In this episode of Data Nation, we talk with leaders of Colossal, a company working to bring back extinct animals like the wooly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger (thylacine), and dodo bird. Colossal CEO Ben Lamm, Chief Science Officer Dr. Beth Shapiro, and Colossal Foundation President Matt James join us to explain how they use gene editing and advanced technology, like CRISPR, to try and make de-extinction possible. We will break down the science and talk about the big questions, like is it right to br...
Jul 29, 2025•35 min•Season 3Ep. 9
In this episode of Data Nation, economist Dr. Dave Donaldson joins us to explore how data shapes U.S. tariff policy. The discussion focuses on why Americans are skeptical of tariffs, how different industries are impacted by trade protections, and how these choices reflect broader social and political values. In this episode, Dr. Donaldson gives us further insight on whether recent shifts in trade policy are driven by economics or politics. We also look at how uncertainty around tariffs affects t...
Jun 30, 2025•29 min•Season 3Ep. 8
In this episode of Data Nation, economist Giovanni Peri and political scientist Margaret Peters join us to explore the evolving landscape of U.S. immigration and the data that shapes it. The discussion covers key issues like the economic impact of immigration on native-born workers, the role of wealth in shaping immigration policy, and the accuracy of immigration data. Peri and Peters share insights on how immigration affects wages, job markets, and public opinion, while examining the limitation...
May 29, 2025•38 min•Season 3Ep. 7
In this episode of Data Nation, fitness expert Jillian Michaels joins us to explore the complex world of food safety, nutrition, and health. The discussion covers critical topics like hidden food chemicals, misleading food labels, calorie tracking challenges, and the controversial rise of weight loss medications like Ozempic. Michaels provides insights into the food industry's manipulation of ingredients, the potential health risks of processed foods, and the broader implications of chemical add...
Apr 29, 2025•43 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Today on Data Nation, we are speaking with Kerry Emanuel and Kelvin Droegemeier to better understand extreme weather prevention and technology. Together, we’ll explore extreme weather displacement, changing weather conditions, and the legislation behind natural disaster procedures and measures. With Kerry Emanuel’s expertise in meteorology and extreme weather prediction as well as Kelvin Droegemeier’s legislation work as the Former Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, today’s...
Feb 25, 2025•48 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode, we dive into the rapidly evolving world of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) with Michael Schwimer, CEO of Big League Advantage and Alabama Men’s Basketball’s secret weapon to making it to the Final Four for the first time in school history. First, we explore the origins of NIL, the NCAA’s initial resistance, and the mechanics of NIL deals, including how collectives operate. Schwimer shares insights on the opportunities and pitfalls of NIL and the long-term implications of NIL for...
Jan 30, 2025•52 min•Season 3Ep. 5
Today on Data Nation, we are speaking with Jeffrey Karp and Daniel Belsky to explore the future of anti-aging technologies. Together, we’ll explore the accuracy of biological age tests, the ethics of anti-aging technologies, and how to ensure these innovations benefit more than just the wealthy. With Jeffrey Karp’s expertise in brain health and creating biomedical advancements in the Karp Lab and Daniel Belsky’s work in aging and healthspan research at the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center,...
Dec 16, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 4
The 2024 election was a time of tension and polarization amongst Americans. With these pressures, according to Associated Press elections data, over 153 million Americans felt the need to cast their ballot this year. Polls leading up to the election painted it as one of the tightest races in history, with The New York Times even reporting that “In the history of modern polling, there’s never been a race where the final polls showed such a close contest”. In a race with incredibly tight polls, ma...
Nov 26, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Today on Data Nation, guests John Della Volpe and Scott Tranter join us to discuss the approaching 2024 U.S. presidential election. Together, we’ll explore the many factors at play in the 2024 election from discussing the role of Gen Z voters and the use of social media in campaigning to the importance of swing state voters. Our guests bring fascinating insights with John Della Volpe, the Director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, and the author of “Fight: How Gen Z...
Oct 24, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 2
With Election Day nearing, this episode explores the relationships between polling and election digitalization with experts Andrew Gelman, a statistician and political scientist at Columbia University, and Brendan Lind, the founder of Human Agency - a company specializing in creating digital footprints for companies and individuals. Co-hosts Liberty Vittert and Munther Dahleh lead conversation to unpack polling methodologies, the implications on campaign strategy of the "bandwagon" and "underdog...
Sep 25, 2024•39 min
Why are they using more electric cars in Norway than in the US? What are the underlying mechanisms that drive technological change, and how can we influence them? What is ‘soft technology’ and what role can it play in lowering carbon emissions? In the season 2 finale of Data Nation, IDSS professor Jessika Trancik explains how her lab attempts to measure and model a technology’s real or potential impact, beneficial or harmful, on people, the environment, society — and on critical outcomes like mi...
Feb 29, 2024•39 min•Season 2Ep. 8
When Maxwell Frost was elected to Congress, he struggled to find housing in DC. Today he advocates for stronger consumer protections and authors legislation to level the playing field between renters and landlords. Frost joins Data Nation along with Catherine D’Ignazio, an Urban Science and Planning professor at MIT, to talk about the challenges renters and home buyers face, how algorithmic technology perpetuates discrimination, and the importance of understanding where data comes from and who b...
Dec 12, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 7
As an MIT professor and tech entrepreneur, Devavrat Shah has seen firsthand how AI tools can impact research, business, and careers. While some have dire warnings about the scale of harm AI can cause, Shah is optimistic. He joins the Data Nation podcast to dispel some doom and gloom, unpack ways that people are already using AI to make change for the better, and to examine how future benefits can emerge with regulation and education.
Oct 24, 2023•29 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Facing the tough decisions of a serious health threat brings the need for information and analysis into a sharp and personal focus. Computer scientist Regina Barzilay was an expert in natural language processing when she joined MIT; her cancer diagnosis led her to collaborations in healthcare, where she has advanced imaging, prediction, drug discovery, and clinical AI. She joins Munther Dahleh and Liberty Vittert to talk about issues from data collection and privacy to bias and “distributional s...
Sep 06, 2023•35 min•Season 2Ep. 5
The term “election fraud” is on the verge of making a comeback with the approach of the 2024 presidential election. Liberty Vittert and Munther Dahleh speak to MIT political scientist and MIT Election Lab director Charles Stewart to get to the bottom of modern-day election fraud. When are voting errors significant? How has voting evolved throughout American history? What effect did the COVID pandemic have on our elections? What do you need to know to be an informed voter in America?
Jun 08, 2023•31 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Liberty Vittert and Munther Dahleh dive into the world of augmented and virtual reality this month with Professor Fox Harrell. Harrell is Professor of Digital Media & AI in both the Comparative Media Studies Program and the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT. Is the world ready for what’s coming? Will augmented reality and virtual reality be a force for good or for evil, and what can you do to prepare yourself? You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram @mitidss. ...
May 02, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Ford Professor in the MIT Department of Economics David Autor joins Data Nation to explore how AI automation can replace, augment, and unpredictably change how we work.
Apr 04, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 2
In this episode of Data Nation, we’re talking all about anesthesia and sleep with Dr. Emery Brown. Dr. Brown is a Professor in IDSS and Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, as well as Professor of Anesthesia at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. Data Nation is hosted by Professor Liberty Vittert and Dr. Munther Dahleh, the head of MIT’s Institute for Data, Systems, and Society. Data Nation is a production of MIT's Institute for Data, Systems, and Society....
Mar 07, 2023•26 min•Season 2Ep. 1
A Native American man gets pulled over for driving a nice car, a black man is arrested in front of his family for a crime he didn’t commit – innocent people are at risk because of racial profiling. But to stop profiling, you have to first identify it, and that’s not as easy as it seems. Liberty and Scott are going deep into data in this episode, investigating how data is used against marginalized communities, and how it should be used to protect and serve them. They go to the experts to find out...
Oct 27, 2022•26 min•Ep. 9
Artificial intelligence – it’s not the easiest thing to trust when it comes to our healthcare. I mean, will AI replace our doctors in the future? There’s a lot of uncertainty about algorithms deciding our medical fate, so Liberty and Scott are getting the truth on AI’s role in healthcare. They go to the experts to explore the problems behind biased algorithms and faulty diagnoses, and discover if AI will cause harm to patients or if it will progress the medical field farther than it could ever g...
Oct 20, 2022•26 min•Ep. 8
Depending on who you are, when someone brings up the metaverse, you either get really excited, or you have no clue what they’re talking about. Or both! Liberty and Scott have each found themselves in one of these boats. So they’re diving deep into the data to find out what in the world the metaverse actually is, what it’s not, and if it’s going to be a thing that helps society flourish, or if it will be our demise. They talk with experts to get clear definitions and to find out if we’ll be livin...
Oct 13, 2022•27 min•Ep. 7
“Shh! Google is listening,” your mom points at her Alexa. You roll your eyes, but you know there’s some truth to it. Your data is being tracked. The question is, where’s it going, what are they doing with it, and how are they getting it? Liberty and Scott are investigating just how dangerous the data economy really is and if people truly need to be worried. They look for answers from MIT professor and former scientist at Facebook Dean Eckles , and New York Times technology columnist Kevin Roose ...
Oct 06, 2022•24 min•Ep. 6
It’s a killer that’s been swept under the rug. The leading cause of death for 18–45-year-olds in America is opioid overdose, and deaths are only increasing. Liberty and Scott want to know, why is this decades-old epidemic still taking so many lives? They’re getting the facts on the opioid crisis, looking at the local community and financial perspectives to get the truth. They go to the experts to explore the local community perspective and the financial aspect to discover the solutions that can ...
Sep 29, 2022•27 min•Ep. 5
You apply for an apartment, and they ask for your credit score. You shudder. Perhaps for a good reason, it’s possible that credit scores are more sinister than we realized. Liberty and Scott are getting to the bottom of credit scores to find just how antagonistic credit scores are to people from underserved communities seeking quality housing. They look for answers from Prof. Munther Dahleh , Director of MIT IDSS , and Yuri Beckelman , staff director at the US House of Representatives to find ou...
Sep 22, 2022•22 min•Ep. 4
2016 and 2020 ー not exactly our smoothest years in American election history. Mention them to anyone and you’ll likely enter an intense conversation about which side spewed misinformation to unfairly win each election. Misinformation was certainly out there, but did it actually sway these elections? Liberty and Scott investigate if misinformation is a weapon we need to be worried about, or if it’s the new norm of political tools. They’re getting answers from the director of the MIT Political Exp...
Sep 15, 2022•22 min•Ep. 3
Fans argue that analytics are ruining sports. Professional teams say they aren’t. And sports bettors are finding that data may be their new secret weapon. Liberty and Scott investigate if tracking data in sports will eventually ruin the game. They’re going to the co-founder of the MIT Sports Lab Anette “Peko” Hosoi , and president of the New England Revolution Brian Bilello to find out what the future of sports analytics is and how anyone can use the data to get the upperhand in betting. Data Na...
Sep 08, 2022•20 min•Ep. 2
We face a lot of overwhelming challenges today in America–systemic racism, data privacy, misinformation. These are big problems, and there are a lot of opinions and ideas on how to fix them. Scholars and industry experts often disagree on how to find solutions. So, how can we find the right way to move forward? We let the data speak for itself. Join hosts Liberty Vittert and Scott Tranter as they gather data and get the facts about today’s most pressing problems to find out, are solutions even p...
Aug 19, 2022•3 min•Ep. 1
