This episode dives into the age-old question of what defines art. From traditional ideas of beauty and skill to Duchamp’s radical challenges, we explore major theories—Institutional, Intentionalist, Aesthetic, and Formalist—and how art ultimately emerges as an evolving, contested social practice shaped by context, intention, and audience.

What happens when AI matches human intelligence? This episode unpacks the quest for Artificial General Intelligence, from scaling today’s systems to brain-inspired designs, the hurdles of common sense, and the urgent challenge of alignment.

We explore the promises, risks, and the governance needed to guide AGI safely.

Why can a single scent suddenly bring back a memory from decades ago with striking clarity? In this episode, we explore the Proust effect—the unique power of smell to evoke vivid, emotional memories.

We’ll uncover the neuroscience of the olfactory system, its direct link to the brain’s emotional and memory centers, and the evolutionary roots of this connection.

Finally, we look at how olfactory memory shapes culture and is being harnessed today in marketing, therapy, and design.

Quantum mechanics defies common sense and reshapes our idea of reality. In this episode, we dive into mind-bending concepts like superposition, entanglement, and the measurement problem, and explore interpretations from Copenhagen to Many-Worlds.

Along the way, we’ll ask what this means for causality, consciousness, and the nature of reality itself—and look at how these paradoxes are driving breakthroughs in quantum computing, cryptography, and biology.

Have we already become cyborgs? This episode explores how ambient AI is no longer just a tool but a cognitive partner that shapes the way we think, decide, and imagine.

Drawing on Extended Mind Theory and Posthumanism, we examine what this integration means for agency, consciousness, and personal identity.

Finally, we consider the call for reflective integration—an ethical approach to living with AI that protects human values while embracing our augmented future.

Why does each year feel shorter than the last? This episode unpacks the “Holiday Paradox,” exploring both the proportional theory of time—where each year becomes a smaller fraction of our lives—and the neuroscience of memory and perception.

Discover how novelty slows time by creating rich memories, why routines compress our sense of experience, and how strategies like mindfulness and embracing new activities can help us stretch time and savor life more fully.

Dive into the deep connection between language, thought, and reality through the lens of linguistic relativity.

We explore the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, showing how vocabulary and grammar shape perception—from colors to spatial awareness.

Discover how metaphors frame abstract thought, why untranslatable words reveal unique experiences, and how multilingualism and digital media expand the ways we think and perceive the world.

Explore the neuroscience of creative insight, where originality emerges from the dynamic interplay of multiple brain networks.

Learn how the Executive Attention Network drives focused problem-solving, the Default Mode Network sparks novel associations during mind-wandering, and the Salience Network flags key ideas for conscious thought.

Creativity unfolds in cycles—preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification—and thrives with sleep, exercise, and low-stress environments.

We also examine dopamine, social influences on creativity, and the delicate balance between flexibility and mental health.