Ideas

Math may be the language of the universe, and brilliant minds and technology may have unlocked many of the secrets of the universe. But the pursuit of knowledge and insight always starts with the same thing: curiosity. Asimina Arvanitaki, a groundbreaking researcher with the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ont., reprises a talk she recently gave in her native Greece about the role of curiosity has played in the history of scientific discovery and in her own passion for science. And, in a wide-ranging onstage interview with Nahlah Ayed, she discusses the importance of fundamental research, the responsibilities of scientists to the public, and the appropriate role of AI in scientific research.

Erik Satie’s music is everywhere: in advertisements, coffee shops, and elevators. His iconic compositions like Gymnopédies have been streamed millions of times and become staples of background music worldwide. But Satie’s relationship to "background music" goes far deeper than simply having a knack for writing it. Over a century ago, he began composing what he called "furniture music" – pieces designed to fit into an environment just like a table, or chair. It was the beginning of a background music revolution, paving the way for everything from Brian Eno to Muzak. In "Satie’s Furniture," contributor Craig Desson tells the story of why Satie created furniture music, and how his radical idea transformed the way we listen today.

For most of human history there was one problem with our food: there wasn’t enough of it. But the food system we built to solve that problem — the one capable of feeding eight billion people — is responsible for a third of greenhouse gas emissions. It’s also made poor diet the leading cause of early death globally — ahead of smoking. Producer Mitchell Stuart spent a year asking: what should we be eating instead?

From the earliest days of cinema to our era of streaming, zooming, and scrolling, the screen has become a central part of our lives -- so central that it actually impedes our lives, erasing our bodies, and to hiding from one another. Kim Nelson, film professor and director of the Humanities Research Centre at the University of Windsor, argues in a public talk that remaining connected entails protecting and treasuring the enduring wisdom of the humanities -- literature, history, philosophy, art, and drama. This event was held at the University of Windsor and features an onstage interview between Kim Nelson and IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed.

For more than a thousand years the Oracle of Delphi sat on a stool at the ‘navel of the universe.’ Under a mystical trance, she would offer cryptic predictions of the future. People would wait months, even years, for their chance to ask the Oracle for guidance on matters ranging from reproductive challenges, to family tiffs to when and how to wage war.

While the ritual around her remains shrouded in mystery, her predictions were – strangely – always right. Today our urge to predict the future mirrors the same psychological need that drove leaders to the Oracle at Delphi -- discomfort with uncertainty and deep seeded desire to control the unpredictable.