Smart Cookies
by Zaza
Eastern European host Zaza talks to some of the SMARTEST PEOPLE on the planet, exploring as many different topics as he can get his greedy hands on.
Podcast episodes
Season 1
How a strain of rice changed the course of human history FOREVER | Sunil Amrith
Sunil Amrith is a professor of History at Yale University. He is the author of four books, and a recipient of multiple awards including a MacArthur “Genius” fellowship. His latest book is called The Burning Earth: An Environmental History of the Last 500 Years. In this conversation we explore the impact the environment has on the development of civilisations - we begin a 1000 years ago in medieval China and the Mongol Empire, move on to Europe and it's violent push outwards, discuss the many effects that both world wars had on our planet, and finally try to offer a glimmer of hope in the days of the climate catastrophe.
Why are the YAKUZA going extinct? With Jake Adelstein, author of TOKYO VICE
Jake Adelstein was a reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun, Japan’s largest newspaper, from 1993 to 2005. He has also written for The Daily Beast/Newsweek, The Independent, and The Guardian, and is a regular contributor to The Atlantic Wire. However, most of us will probably be familiar with the name from the hit TV series Tokyo Vice, which is based on his memoir. In this conversation we talk about his pioneering career as a foreign journalist at a Japanese newspaper, his decades long reporting on crime, and also about the slow, but undeniable demise of the Yakuza.
How the FAR-RIGHT is destroying the West from within, with dr. Nafeez Ahmed
Dr. Nafeez Ahmed is a trans-disciplinary academic, investigative journalist and systems theorist, who's also the author of the best-selling book, “The Alt Reich: The Network War to Destroy the West from Within”. In this conversation we're talking about the long historical reach of the far-right, it's shadowy resurgence after WWII, as well as it's current, frightening grip on Western politics. We also discuss a role of billionaires, such as Elon Musk, in propping up these networks, the rise of Donald Trump and the complete failure of the mainstream Left.
Are we on the verge of LIVING FOREVER? With dr. Ariel Zeleznikow - Johnston
Dr. Ariel Zeleznikow - Johnston is a neuroscientist, and a Research Fellow at Monash University. He's also the author of the acclaimed book, The Future Loves You: How and Why We Should Abolish Death. In this conversation we talk about the current prospects of brain preservation, the possibilities of mind revival in the future, and also about the implications of living unimaginably long lives.
If we come from different cultures, do we FEEL the same? With prof. Batja Mesquita
Batja Mesquita is a social psychologist, an affective scientist, and a pioneer of cultural psychology. She is a professor of psychology at the University of Leuven, Belgium, and director of the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of Leuven. She's also the author of the groundbreaking book, “Between Us - How Cultures Create Emotions,” In this conversation we explore the complex interplay between emotions and culture, focusing on how different societies perceive and express emotions like anger, shame, empathy and love. We also tackle the cultural significance of these emotions, the implications for health, and the challenges of navigating intercultural relationships in the modern world.