Show · Hosted by Lex Fridman

Lex Fridman Podcast

Long-form conversations with high-profile figures in science, technology, and politics, often running for hours and going deep.

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59 episodes tracked · 2 guests covered · 4 pieces published, latest 2026-07-15

Anthony Kaldellis says the Plague of Justinian probably did not kill half the Roman Empire
Lex Fridman Podcast·Culture

Anthony Kaldellis says the Plague of Justinian probably did not kill half the Roman Empire

The historian's case is brutally practical: if half the empire died, why did Justinian's wars, taxes, and courts keep running?

Jul 8, 2026
Anthony Kaldellis says Roman families voluntarily castrated their sons to place them at the emperor's court
Lex Fridman Podcast·Culture

Anthony Kaldellis says Roman families voluntarily castrated their sons to place them at the emperor's court

The Byzantine historian explains how castration was sometimes a family's smartest power move, not just a cruelty imposed on slaves.

Jul 2, 2026
Don Lincoln Has Spent 30 Years Looking for Dark Matter and Has Absolutely No Idea What It Is
Lex Fridman Podcast·Interviews

Don Lincoln Has Spent 30 Years Looking for Dark Matter and Has Absolutely No Idea What It Is

The Fermilab physicist makes a compelling case for something he cannot find, cannot name, and cannot stop thinking about.

Jun 2, 2026
Don Lincoln Wants You to Understand Why Time Is Weirder Than You Think
Lex Fridman Podcast·Interviews

Don Lincoln Wants You to Understand Why Time Is Weirder Than You Think

A Fermilab physicist walks Lex Fridman through the history of spacetime, and the most interesting part is what nobody actually understands.

May 29, 2026
Don Lincoln says quantum field theory predicts dark energy 10^120 times too large
Lex Fridman Podcast·Culture

Don Lincoln says quantum field theory predicts dark energy 10^120 times too large

The Fermilab physicist puts a number on the vacuum catastrophe, and the number is so stupidly large it makes ordinary scientific failure look dainty.

May 29, 2026