The Joy of Why
Steven Strogatz, Janna Levin and Quanta Magazine
“The Joy of Why” is a Quanta Magazine podcast about curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. The mathematician and author Steven Strogatz and the cosmologist and author Janna Levin take turns interviewing leading researchers about the great scientific and mathematical questions of our time. New episodes are released every other Wednesday.Quanta Magazine is a Pulitzer Prize–winning, editorially independent online publication launched and supported by the Simons Foundation to illuminate big ideas i...
Episodes (74)
Live from ICM 2026: What Is Math For in the Age of AI?
The Joy of Why
Are We Thinking Correctly about AI Intelligence?
The Joy of Why
How Does Touch Lead To Pain Or Pleasure?
The Joy of Why
How Fast Is the Universe Really Expanding?
The Joy of Why
Will We Ever Find Alien Civilizations?
The Joy of Why
What Is the Positive Grassmannian and Why Does It Show Up Everywhere?
The Joy of Why
What’s the Future of Gene Editing?
The Joy of Why
More Conversations, Complex Questions, and Bold Ideas in Season Five of ‘The Joy...
The Joy of Why
Do Beautiful Birds Have an Evolutionary Advantage?
The Joy of Why
How Can Math Protect Our Data?
The Joy of Why
Why Did The Universe Begin?
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How Can Regional Models Advance Climate Science?
The Joy of Why
How Does Graph Theory Shape Our World?
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Does Form Really Shape Function?
The Joy of Why
Will We Ever Prove String Theory?
The Joy of Why
How Did Geometry Create Modern Physics?
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Will AI Ever Understand Language Like Humans?
The Joy of Why
Can Quantum Gravity Be Created in the Lab?
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What Is the True Promise of Quantum Computing?
The Joy of Why
How Did Multicellular Life Evolve?
The Joy of Why
S4 Preview: More Big Questions and No Sasquatches
The Joy of Why
How Will We Know We’re Not Alone?
The Joy of Why
How Is Cell Death Essential to Life?
The Joy of Why
What Can Birdsong Teach Us About Human Language?
The Joy of Why
How Is AI Changing the Science of Prediction?
The Joy of Why
Why Is It So Hard to Define a Species?
The Joy of Why
How Can Math Help Beat Cancer?
The Joy of Why
What Can Cave Life Tell Us About Alien Ecosystems?
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From Sidedoor — Cosmic Journey I: "Stellar Buffoonery"
The Joy of Why
Can Thermodynamics Go Quantum?
The Joy of Why
Do We Need a New Theory of Gravity?
The Joy of Why
Are Robots About to Level Up?
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How Does Math Keep Our Secrets?
The Joy of Why
Will AI Ever Have Common Sense?
The Joy of Why
What Can Tiling Patterns Teach Us?
The Joy of Why
How Is Science Even Possible?
The Joy of Why
Can Psychedelics Improve Mental Health?
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What Happens in the Brain to Cause Depression?
The Joy of Why
Will Better Superconductors Transform the World?
The Joy of Why
What Does Milk Do for Babies?
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Can Information Escape a Black Hole?
The Joy of Why
How Is Flocking Like Computing?
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What Is Quantum Teleportation?
The Joy of Why
What Is the Nature of Time?
The Joy of Why
How Did Altruism Evolve?
The Joy of Why
What Makes for ‘Good’ Math?
The Joy of Why
S4 Preview: More Big Questions and No Sasquatches
The Joy of Why
Trailer: The Joy of Why Season 3
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Does Nothingness Exist?
The Joy of Why
Can Math and Physics Save an Arrhythmic Heart?
The Joy of Why