Something extraordinary happened to the human brain 100,000 years ago. In just a few thousand generations, our brains nearly doubled in size - a change that should have taken millions of years.Scientists couldn't explain it until Terence McKenna proposed a radical theory. He believed early humans transformed into conscious beings not through fire or tools, b ... Show More
Oct 26
The Basement: William Shatner | Beyond the Final Frontier: Life, Death, and What Comes After
-It’s time to upgrade your nicotine pouch. Get 20% off your first order by using code BASEMENT at https://Lucy.co #ad -If you’re ever injured in an accident, you can check out Morgan & Morgan. You can start your claim in just a click without having to leave your couch: https://Fo ... Show More
1h 15m
Dec 2023
Firefighter Wakes Up From a 10 YEAR Coma
In the early 2000s, a shocking story unfolded that forced doctors to suddenly change the way they thought about consciousness. Viewer discretion is advised. My name is Andy Jiang and I do vigorous, detailed dives into some of the most fascinating, bizarre, and unreal true stories ... Show More
12m 29s
Dec 2018
Get ready for hybrid thinking | Ray Kurzweil
Two hundred million years ago, our mammal ancestors developed a new brain feature: the neocortex. This stamp-sized piece of tissue (wrapped around a brain the size of a walnut) is the key to what humanity has become. Now, futurist Ray Kurzweil suggests, we should get ready for th ... Show More
10m 23s
Jun 2025
A Ridiculous History of Brain Science, with Jorge Cham
Today, we all generally understand that the brain is responsible for what we call personality and thought -- yet this wasn't always the case. Once humans figured out the brain was more than a weird lump in the skull, it took centuries of trial and error, along with quack science, ... Show More
56m 6s
Apr 2021
#247 — Constructing Minds
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris speaks with Lisa Feldman Barrett about the origins and function of the human brain. They discuss how brains evolved, the myth of the "triune brain," the brain's network organization, the predictive nature of perception and action, the ... Show More
1h 7m
Oct 2021
Can we grow a conscious brain?
<p>Philosophers have long pondered the concept of a brain in a jar, hooked up to a simulated world. Though this has largely remained a thought experiment, CrowdScience listener JP wants to know if it might become reality in the not-too-distant future, with advances in stem cell r ... Show More
35m 46s