Brave New Planet

The Happiness Lab’s Dr. Laurie Santos brings together other Pushkin hosts to mark the International Day of Happiness. Revisionist History’s Malcolm Gladwell talks about the benefits of the misery of running in a Canadian winter. Dr. Maya Shankar from A Slight Change of Plans talks about quieting her mental chatter. And Cautionary Tales host Tim Harford surprises everyone with the happiness lessons to be learned from a colonoscopy. Hear more of The Happiness Lab HERE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While Andrea Rubin lay unconscious and severely burned after a car fire, her father told doctors to do everything they could to keep her alive. She would need many surgeries. Her quality of life wouldn’t be the same. Her friends were outraged. They told doctors that Andrea would not want to live that way. While Andrea was being kept alive on a ventilator, her loved ones fought about what would be best for her. In this episode, we explore how medical decisions are made for patients who are incapable of deciding for themselves. Enjoy this episode from playing god? Show notes: In addition to Andrea Rubin, this episode features interviews with: Jeffrey Kahn, Andreas C. Dracopolous Director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics Monica Gerrek, Co-director of the Center for Biomedical Ethics at MetroHealth System (where Andrea was treated) You can learn more about Andrea’s case here. A similar case to Andrea’s happened in the 1970s. A man named Dax Cowart repeatedly asked doctors to let him die after suffering severe burns. But the doctors continued to treat him against his wishes. Here’s an interview with Mr. Cowart ten years after his accident, where he talks about his experience with the Washington Post. Dr. Gerrek wrote a paper comparing the two cases, and showing how medical decision making for severe burn patients has evolved over the past 50 years. For further reading about medical decision making and patient autonomy, visit the Berman Institute’s episode guide. The Greenwall Foundation. Making bioethics integral to decisions in healthcare, policy and research. Learn more at greenwall.org. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Open-source innovation is the future of AI. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell and Tim Harford discuss the open-source AI community with Jeff Boudier, head of product and growth at Hugging Face. They chat about the history and future of open-source AI, its critical importance to AI progress, the IBM watsonx partnership with Hugging Face, and how businesses can leverage open-source AI for their specific needs. Visit us at: https://www.ibm.com/smarttalks/ Learn more about the Hugging Face partnership: https://newsroom.ibm.com/2023-08-24-IBM-to-Participate-in-235M-Series-D-Funding-Round-of-Hugging-Face Learn more about the Google DeepMind paper referenced in this episode: https://proceedings.neurips.cc/paper_files/paper/2017/file/3f5ee243547dee91fbd053c1c4a845aa-Paper.pdf This is a paid advertisement from IBM. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is ‘structure-based’ vaccine design? Before scientists used these techniques to design vaccines against Covid, they were testing them in the lab to combat RSV. Keren Landman joins the show to talk about how this respiratory virus endangers the lives of babies and the elderly. Then, we hear about an early RSV vaccine trial that cast a shadow over modern research, and how scientists, including our guests Jason McLellan and Barney Graham, later figured out how to create and stabilize a viral antigen’s spike protein to fight RSV. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What can we learn from the centuries-long quest to eradicate smallpox, once the scourge of humanity? And how did it set the stage for all vaccines to come? First we meet Edward Jenner, a doctor in 18th century Britain who learned about the folk practice of “variolation” and found a safer way to inoculate people against smallpox. Then, Donald Hopkins of the Carter Center takes us back to the 1960s in Sierra Leone, where he discovered that successfully eradicating smallpox could be a feasible goal worldwide. Enjoy this episode from Incubation, another Pushkin podcast. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when artificial intelligence comes for the novelists? Journalist Stephen Marche investigates in Death of an Author, a gripping speculative mystery that was written 95% by AI, aka “Aidan Marchine,” and 5% by Marche, who skillfully crafted the story outline and machine prompts. You can get Death of an Author now at https://www.pushkin.fm/audiobooks/death-of-an-author or wherever you get your audiobooks and eBooks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This excerpt from Pushkin's new audiobook, Higher Animals: Vaccines, Synthetic Biology, and the Future of Life, features the introduction to Michael Specter's exciting exploration into how MRNA vaccines have transformed the scientific landscape and helped spark a biotechnology revolution. Go buy yourself a copy at pushkin.fm, Audible, Apple Books, or anywhere audiobooks are sold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a historic 355 days in orbit, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei returned to Earth on March 30, 2022, breaking the record for the longest single spaceflight by an American. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Malcolm Gladwell and Mark Vande Hei discuss conducting experiments in space, the impact of extended spaceflight on humans, and the spiciness of space chili peppers. This is a paid advertisement from IBM. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This excerpt from Pushkin's new audiobook, The January 6 Tapes, features lawyer and legal analyst Preet Bharara's thoughtful breakdown of the January 6 Select Committee Hearings. The only compilation of the actual hearings, this audiobook is filled with the riveting testimonies that will define history. Go buy yourself a copy at pushkin.fm, Audible, Apple Books, Spotify or anywhere audiobooks are sold. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sharing a special episode from our friends at Revisionist History, Malcolm Gladwell’s podcast about things misunderstood and overlooked. On this brand new season, Malcolm’s obsessed with experiments – natural experiments, scientific experiments, thought experiments. In this preview, you’ll learn about a mysterious and disfiguring disease that plagued parts of the world. No one could find a remedy until a doctor in Ohio conducted a controversial experiment…with an everyday condiment. You can...

Sharing a preview from Car Show!, a new podcast from Pushkin. Longtime Car and Driver editor Eddie Alterman tells the stories of the vital cars—the ones that have changed how we drive and live, whose significance lies outside the scope of horsepower or miles per gallon. In this episode, Eddie investigates the Lunar Rover. Why did we send a car to the moon? How did we design something for an environment we knew nothing about? How did we get it up there? Plus, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes...

This episode is a special preview of Azeem Azhar’s Exponential View, from Harvard Business Review. Exponential View tackles the thorny issues at the heart of science, technology, ethics and beyond. Serial entrepreneur, technologist, and investor Azeem Azhar talks with CEOs, policymakers, scientists, and the world’s leaders about these new technologies – to answer questions like, “how will we live morally in the metaverse?” and “how will quantum computing change the way you do business?“ In...

Presenting: An Excerpt from Miracle And Wonder: Conversations With Paul Simon by Malcolm Gladwell and Bruce Headlam. Download the audiobook today at miracleaudiook.com and receive an exclusive listener's guide pdf featuring additional commentary from Bruce, the producers and editors of Miracle and Wonder. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At Pushkin, we think of Juneteenth as an opportunity to reflect on the past and think about the future: How do we build a more just and equitable society? We strive to make podcasts that help answer that question, and in honor of Juneteenth, we’re highlighting two of them. In this episode, you'll hear previews of our new shows Be Antiracist and A Slight Change of Plans. We hope these episodes inspire thinking and conversation around issues of race in your own lives. You can listen to more episodes at www.pushkin.fm/show/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Presenting a special episode of another Pushkin podcast, The Last Archive. On the show, Harvard historian and Yorker writer Jill Lepore uncovers the secrets of the past the way a detective might, using archival tapes and documents, intrepid reporting, and radio drama reenactments. This season investigates purveyors of doubt — hoaxers, fraudsters, pseudoscientists — and how the peddling of doubt evolved over the 20th century, leading all the way to the Capitol Insurrection. This episode...

How can we come together to tackle big challenges in science and society? Dr. Eric Lander and Niala Boodhoo, veteran journalist and Axios Today host, talk about the importance of trust, humility, and skepticism in the worlds of science and media. Together, they ask how we can find the common ground we’ll need to make progress. For links to materials referenced in the episode, suggestions for further learning, and guest bios, visit bravenewplanet.org. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new technology, called gene drives, has the power to spread any genetic instructions you wish across an entire animal or plant species in the wild. It might let us restore ecosystems ravaged by invasive species, or help species adapt to climate change. And, it might save millions of children from dying of malaria. But could altering nature in this way, and on this scale, have unintended consequences? And, when it comes reshaping ecosystems, who needs to say yes? For links to materials referenced in the episode, suggestions for further learning, and guest bios, visit bravenewplanet.org. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Artificial intelligence is letting us make predictive algorithms that translate languages and spot diseases as well or better than humans. But these systems are also being used to make decisions about hiring and criminal sentencing. Do computers trained on vast datasets of human experience learn human biases, like sexism and racism? Is it possible to create an algorithm that is fair for everyone? And should you have the right to know when these algorithms are being used and how they work? For links to materials referenced in the episode, suggestions for further learning, and guest bios, visit bravenewplanet.org. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fully autonomous lethal weapons—robots that can select and engage targets without human intervention—are fast becoming possible. They might minimize casualties and protect civilians in times of war. But is it morally wrong to put a computer in charge of life or death decisions? Could system errors lead to flash wars? But, as war gets faster and more complex, is it even feasible to keep humans in the loop? For links to materials referenced in the episode, suggestions for further learning, and guest bios, visit bravenewplanet.org. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could altering the Earth’s atmosphere to reflect back some of the sun’s rays be a solution to climate change? It would likely decrease global temperatures, but it might lead to climate wars. Humanity might become “addicted” to it for survival. And ultimately, would this technology only distract us from tackling the real problem of carbon emissions? For links to materials referenced in the episode, suggestions for further learning, and guest bios, visit bravenewplanet.org. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.