This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore why so many people feel like life was better in the past and whether nostalgia is telling us the truth.

They discuss the psychology of memory, why certain years like 2016 get mythologized, and how our brains prioritize emotional comfort over accuracy. The conversation also looks at long-term human progress, wealth, systems, and whether society is actually improving even when it feels unstable.

Throughout the episode, they answer curiosity-driven science questions about heartbeats, lightning, space, water usage, and everyday misconceptions that reveal how intuition often fails us.

It’s a wide-ranging conversation about time, memory, science, and perspective.

Visit our Merch Store
https://www.curiositytheorypod.com/merch

Join our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheory

Follow the show
@curiositytheorypod

Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

In this special collaboration episode, Curiosity Theory joins From First Principles for a deep conversation about science, intelligence, and the future of technology.

Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer are joined by Lester Nare and Krishna Choudhury to discuss academic paths, physics beyond academia, thermodynamics and life, and what neuroscience reveals about memory, learning, and spatial awareness.

The episode also explores artificial intelligence, world models, robotics, one-shot learning, emotional systems, AI alignment, and the growing political and ethical questions surrounding frontier technologies.

This is a long-form, first-principles conversation about how humans think, how intelligence emerges, and where science and technology may be headed next.

Visit our Merch Store
https://www.curiositytheorypod.com/merch
Join our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheory

Follow the show - @curiositytheorypod, @ffppod

Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore new findings from NASA clean rooms that reveal microbes capable of surviving extreme sterilization, raising important questions about planetary protection and the resilience of life.

The conversation expands into food preservation, gut health, and why people often report feeling healthier in Europe compared to the U.S. They examine how capitalism and regulation shape food systems, health outcomes, and everyday choices without relying on conspiracy thinking.

Later, they critically assess recent microplastics research, discussing whether current detection methods justify the alarming claims being made. The episode wraps with a discussion of Apple, Google, Gemini, OpenAI, and how big tech navigates innovation, risk, and AI competition.

It’s an honest, wide-ranging conversation about science, health, systems, and curiosity.

Visit our Merch Store
https://www.curiositytheorypod.com/merch

Join our Patreon
https://www.patreon.com/c/CuriosityTheory

Follow the show
@curiositytheorypod

Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.