Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-veritas-lab Harvard professors are known for their cutting-edge research—and also for their effervescent and eccentric personalities. The Veritas Lab, hosted by Katelyn X. Li and Sanjana L. Narayanan, will give you a glimpse of both. Through lively conversations with professors across Harvard, we’ll get at the truth behind the most exciting issues in modern research. Presented by The Harvard Crimson, published on alternating Wednesdays. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. © 2025 The Harvard Crimson 8001aa12-6b35-5fcb-947e-e95295e8ce63 no Introducing: The Veritas Lab en Wed, 23 Jul 2025 10:36:23 -0400 Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:40:18 -0500 https://veritaslab.transistor.fm/ https://img.transistor.fm/Yvim6IKHSh_cvlMfIo0fW2oP3k0PKi2aVkOvaUuKzzs/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzE0MDk4LzE1OTk2/OTMzNjEtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.jpg https://veritaslab.transistor.fm/ episodic The Harvard Crimson Harvard professors are known for their cutting-edge research—and also for their effervescent and eccentric personalities. The Veritas Lab, hosted by Katelyn X. Li and Sanjana L. Narayanan, will give you a glimpse of both. Through lively conversations with professors across Harvard, we’ll get at the truth behind the most exciting issues in modern research. Presented by The Harvard Crimson, published on alternating Wednesdays. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Harvard professors are known for their cutting-edge research—and also for their effervescent and eccentric personalities. Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature Thomas Maissoneuve No No 8 8 8. A History of Climate Catastrophe full 1103a880-77b9-457f-bffe-8ab2097e3b98 https://share.transistor.fm/s/d1cbbb06 Wed, 30 Dec 2020 11:59:30 -0500 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 2189 Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. But this is not the first time Earth’s weather patterns have undergone cataclysmic disruptions. Just take a look at the global ice ages that occurred millions of years ago. These “Snowball Earths” likely had tremendous consequences: freezing the world over, triggering an upsurge of atmospheric oxygen, and maybe even giving rise to multicellular life. With near-record warming in the Arctic and environmental disasters ravaging the globe, understanding Earth’s geologic past may be crucial to ensuring that our planet even has a future. In this final episode of The Veritas Lab, Harvard geology professor Daniel Schrag discusses the tumultuous history of Earth’s climate and the preliminary steps we should take on the long road to decarbonization. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing our planet today. But this is not the first time Earth’s weather patterns have undergone cataclysmic disruptions. Just take a look at the global ice ages that occurred millions of years ago. These “ Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No 7 7 7. Building Ethics Into Education full 64090a44-314c-4e74-a386-f3a28d5ce0b2 https://share.transistor.fm/s/4ed3fada Wed, 16 Dec 2020 15:56:49 -0500 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 1792 The ongoing pandemic has forced us to take a closer look at the American education system. With many schools shuttering across the country, it has become clear that marginalized communities are less likely to receive safe, in-person education than historically privileged groups. Should schools reopen if it means exacerbating these already wide socioeconomic inequalities? The field of educational ethics — developed by Professor Meira Levinson from the Harvard Graduate School of Education — can help educators and policymakers answer moral quandaries like this one. In this episode of The Veritas Lab, Professor Levinson introduces educational ethics and its potential to remedy long-standing issues of injustice. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. The ongoing pandemic has forced us to take a closer look at the American education system. With many schools shuttering across the country, it has become clear that marginalized communities are less likely to receive safe, in-person education than histori Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No 6 6 6. The Middle East: Beyond the Headlines full 0fb0d953-1240-4f3c-be5d-4ce153ee443b https://share.transistor.fm/s/3b80864a Wed, 02 Dec 2020 10:32:46 -0500 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 1941 What are the real causes of instability and conflict in the Middle East? Why did some countries successfully transition to democracies after the Arab Spring uprisings, while other countries remain embroiled in violence? And what’s next for the future of American foreign policy in the region? In this episode of The Veritas Lab, Harvard Government professor Melani Cammett dives into the politics of development and destabilization in the Middle East, addressing these questions and many more. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. What are the real causes of instability and conflict in the Middle East? Why did some countries successfully transition to democracies after the Arab Spring uprisings, while other countries remain embroiled in violence? And what’s next for the future of A Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No 5 5 5. Sovereignty, Indigenousness, and Defied Expectations full d00934be-a28d-4c81-bc32-e8bf4938dd2f https://share.transistor.fm/s/681c453e Wed, 18 Nov 2020 04:10:50 -0500 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 1970 Indigenous people have played a crucial role in shaping modern culture — from art to athletics to automobiles — yet they have largely been excluded from the American narrative. In this episode of The Veritas Lab, we sit down with Professor Philip Deloria — the first tenured professor of Native American studies at Harvard — to learn more about how indigenous studies contributes to the rise of ethnic studies, and how it challenges our very understanding of the United States as a nation. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. Indigenous people have played a crucial role in shaping modern culture — from art to athletics to automobiles — yet they have largely been excluded from the American narrative. In this episode of The Veritas Lab, we sit down with Professor Philip Deloria Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No 4 4 4. An Intelligent Economy full fbe3c58c-bd4f-464e-b6d1-447ba014f2ad https://share.transistor.fm/s/1d4e4a34 Wed, 04 Nov 2020 13:12:43 -0500 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 1839 Computer algorithms can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they have the power to transform our understanding of economic policy and social phenomena — from ride-sharing technology, to election prediction, to YouTube recommender systems, to tax policies. Conversely, algorithms can harbor hidden biases. And since modern machine learning systems are often too complex for humans to understand, we may not even recognize when and how algorithms are discriminating against minority populations. In this episode, Harvard computer science professor David Parkes walks us through his research at the intersection of economics and CS, and explains how to leverage the benefits of algorithms without compromising on fairness. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. Computer algorithms can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they have the power to transform our understanding of economic policy and social phenomena — from ride-sharing technology, to election prediction, to YouTube recommender systems, to tax pol Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No 3 3 3. Why Study Literature? full ec152704-c670-4fa0-8e10-3d4343ceca85 https://share.transistor.fm/s/832ae553 Wed, 21 Oct 2020 04:00:45 -0400 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 1839 Literary studies is suffering from a “crisis of confidence,” according to Harvard English professor Beth Blum, from both within and without. Compared to the concreteness of historical fact and scientific data, the humanities are all too often dismissed as offering no practical value, only art for its own sake. In this episode, we sit down with Professor Blum to push back against that argument. In her thought-provoking book The Self-Help Compulsion, Professor Blum untangles our insatiable craving for utilitarian reading like self-help, and argues that literature — even modernist novels as purely aesthetic as James Joyce’s Ulysses — may offer us just as much practical wisdom, if we only take the trouble to look for it. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. Literary studies is suffering from a “crisis of confidence,” according to Harvard English professor Beth Blum, from both within and without. Compared to the concreteness of historical fact and scientific data, the humanities are all too often dismissed as Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No 2 2 2. A Universe of Strings full 42815522-a051-481a-9c60-355e67294f73 https://share.transistor.fm/s/0d6b3431 Wed, 07 Oct 2020 03:05:15 -0400 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 1652 The fundamental particles we know and love might actually be made of tiny strings that vibrate like the strings of a guitar. We also might be living in a universe with ten or more physical dimensions, some of them curled up where we can’t see them. These ideas, which are at the core of string theory, may sound extraordinary — but they may also be the key to that holy grail of physics, a theory of everything. In this episode of The Veritas Lab, Cumrun Vafa, a professor in Harvard’s Department of Physics, gives us a fascinating tour of the power and perplexities of string theory. If you’ve ever wanted to imagine what spacetime might look like at scales of 20 orders of magnitude smaller than a proton, take a listen! Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. The fundamental particles we know and love might actually be made of tiny strings that vibrate like the strings of a guitar. We also might be living in a universe with ten or more physical dimensions, some of them curled up where we can’t see them. These Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No 1 1 1. What's in a Brain? full 63d5e3a7-bb13-44e2-b485-8d243f6bb282 https://share.transistor.fm/s/e74752a4 Wed, 23 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0400 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 1705 Have you ever wondered how that mushy glob of tissue –– producing your every thought, action, and emotion –– is built? In this episode, we sit down with Jeffrey Macklis, a professor in Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and Center for Brain Science, to tackle gripping questions about how the brain develops and what happens when things go wrong in cases of disease and disorder. Tune in if you’re curious about how sets of genes can orchestrate brain development with remarkable precision, and about the potential to apply this innovative research towards regeneration and repair of the human brain. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. Have you ever wondered how that mushy glob of tissue –– producing your every thought, action, and emotion –– is built? In this episode, we sit down with Jeffrey Macklis, a professor in Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology and Center Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No Introducing: The Veritas Lab trailer 6b0c68cf-df94-489e-b8ee-b2270c07e4ad https://share.transistor.fm/s/a1369d52 Wed, 09 Sep 2020 02:07:24 -0400 The Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson 119 Welcome to The Veritas Lab, a podcast about cutting-edge research developments across Harvard. Join hosts Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan every other Wednesday as they chat with Harvard professors and learn about the latest ideas in the sciences, arts, government, and more. Presented by the Harvard Crimson. Hosted by Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan. Produced by Amanda Su. Podcast art by Margot Shang. Welcome to The Veritas Lab, a podcast about cutting-edge research developments across Harvard. Join hosts Katelyn Li and Sanjana Narayanan every other Wednesday as they chat with Harvard professors and learn about the latest ideas in the sciences, arts, g Research, Harvard, Professors, Economics, Computer Science, Physics, Literature No