Welcome to the December 2025 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by <a href= "https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Patreon supporters</a> (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Blog post with transcript: <a href= "https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/12/15/ama-december-2025/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target= "_blank">https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/12/15/ama-december-2025/</a> In the intro I give a plug for the <a href= "https://www.givedirectly.org/podsfightpoverty/" rel= "noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Pods Fight Poverty effort organized by GiveDirectly</a>. Please consider making a donation to help families in Rwanda! Enjoy!

Holiday Message 2025 | The Romance of the University

Ever wanted to know how music affects your brain, what quantum mechanics really is, or how black holes work? Do you wonder why you get emotional each time you see a certain movie, or how on earth video games are designed? Then you've come to the right place. Each week, Sean Carroll will host conversations with some of the most interesting thinkers in the world. From neuroscientists and engineers to authors and television producers, Sean and his guests talk about the biggest ideas in science, philosophy, culture and much more.