Intellectually Curious
Intellectually Curious is a podcast by Mike Breault featuring over 1,400 AI-powered explorations across science, mathematics, philosophy, and personal growth. Each short-form episode is generated, refined, and published with the help of large language models—turning curiosity into an ongoing audio encyclopedia. Designed for anyone who loves learning, it offers quick dives into everything from combinatorics and cryptography to systems thinking and psychology.
Inspiration for this podcast:
"Muad'Dib learned rapidly because his first training was in how to learn. And the first lesson of all was the basic trust that he could learn. It's shocking to find how many people do not believe they can learn, and how many more believe learning to be difficult. Muad'Dib knew that every experience carries its lesson."
― Frank Herbert, Dune
Note: These podcasts were made with NotebookLM. AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.
Intellectually Curious
Chewbacca Coral: The Shaggy Giant of the Deep Sea
Dive into the discovery of Iridogorgia chewbacca, a shimmering deep-sea bamboo coral whose thousands of active polyps cloak its stalk in a fuzzy, iridescent halo. We unpack what a monopodial spiral axis means, how this species survives at 400–1,000 meters in the western Pacific, and why archival ROV footage led scientists to formally describe it as a new species in 2025. Along the way we explore the ecology of deep-sea suspension feeders, the patience of taxonomy, and why a memorable name helps illuminate the science lurking in the ocean’s depths.
Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.
Sponsored by Embersilk LLC