Big Brains

Big Brains by University of Chicago Podcast Network

University of Chicago Podcast Network

Big Brains explores the groundbreaking research and discoveries that are changing our world. In each episode, we talk to leading experts and unpack their work in straightforward terms. Interesting conversations that cover a gamut of topics from how music affects our brains to what happens after we die.

Categories: Science & Medicine

Listen to the last episode:

What if we could precisely measure a cell at its most fundamental level? In this episode, we talk with the University of Chicago scientist Peter Maurer about how he and his colleagues made the breakthrough discovery of turning a protein found in living cells into the first biological quantum bit, also known as a qubit. Maurer explains how quantum systems—once thought to be too fragile for real-world use—are becoming some of the most powerful sensors ever built, and what they could teach us about the brain, the body and more.

Previous episodes

  • 210 - The Breakthrough Quantum Sensor That Sees Inside Your Cells, with Peter Maurer 
    Thu, 8 Jan 2026
  • 209 - How to Manifest Your Destiny with the Late James Doty 
    Mon, 29 Dec 2025
  • 208 - What Makes Music Go Viral—From AI to Taylor Swift 
    Thu, 11 Dec 2025
  • 207 - How Wearable Tech Will Heighten Our Senses and Abilities, with Pedro Lopes 
    Mon, 24 Nov 2025
  • 206 - Why Are More Women Saying No To Having Kids? With Peggy O'Donnell Heffington 
    Thu, 13 Nov 2025
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