In our new series, we turn from the pioneers of the past to the challenges of the present. This first episode explores overillumination—the excess of artificial light in our cities and homes. Once a symbol of progress and safety, brightness has become so abundant that it reshapes our nights, our health, and our relationship to darkness itself.

We trace the history of how society came to equate light with security and success, then look at the scientific evidence showing how “too much light at the wrong time” disrupts our sleep, hormones, and even long-term health. From the glow of urban skylines to the LEDs glowing on our bedside tables, we ask: How bright is too bright?

This episode invites listeners to rethink illumination—not as a race for more lumens, but as a balance between light and shadow, visibility and rest, day and night.