Sep 29

Can AI really teach your kids? with Leah Belsky

Technology has been promising to revolutionize education for a long time. Online learning, smartphones, and even asynchronous classes during COVID seemed for a while like they might finally transform what learning can look like, but all we really learned was that changing educati ... Show More

49m 33s

Sep 22

How to survive a life quake with Chip Conley

We all know the stereotypical story of the midlife crisis: leave your spouse, buy the red convertible, start from scratch and blow up your whole life. But for most people, the transitional period of midlife is a little more complicated, and it doesn’t have to feel like a crisis. ... Show More

57 m

Sep 15

Bryce Dallas Howard on the realities of being handed a head start

The term “nepo baby” has been used in recent years to describe people who are born into successful families and industries with advantages that aren’t available to the average person. What does your success mean if you weren’t the one to earn it? Bryce Dallas Howard is the daught ... Show More

50m 57s

Aug 2025

The science of taste and smell with Rachel Herz | from ReThinking with Adam Grant

Do you hate the taste of cilantro and chocolate? You might be a super taster! Rachel Herz is a neuroscientist at Brown University who specializes in taste and smell. In this episode, Adam, Rachel, and Adam’s wife Allison Sweet Grant investigate the sources of their different food ... Show More

35m 18s

Nov 2025

How Science Can Hack Flavor

Will eating mint cancel out the feeling of spice in your mouth? How do you manipulate aroma compounds to mimic the taste of lemon? When it comes to the science of flavor, there is no shortage of questions to ask. On this episode, Dr. Samantha Yammine is joined by renowned flavor ... Show More

30m 20s

Sep 2022

Focus – How We Taste

How do we taste? What evolutionary benefit is there to tasting bitter and sour? And why should you think about wearing noise-cancelling headphones on planes if you want to enjoy your food? In this Focus episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva Higginbotham as she unc ... Show More

26m 58s

Nov 2025

Why Some Foods Gross Us Out

In this episode of Science Quickly, Rachel Feltman introduces interim host Kendra Pierre-Louis, a climate journalist with a strong aversion to mayonnaise—and a knack for turning that disgust into fascinating science reporting. Pierre-Louis shares insights into the psychology of t ... Show More

12m 43s

Jul 2024

The Science of Flavor with Arielle Johnson

<p>What is flavor? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-hosts Chuck Nice and Gary O’Reilly explore the science of what makes some foods tastier than others, what is “umami,” and how flavor changed in the 20th century with food scientist Arielle Johnson.</p><p>NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can li ... Show More

54m 22s

Oct 2022

How your sense of smell helps you savor flavor | Body Stuff

Eating pizza with a stuffy nose just isn't as satisfying -- and there's a reason for that. Dr. Jen Gunter explains how our ability to smell and taste work together to give us a full sensory experience. So whether you're sniffing the caramelized aroma of coffee, a whiff of trash o ... Show More

3m 32s

Jul 2019

Why We Like the Foods We Like (SOP86)

Why do some people scarf down anchovies by the pound while others recoil at the thought of a tuna fish sandwich? Why do the textures of certain foods, like mushrooms, turn people off? Not only is taste a biologically complex experience, it is quite psychological. Our guest is psy ... Show More

53m 17s

Oct 2022

The suspicious smell

Why are some smells so nasty and others so pleasant? Rutherford and Fry inhale the science of scent in this stinker of an episode.Our sleuths kick off with a guided tour of the airborne molecules and chemical receptors that power the sense of smell. Armed with a stack of pungent ... Show More

28m 17s

Sep 2023

Gustology (TASTE) with Gary Beauchamp

<p>Sweet! Salty! Umami? What’s up with MSG? Why do you like your coffee black? Come down to flavortown and let’s talk tongues. Gustologist Dr. Gary Beauchamp is a chemosensory scientist and an expert in taste. We chat about tastebud flim-flam, celebrity grade hot wings, MSG resea ... Show More

1h 10m

Feb 2025

How umami blew up taste

For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures. But thanks to Kumiko Ninomiya (a.k.a. the Umami Mama), scientists finally accepted a fifth. Could there be even more? (First published in 2022.) Guests: Kumiko Ninomiya, biochemist and former di ... Show More

36m 18s

ReThinking: The science of taste and sme...