does AI really work? How are deepfakes detected? And what does the future hold for truth in the digital age? Plus, Hakeem puts Hany to the test: can he tell the difference between real and AI-generated headlines? And can Hakeem tell a deepfake version of Hany from the real thing? Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.  -------------------------- Guest Bio: Hany Farid is a Professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information. In addition to teaching at UC Berkeley, Hany is Chief Science Officer at GetReal Security, a company that focuses on the authentication of digital media. His research focuses on digital forensics, forensic science, misinformation, image analysis, and human perception. He has published dozens of papers on how humans relate to AI and technology. Timestamps (00:00:00) Introduction (00:06:06) What is Artificial Intelligence?  (00:11:47) What are Deepfakes and How Are They Made? (00:19:30) Can You Detect a Deepfake?  (00:38:51) Will AI Take Away Our Jobs?  (00:52:00) The Concerns of AI  (01:08:19) What Does the Future of AI Look Like? (01:25:03) Credits

What do fossilized leaves, an asteroid, and Florida sinkholes have in common? Dr. Kirk Johnson oversees one of the largest natural history collections on the planet, and he has the answers. He’s spent his career digging into the story of life on Earth across millions (and billions) of years. In this episode, Hakeem and Kirk explore the science of “deep time,” how fossils actually form, and the surprising origins of Earth’s oceans. Plus, Kirk shares some hot tips on fossil hunting and how to count the number of leaves on a tree … because you never know when you might need these skills. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.  -------------------------- Guest Bio: Dr. Kirk Johnson is Sant Director at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, home to one of the largest natural history collections in the world. A paleobotanist by training, his research explores ancient climates and extinct ecosystems through the study of fossil plants. He has authored more than a dozen books on paleontology and natural history and has traveled extensively in search of fossils on every continent. As a science communicator, Dr. Johnson has brought the natural world to millions through hosting acclaimed NOVA documentaries such as Polar Extremes and Making North America, blending deep scientific expertise with an engaging, accessible storytelling style. Timestamps (0:00:00) Introduction (00:01:32) What is Paleobotany? (00:03:36) How Do Fossils Form? (00:10:02) The Bennu Asteroid Sample (00:17:57) Early Earth: Evolution and Extinction (00:41:58) Trees and Fossil Leaves (01:06:53) Fossil Reefs and Sinkhole Formation (01:15:53) Excavating Teen Rex (01:25:46) What Does the Future of Earth Look Like?  (01:37:19) Credits

What happens when brilliant minds collide? In Particles of Thought, astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi is obsessed with understanding not just what the world's greatest scientists know, but how they think. From quantum mechanics clashing with general relativity to fossil memories written in ancient rocks, each conversation captures those electrifying moments when curiosity sparks new understanding. Join Hakeem as he explores the downright bizarre, the subatomic, and the furthest reaches of the universe through the minds that dare to question everything. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content and exclusive videos.