What really is addiction—and can we actually get addicted to our phones? Dr. Keanan Joyner joins us to discuss how addiction works from both a biological and social lens. He shares insights from his lab’s research on drug use, genetics, and disinhibition, and explains why substance abuse isn’t just about individual choice. Ava and Beth also discuss screen use, dopamine, and what counts as “real” addiction. Plus, Dr. Joyner shares why EEG studies often exclude Black participants, and what his lab is doing to change that.

Have you ever seen a robot that looks almost human, but something feels a bit off? Did it make you feel unsettled, and maybe a bit creeped out? Dr. Yulia Vaitonytė joins us to discuss her research on this phenomenon of the uncanny valley. She unpacks the brain and perceptual cues behind this eeriness, and tells us why certain kinds of imperfections might actually help robots appear more real. Beth & Ava play a game to see if they can recognize real faces from artificially generated ones.

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a ground-breaking technique that uses electrical impulses to treat conditions like epilepsy and depression through electrodes implanted in the brain. In this episode we are joined by Dr. Saurabh Sonkusare to learn about how DBS works and how it can be used in psychiatry and research. Ava and Beth discuss how DBS research findings may have implications for philosophical ideas of the self.