I’ve always been attuned to movie scores. The way a piece of music can deepen a moment, shift an atmosphere, or quietly break your heart without a single word of dialogue. So I decided to do something a little different. I put together a special radio edition of Curiously, recorded…
There’s an old idea that explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog: you come away understanding how it works, but the joke dies in the process. Naturally, I decided that was worth spending an hour on. Jim Stallions is a Boston-based comedian you may know from the stage, from…
Can writing be taught? It’s one of the oldest arguments in literary culture, and every year, thousands of writers bet their time, money, and creative confidence that the answer is yes. They enroll in MFA programs, bring their pages into classrooms, and submit themselves to a process called “workshop,” where…
When I was a kid, one of my favorite TV shows was The Magic School Bus. In one episode, Ms. Frizzle shrinks the class down and takes them inside the human body to learn about the immune system. I’ve never forgotten it. For years, I knew I wanted to write…
When we think of imagination, we assume it’s reserved for creatives: painters and poets, actors and musicians. But the truth is, we use our imagination almost constantly: anytime we reminisce, anticipate, plan, or daydream. Research suggests we spend between a quarter and half of our waking hours with our minds…
We all know the basics for sleep: put your phone away, create a bedtime routine, avoid caffeine, keep the room cool. We’ve heard it a thousand times. And yet, one in eight Americans has chronic insomnia, and over half report frequent sleep difficulties. So, what’s the disconnect? Why do we…
Most of us spend our lives pretending we have forever. We push off difficult conversations, delay dreams, and take tomorrow for granted. But the truth is, we don’t have forever. We have about 3,200 weeks, according to average life expectancy. Knowing this can make us work a little harder, love…
Beer has been part of the human story for millennia. It helped fuel debates in revolutionary taverns, followed soldiers to war, brought strangers together in colonial alehouses and modern taprooms. From the Founding Fathers’ home brews to today’s experimental IPAs, beer has been a constant companion to our species. But…
I’ve always believed that the questions we ask reveal as much about us as the answers we give. So when I had the chance to set up a booth at the MIT Museum’s 2025 Cambridge Science Carnival, I brought one question with me: “If science could solve one problem for…
There’s something both terrifying and oddly comforting about knowing we have four billion years left. The sun will expand, swallow Earth, and explode. We need to leave. The question isn't whether we should go, but how we'll survive once we do. I’ve always been drawn to stories about humanity’s future…
Since starting the podcast in 2023, I’ve made a conscious effort to stay out of the way. I ask questions, I guide guests through their stories, I stay detached. I never wanted to be one of those hosts who dominates their show with their own opinions. But staying detached comes…
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by space. As a kid, I had a poster of the Eagle Nebula on my bedroom wall and a telescope I used to study the moon. My favorite movie is Contact, based on Carl Sagan’s novel about searching for extraterrestrial life. Thinking…
You’ve seen it while scrolling social media, sitting in a virtual meeting, or watching a political debate. Some people command attention right away, drawing viewers in and holding them there. Others, despite having meaningful ideas, fail to engage. Not for lack of substance, but for lack of visual presence. In…
In 2022, I joined The Anthony Thomas Podcast to discuss my sci-fi thriller, The Empathy Academy, a novel that explores this exact question. The story follows Montgomery Hughes, a teenager who infiltrates a controversial academy designed to genetically “correct” unethical behavior in young people. What he discovers inside reveals the…
What if the reason your health problems keep coming back is because you’ve only been treating symptoms, never the underlying cause? When Katie Concannon was a teenager, she started experiencing health issues related to her menstrual cycle. She did what most people do: went to doctors, followed their advice, took…
What if you could work from anywhere in the world—a beach in Bali, a café in Barcelona, a mountain village in Colombia—and never need permission from a boss to buy a plane ticket? The digital nomad lifestyle has become the fantasy of millions stuck in fluorescent-lit offices, scrolling through Instagram…
Can an AI truly understand us? Does it have thoughts, creativity, or self-awareness? The movie Her was set in 2025—the year we’re living in now. So I decided to interview artificial intelligence itself. In this fascinating 45-minute conversation, I put OpenAI's ChatGPT on the hot seat to explore what AI…
When I was a kid, I questioned rules that didn’t make sense. I resisted illegitimate authority. I could be difficult, inquisitive, sometimes arrogant. My dad used to joke that I had oppositional defiant disorder, or ODD, a behavioral diagnosis for kids who are uncooperative and defiant toward authority. But I…
When Elon Musk publicly revealed he uses ketamine to manage his depression, the revelation sent shockwaves through both tech and mental health communities. Here was one of the world’s most high-profile figures openly discussing his struggle with depression and choosing a treatment that most people associate with anesthesia or illicit…
What if the future of mental health treatment involves substances we’ve spent decades criminalizing? For years, psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA were dismissed as dangerous drugs with no medical value. But a growing body of research suggests these substances, when combined with guided therapy, might help people struggling with depression,…
Exercise is practically a religion in modern culture. We’re told it helps us sleep better, lose weight, reduce anxiety, and lower our risk of countless diseases. So like millions of others, I’ve stayed active—triathlons, marathons, spin classes, yoga, and for the past three years, high-intensity workouts at Orange Theory. But…
When you listen to an audiobook, especially fiction, you want to be transported, swept into another world where characters feel real and scenes play like movies in your mind. A great narrator doesn’t just read words; they breathe life into them, transforming text into an immersive experience. Take Andy Serkis’…
Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It strikes scientists and artists, children and the elderly, the famous and the unknown. We’ve all felt its cruel grip, whether through our own diagnosis or watching someone we love fight a battle they might not win. Despite decades of research and billions of dollars invested, cancer…
Would you believe me if I told you that the flowers in your window and the trees in your yard are actually sophisticated chemical laboratories, producing compounds that could cure disease? Plants can’t run from predators or hide from harsh weather. So over 450 million years of evolution, they developed…