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.

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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.

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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.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer build a science fiction universe in real time.

Justin shares a developing sci-fi concept called The Universe Game, where advanced beings simulate entire universes in search of an intelligent civilization worthy of becoming a peer. The conversation explores simulation theory, loneliness at cosmic scales, free will versus intervention, and how small decisions can ripple across billions of years.

The episode also dives into worldbuilding, creative process, respecting the audience’s intelligence, and why building original IP and owning your vision matters. It’s part sci-fi brainstorm, part philosophy, and part creative workshop.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer explore recent astronomy discoveries, rogue planets, and what strange cosmic objects can teach us about the universe.

They break down gravitational microlensing, how free-floating planets are detected, and the physics of planet formation. The conversation then expands into dark matter, failed galaxies, and why scientific breakthroughs often come from anomalies rather than confirmations.

In the second half, the discussion shifts to AI, humanoid robots, speculative bubbles, money as a shared belief system, geopolitics, and the rise of what they call tactical authenticity in modern politics.

It’s an unscripted, wide-ranging conversation about science, technology, power, and how humans make sense of complex systems.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

On this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer sit down with Michael Berhane, CEO and Founder of POC in Tech, to talk about AI, automation, education, and the future of work.

They explore why entry-level tech roles are disappearing, how AI and economics are reshaping hiring, and why venture capital funding for Black founders remains so low. The conversation also dives into education, debating whether essays still make sense in an AI world, the return of oral exams, and how schools may need to fundamentally change.

In the second half, the discussion turns personal, covering failure, antifragility, exposure therapy, introversion vs extroversion, exercise, and what success really means beyond money. Michael shares the question he wishes he had asked himself sooner and why aligning with your younger self can be a powerful guide.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

This week on Questionable Content, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer talk through some of the most interesting astronomy discoveries and open questions shaping space science today.

They explore asteroid collisions, planet formation inside protoplanetary disks, lava worlds, water worlds, exoplanet atmospheres, and why many once-promising planets are turning out to be less habitable than expected. The conversation also covers moons, tides, stellar evolution, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and what all of this means for the search for life beyond Earth.

It’s an unscripted, big-picture conversation about where astronomy stands right now and why continued scientific investment matters.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.

In this episode of Curiosity Theory, Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer unpack what it really means to start something before you feel ready.

From building a podcast studio from scratch to sharing stories of first videos, rejection, and creative fear, this conversation explores why curiosity, boredom, and discomfort are essential to growth. We talk about identity collapse, reinvention, science as a curiosity engine, and how sitting with uncertainty can open entirely new paths forward.

This is a thoughtful, honest conversation about creativity, courage, and staying curious in a world designed to distract you.

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Hosted by Dr. Dakotah Tyler and Justin Shaifer

Stay curious.