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Ready to break your brain? Particles of Thought, the hit video podcast from the producers of NOVA is back with new mind-expanding conversations with scientists on the edge. Host Hakeem Oluseyi dives into how to hack your own anxiety, the surprising connection between dark matter and black holes, the secrets of animal communication, the hidden geometry shaping our world, and even what it means to be human. Along the way, he tackles big questions, uncovers surprising answers, and opens up entirely new ways to think.
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Recent Episodes
S6E2 Are Black Holes Dark Matter?
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…
S6E1 Why Dark Matter Matters
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…
S6E1 Why Dark Matter Matters
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…
S4 How Many Leaves Are on a Tree? | Kirk Johnson
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…
S4 The Air You Breathe Is Bacteria Poop | Peter Girguis
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…
S4 The Fish That Could Walk | Sean B. Carrol
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…
S4 How Close Can You Safely Get to a Black Hole? | Janna Levin
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…
S4 A New Law of Nature? | Robert Hazen & Michael Wong
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…
S4 AI Is Coming for Blue Collar Jobs | Hany Farid
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…
S4 What Species Can We De-Extinct? | Beth Shapiro
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…
S4 Were Dinosaurs Able to Sing? | Erich Jarvis
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…
S4 Space-Time Expansion, Explained | Adam Riess
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…
S4 Your Brain’s Peak Performance Mode | Heather Berlin
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…
S4 Black Hole Geometry Will Warp Your Brain | Janna Levin
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…
S4 What Exactly Is a Law of Nature? | Robert Hazen & Michael Wong
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…
S4 How Many Microbes Live on Earth? | Peter Girguis
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…
S4 Why Tropical Trees Don’t Have Rings | Kirk Johnson
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,…
S4 How Weight Loss Drugs Were Inspired by Gila Monsters | Sean B. Carroll
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…
S4 De-Extincted” Dire Wolf Pups Are Growing Up | Beth Shapiro
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…
S4 How AI Is Taking “Future-Proof” Jobs | Hany Farid
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…
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Particles of Thought has published 47 episodes since August 2025, covering topics in Science.
Particles of Thought is currently highly active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 30m.
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