The Joy of Why
Hosted by Janna Levin and Steven Strogatz · Steven Strogatz, Janna Levin and Quanta Magazine
4.9from 1,578 ratings
- 77
- Episodes
- 24
- Transcribed
- 1,578
- Ratings
- Bi-weekly
- Cadence
- 2022
- First episode
About The Joy of Why
“The Joy of Why” is a Quanta Magazine podcast about curiosity and the pursuit of knowledge. The mathematician and author Steven Strogatz and the cosmologist and author Janna Levin take turns interviewing leading researchers about the great scientific and mathematical questions of our time. New episodes are released every other Wednesday. Quanta Magazine is a Pulitzer Prize–winning, editorially independent online publication launched and supported by the Simons Foundation to illuminate big ideas in science and math through public service journalism. Quanta’s reporters and editors focus on developments in mathematics, theoretical physics, theoretical computer science and the basic life sciences, emphasizing timely, accurate, in-depth and well-crafted articles for its broad discerning audience. In 2023, Steven Strogatz received a National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications partly for his work on “The Joy of Why.”
- Publisher
- Steven Strogatz, Janna Levin and Quanta Magazine
- Category
- science
- Language
- en
- Explicit
- No
- First episode
- 17 Mar 2022
- Latest episode
- 29 Oct 2026
Latest episodes
24 of 77 episodes have a transcript.
29 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
How Do You Take a Picture of a Black Hole?
15 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
How Do Fungi Keep the Planet Healthy?
1 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT
What Does the Fourth Dimension Actually Look Like?
Inside a recent episode
How Do You Take a Picture of a Black Hole?
Published 29 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] We were after the real measurement of the fundamental nature of the universe. Now, when people hear this idea that you're going to try to turn the Earth into a telescope or a telescope the size of the world, it sounds like such a crazy lark. What made you think it was viable? It was no mean feat. […]
Read the full transcript with a Pod Engine plan.
See plansWho has been a guest on The Joy of Why
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
- Shep Doeleman
- Toby Kiers
- Maggie Miller
- Jonathan Halliwell
- Akshay Venkatesh
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
- Apple Podcasts (US)
- 4.8 / 5
- 556 ratings
- Spotify
- 5.0 / 5
- 1,022 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 64 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
- Quality
- 88
- Social presence
- 0
- YouTube
- 0
- Engagement
- 99
Contact The Joy of Why
- Guest appearances
- Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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Questions about The Joy of Why
Who hosts The Joy of Why?
Janna Levin and Steven Strogatz host the show. Published by Steven Strogatz, Janna Levin and Quanta Magazine.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes bi-weekly, based on its RSS feed.
Does The Joy of Why take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
Where can I read transcripts?
24 of 77 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.
Host of The Joy of Why?
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