Is this the future of brain recordings? Nanthia Suthana joins the podcast to discuss her lab's "Neurostack" system—a wearable device that allows researchers to record single-neuron activity in freely moving humans. We explore the leap from bedside recordings to real-world neuroscience, the challenges of syncing neural data with VR and wearables, and her personal experience with transient global amnesia.

Can a video game diagnose dementia? Gillian Coughlan joins the podcast to discuss how Sea Hero Quest, a mobile game played by millions, is helping scientists understand spatial navigation and its early decline in Alzheimer's disease. We explore the limitations of current diagnostic tests, the promise of blood biomarkers, and the surprising link between early menopause and dementia risk.

The story continues with the publication of The Hippocampus as a Cognitive Map and its lasting impact. Lynn Nadel discusses his transition to researching Down syndrome and anxiety, the art of running a university department without burnout, and his current project documenting the oral history of hippocampal research.

Is psychology missing a fundamental paradigm? Adam Mastroianni thinks we're stuck in the alchemy phase—and he's got a plan to get us out. We discuss his vision for "Science House," a revolutionary new model for training researchers, why he's opting out of the traditional academic publishing game, and the unexpected wisdom of treating your improv partner like a genius.

Is your scientific theory too clean? Paul Smaldino joins the podcast to discuss why doing "violence to reality" is necessary for scientific understanding. We explore how agent-based models can reveal hidden dynamics in cooperation and social identity , why traditional academic disciplines are holding us back, and his unconventional journey from physics to... pretty much everything else.

Moin Syed joins the podcast to critique the prestige hierarchy in scientific publishing and the "contributed track" that lets elites choose their own reviewers. We discuss why he signs his peer reviews (and why you should too), how to embrace your inner "master procrastinator," and the four root metaphors that secretly guide all scientific inquiry.

Is the open science movement creating an impossible workload for researchers? Tom Hostler joins the podcast to discuss the hidden costs of transparency. We explore how "academic capitalism" squeezes scholars, why universities love efficiency but hate giving you extra time, and the potential impact of "big team science" on researcher identity.

Does your brain replay the past to prepare for the future? Nico Schuck joins the podcast to discuss how the brain represents abstract concepts and task states. We explore how fMRI repetition suppression (or adaptation) can reveal hidden neural patterns , the role of the orbitofrontal cortex in cognitive mapping, and why replay isn't just about spatial navigation.

Do we navigate ideas the same way we navigate space? Mona Garvert joins the podcast to explore the neuroscience of cognitive maps. We discuss how the brain builds relationships between objects, why fMRI adaptation can reveal hidden patterns in neural activity, and her transition from academia to leading research at a mental health startup.

Is our mind a neural network, a symbol processor, or something in between? Peter Gärdenfors joins the podcast to discuss his groundbreaking theory of "Conceptual Spaces." We explore the geometry of thought, why children learn nouns before adjectives, and whether his 25-year-old book is the bridge between AI and neuroscience.

Are you actually as good a person as you think you are? Isabel Thielmann joins the podcast to discuss the surprising link between personality traits and prosocial behavior (hint: Honesty-Humility is key). We also cover her former life as a competitive sprinter, the "affordances" of economic games, and why even psychopaths can seem perfectly normal in prison.

Is our understanding of social relationships encoded like a map in the brain? Daniela Schiller joins the podcast to discuss how the hippocampus—famous for spatial navigation—also tracks our social coordinates of power and affiliation . We explore how survivors of trauma use social cognition for resilience, the two competing theories of hippocampal function, and her early days drumming in a rock band.

Can a computer write a novel that makes you cry? Rafael Pérez y Pérez joins the podcast to discuss Story Machines, his book about the quest to teach AI how to tell stories. We explore why systems like ChatGPT are great at language but terrible at plot , how his program MEXICA models the creative writing process, and why the future of storytelling might involve collaboration between humans and machines.

Is the peer review system broken beyond repair? Adam Mastroianni thinks so—and he's opting out. We discuss his radical approach to "public science" (publishing straight to his Substack blog), his research on why conversations never end when you want them to, and the one rule of improv comedy that can make you a better scientist.

Is the era of lying perfectly still inside a brain scanner finally over? Gareth Barnes joins the podcast to discuss the future of MEG (Magnetoencephalography), including new wearable OPM sensors that allow patients to move freely. We explore his unlikely journey from aspiring novelist to head of MEG at UCL, his work on 3D-printed head casts, and even putting sensors inside people's mouths to measure deep brain activity.

By 2050, Africa will be home to 25% of the global population. Yet, psychological science largely ignores African perspectives, treating the continent merely as a testing ground for Western theories. Adeyemi Adetula joins the podcast to discuss his mission to change this.

Can a computer corrupt your morals? Niels Köbis joins the podcast to explore the dark side of artificial intelligence, from deepfakes that fool our eyes to algorithms that nudge us towards unethical choices. We also discuss his "Moral Games" experiment (can you beat your friends at being a good person?), why we overestimate our ability to detect AI-generated content, and the dangers of delegating our decisions to machines.

By 2050, more people could die from drug-resistant infections than from cancer. Eva Krockow joins the podcast to discuss the looming crisis of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and why it's fundamentally a behavioral problem. We explore why the term "Antimicrobial Resistance" itself is failing to convey the urgency of the threat, the complex social dilemmas faced by doctors prescribing antibiotics, and how game theory can help us understand—and potentially solve—this global health challenge.

Can a shrimp navigate better than you? Rickesh Patel joins the podcast to explore the surprisingly sophisticated spatial navigation of mantis shrimp—animals known more for their powerful punch than their intellect. We discuss how they use path integration and celestial cues to find their way home, and why studying simpler brains (like those of shrimp and bumblebees) might unlock the secrets of complex navigation.