Episode Archives

Filter episodes by the year they originally aired.
God and country

In 2020, Donald Trump won 84 percent of the white evangelical vote. We talk with some Southern Baptists today, whose views may surprise you. Read more

Original Air Date:

March 09, 2024

What if we embrace our dreams — and our night selves —  as a way to understand ourselves better, to connect to each other, even to lead a better life?Read more

Original Air Date:

February 24, 2024

In the world of internet influencers and YouTube stars, it’s not enough to be ordinary anymore. You need to be special. But where did this craze for personal branding come from? Why are we so obsessed with ourselves?Read more

Original Air Date:

February 03, 2024

Mike Jay

British historian Mike Jay wants to challenge the narrative of psychedelic “exceptionalism.” He also believes more scientists should talk about their personal psychedelic experiences. Read more

Original Air Date:

January 27, 2024

Man using umbrella crossing the street

For generations, through wars, crisis, and political upheaval, documentary poets have helped make sense of some of our most difficult moments – by expressing what might otherwise be impossible to say. So what are they writing about today?Read more

Original Air Date:

January 13, 2024

To the best of our knowledge presents luminous

There's a fascinating question at the heart of psychedelic science. Is it the mind-blowing experience that fundamentally changes a person’s outlook on life? Or is it the powerful molecules that rewire the brain?Read more

Original Air Date:

December 16, 2023

pins in a map

Maps reflect the time they were drawn for. How will the next generation of cartographers deal with challenges like a world being reshaped by climate change? Read more

Original Air Date:

December 09, 2023

can you have too much transcendance

Over the course of 20 years, Chris Bache had 73 high-dose LSD experiences — doses so high that the human body couldn’t tolerate anything more. Read more

Original Air Date:

November 18, 2023

Deep Time: The Cosmos and Us

What is this thing, that’s all around us, invisible, inescapable, always running out? What is time?Read more

Original Air Date:

November 18, 2023

An unseen, unknowable monster, peering into our dimension through a screen, lurking in the static.

We celebrate weird fiction in all its forms, from haunted video tapes on YouTube to the original eldritch being himself, H.P. Lovecraft. Read more

Original Air Date:

October 28, 2023

sunset

The knowledge about many psychedelics comes from Indigenous cultures — which raises ethical questions for the Western scientists studying them. Can psychedelics be decolonized?Read more

Original Air Date:

October 21, 2023

Bodies of different shapes and sizes.

When you look at your body in the mirror, do you love what you see? Do you pick out the things you don’t like? Maybe you’ve heard of body positivity. But what if we just felt neutral about our bodies?Read more

Original Air Date:

September 30, 2023

portrait of a woman in bronzino and abstract styles

Before family photos, or school pictures or Instagram, there were hand-drawn and painted portraits. We consider how we see ourselves — and others — through these deeply personal images.Read more

Original Air Date:

September 23, 2023

TTBOOK and CHN present Deep Time

Are you ready to think in centuries instead of seconds? Eons instead of hours? It’s time to throw away your watch and make thousand-year plans. And appreciate how Earth keeps time. Read more

Original Air Date:

August 19, 2023

TTBOOK Presents Luminous with Gul Dolen

Gul Dolen is a pioneering neuroscientist who's investigating the “critical periods” of psychedelics, including studies where she's given MDMA — also known as “Molly” — to octopuses. Read more

Original Air Date:

August 12, 2023

crying child

We all feel better after a good cry. In fact, humans are the only animals who cry emotional tears. But what about people who don't cry? And have you ever wondered why a sad song or movie makes you cry?Read more

Original Air Date:

August 05, 2023

TTBOOK Presents Luminous

Can neuroscience explain what happens to the brain on psychedelics? And even if we map the brain while it’s tripping, does that tell us why these experiences can be so transformative? Read more

Original Air Date:

July 15, 2023

Luminous

The rock icon explains why she’s fascinated by psychedelics as a promising treatment for addiction, a path for spiritual exploration, and a source of creativity.Read more

Original Air Date:

July 08, 2023

"A roadtrip across time and space"

For a lot of Americans, summer means that it's time to hit the open road. We take road trips and endless highways for granted, but there are other countries where people can pay a heavy price just for getting behind a wheel.Read more

Original Air Date:

July 01, 2023

An owl

For many birdwatchers, identifying bird calls, tracking rare breeds through marshes and waters, and watching our feathered friends is more than just a pastime — it's a calling.Read more

Original Air Date:

June 17, 2023

TTBOOK and Center for Humans and Nature present Deep Time

When you’re on the clock, you’re always running out of time. The relentless countdown is making us and the planet sick. But clock time isn’t the only kind. There are older, deeper rhythms of natural time.  We just forgot how to listen.Read more

Original Air Date:

June 03, 2023

To The Best of out Knowledge presents Luminous

In this episode of "Luminous," we go inside Usona Institute’s chemistry lab and go deep with co-founder Bill Linton about what brought him to this unique moment in the psychedelic revolution.  Read more

Original Air Date:

May 17, 2023

A mother and child

We celebrate Mother's Day with a collection of stories from our archives, by and about moms. Stories about care and about courage — about the work of mothering.Read more

Original Air Date:

May 13, 2023

Clockwise from the left: a fossilized leaf, an orangutan, a rowing team, a microscope view

In some of our favorite science interviews — discover the joy of studying fossils, the invention of a paper microscope, and the astrophysics of making a hard-boiled egg.Read more

Original Air Date:

April 22, 2023

Pages