Ep143 "How do things last?" Part 1: neurons to civilizations

About this episode

This episode explores the concept of persistence across various domains, from biology to culture.

What makes things last, and what do very different lasting things have in common? Why might a space alien not be able to understand music? Why do windows in medieval cathedrals look thicker at the bottom, and what does this reveal about the world’s religions? What was the most important weapon in ancient history, and how did it disappear? Join today for the story of persistence, from sharks to schizophrenia to Roman concrete to DNA.

People in this episode

Host: David Eagleman

Topics covered

• persistence
• music
• history
• civilizations
• religion
• neuroscience

Keywords

• persistence
• neuroscience
• music
• civilizations
• history
• Roman concrete
• sharks
• schizophrenia
• DNA

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Roman concrete

Places: medieval cathedrals

More episodes of Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman

• Ep157 "Where Did the Letter "A" Come From?" with Danny Bate · June 8, 2026 · 54 min
• Ep156 What Do We Learn About AI by Dancing with Robots? with Catie Cuan · June 1, 2026 · 1h 12m
• Ep155 "Why Can’t Some People Stop Thinking Certain Thoughts?" with Jon Hershfield · May 25, 2026 · 1h 2m
• Ep154 "Can a Depressed Brain Find Its Way Out?" with Jon Nelson · May 18, 2026 · 1h 31m
• Ep153 Can You Unlearn Anxiety? with Judson Brewer · May 11, 2026 · 59 min
• Ep152 "How do you survive your own thoughts?" with Jewel · May 4, 2026 · 1h 6m