Brave New Planet: Recent Episodes
Pushkin Industries
Utopia or dystopia? It’s up to us.In the 21st century, powerful technologies have been appearing at a breathtaking pace—related to the internet, artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and more. They have amazing potential upsides, but we can’t ignore the serious risks that come with them.Brave New Planet is a podcast that delves deep into the most exciting and challenging scientific frontiers, helping us understand them and grapple with their implications. Dr. Eric Lander, president and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is a geneticist, molecular biologist, and mathematician who was a leader of the Human Genome Project and for eight years served as a science advisor to the White House for President Obama. He’s also the host of Brave New Planet, and he’s talked to leading researchers, journalists, doctors, policy makers, activists, and legal experts to illuminate how this generation’s choices will shape the future as never before.Brave New Planet is a partnership between the Broad Institute, Pushkin Industries, and The Boston Globe's Opinion team.
What if we reframed the way we approach exercise? On today’s show, Dr. Elizabeth Poynor is joined by Robert Brace - founder of Brace Life Studios. He’s also Elizabeth’s trainer. They discuss how he tailors his workouts to women in midlife, the benefits of exercising in a group and how movement and exercise connect to our mental and spiritual well-being. Robert also gives advice about how to approach training at different hormonal cycle phases, and ways to get started, even when it feels tough.
Links to resources mentioned in this episode:
Robert Brace’s Studio
Martial arts increase oxytocin production
Systematic review: pain, cognition, and cardioprotection—unpacking oxytocin’s contributions in a sport context
Bidirectional Association between Physical Activity and Dopamine Across Adulthood—A Systematic Review
Embodied mood regulation: the impact of body posture on mood recovery, negative thoughts, and mood-congruent recall
Bone mineral density loss in relation to the final menstrual period in a multiethnic cohort: results from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN)
American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise
Menstrual cycle tracker apps – Natural Cycles, Flo and Apple Health
Exercise platforms/apps – Nike Training, TheBraceLife.com
Note: In this show, we use “women” as shorthand for people with XX chromosomes. We understand sex and gender are more complex, and acknowledge the experiences we describe reach beyond that word.
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The role of AI in the classroom is evolving rapidly. When students and teachers embrace this technology, it has the ability to democratize access to education through programs like IBM SkillsBuild. In this episode of Smart Talks with IBM, Dr. Laurie Santos, host of Pushkin’s The Happiness Lab podcast, spoke with two innovators in the space. Justina Nixon-Saintil is Vice President and Chief Impact Officer, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility, and April Dawson is an Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and a professor of law. They discuss the importance of lifelong learning, upskilling, and the ethical implications of AI in education.
This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 hear more Revisionist History at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/rhs7?sid=planet.
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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 peek at GM’s current lunar rover project.
You can find more episodes of Car Show! with Eddie Alterman at https://link.chtbl.com/newplanetcarshow.
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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 this preview, Azeem talks with Nick Hawker, CEO and co-founder of First Light Fusion in the UK, about why nuclear fusion could finally be on its way to becoming part of our energy mix – and what that could mean for our energy systems and our economies. Find a transcript of this episode here: https://hbr.org/podcast/2021/12/nuclear-fusions-time-is-finally-coming. You can listen to Exponential View athttps://hbr.org/2019/04/podcast-exponential-view.
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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.
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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/
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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 kicks off a two-part series on the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon. Lepore asks: How did this superlative scientific achievement turn from the height of man’s accomplishments to a wellspring of conspiracy theories? She traces the history from the mission itself, to the Fox news conspiracies a half century on.
You can hear the second half of the series, right now, in The Last Archive: http://podcasts.pushkin.fm/bravenewplanet
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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It’s getting easy to create convincing—but false—videos through artificial intelligence. These “deepfakes” can have interesting applications in art and education, but they can also cause great harm—from ruining the reputation of an ex-partner to provoking international conflicts or swinging elections. When seeing is not believing, who can we trust, and can democracy and truth survive?
For links to materials referenced in the episode, suggestions for further learning, and guest bios, visit bravenewplanet.org.
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Malcolm Gladwell joins host Dr. Eric Lander for a conversation about science, society, and how the decisions we make today will impact generations to come. At a moment when science is becoming more important than ever for meeting the challenges ahead, can we solve the growing tensions between society and science?
For links to materials referenced in the episode, suggestions for further learning, and guest bios, visit bravenewplanet.org.
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Introducing Brave New Planet, a seven-part series that delves deep into powerful technologies changing our world. They have amazing potential upsides, but we can’t ignore the serious risks. Hosted by Dr. Eric Lander, Brave New Planet is a partnership between the Broad Institute, Pushkin Industries, and the Boston Globe.
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