Putting herself as she says, “inside the tech worlds to come,” reporter Kashmir Hill explores how the technology that’s making our lives easier is also eroding our privacy. Her experiences are both amusing and downright scary.
While filling out an on-line dating app – listing his traits and those of an ideal partner – neuroscientist David Linden began to wonder what makes each of us unique. Why is even each person in a pair of identical twins unique? The answer, he tells Alan, is far richer and more interesting than the old false division of "nature versus nurture".
The multitalented singer, actor, songwriter, author tells Alan how her childhood in Hawaii shaped not only her career but also now moves her to bring nature back to the city of New York.
After making the astonishing discovery that what he and his fellow cosmologists thought they knew about the universe was wrong, Saul Perlmutter began a course at his university explaining why catching mistakes is at the heart of science. It’s also a lesson in life for the rest of us.
The author of the wonderful memoir Lab Girl turns her turns her ability to be both clear and vivid to providing a path forward for a new generation tackling the climate crisis.
His poems are loved by millions. Poet Laureate from 2001 to 2003, Billy Collins achieves both depth and accessibility in the same moment. His words often surprise us because they have a way of surprising him .
His descriptions of living in space make you feel you’re on the ship with him. His performance of the David Bowie song Space Oddity in a video he beamed down to earth was a worldwide hit. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is a veteran of three space missions, including as commander of the International Space Station. He takes us with him.
A successful playwright with plenty to smile about – a new play opening on Broadway and the birth of twins – suddenly lost her ability to smile. Her struggle to regain it is the subject of her new book, a story that – perhaps surprisingly – will give you plenty to smile about.
In a widely praised new book, The Quiet Before, Gal Beckerman paints vivid pictures of how throughout history, radical change has only come about through quiet preparation.
As the James Webb Space Telescope starts peering out into space this summer, mother and daughter astronomers Natalie and Natasha Batalha will each have major roles in the search for signs of life on planets beyond the solar system.
His outstanding career acting in both movies and television – most recently his highly praised performance in the Hulu series Dopesick – had its beginning in standup comedy. “It was an opportunity to have a stage for 15 minutes and… perform.” Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Alan and Executive Producer Graham Chedd chat about and play excerpts from Alan's conversations with some of the guests in the new season, beginning next week. Guests include actor Michael Keaton, poet Billy Collins, and astronaut (and space oddity) Chris Hadfield. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Twenty years of exploring the technical, social and environmental impact of AI has convinced Kate Crawford that we should be much more skeptical about where AI is useful – and concerned about where it is harmful. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
His jazz informs his physics and his physics informs his jazz, as cosmologist Stephon Alexander seeks a new understanding of the Universe. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
An author with a thing for one syllable titles – Stiff, Gulp, Bonk – Mary Roach’s latest book, Fuzz, is a quirky exploration of how animals are indifferent to laws made for people, laws like manslaughter, breaking and entering, home invasion, jaywalking, littering. They may not care, but we do. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
From lizards that cling on for dear life during hurricanes to bees that can’t find flowers, plants and animals are trying to cope with climate change – and both inspiring and warning us to take action. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
How do we instantly sense whether someone has more or less power than we have – and change our behavior as a result? Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Dunbar’s Number is the most people you can have meaningful relationships with. But that number – 150 – is only one of the many circles of friends and acquaintances in your life. And one of those circles, according to Robin’s research, can determine how long you’ll live. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
How is it that the experience of stress or trauma can be passed on from one generation to the next, even without contact between them? Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Surviving some of the hardest of times has given Kate Bowler insights that are valuable to the rest of us who can't know what tomorrow will bring. And she’s funny, too. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
The discovery of a direct and instant connection between your stomach and your brain has brought a whole new dimension to the notion of a “gut feeling.” Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
At 95, Mel tells it like it was in his new book, All About Me! My Remarkable Life in Show Business Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Best-selling books like The Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z made Max Brooks famous. They also led to his becoming an advisor to the Modern War Institute at West Point. There he’s helping shape a survival guide for a future where cyberwar becomes more threatening than war on the battlefield. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Alan and Executive Producer Graham Chedd chat about and play excerpts from Alan’s conversations with some of the guests in the new season, beginning next week. Guests include zombie expert Max Brooks; neuroscientists Diego Bohórquez and Bianca Jones Marlin; and author Kate Bowler. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Emmy and Tony nominee Holland Taylor wrote and performed a one-woman show called Ann, bringing to life on the stage the woman she most admired, former Texas governor Ann Richards. And she came up with a smash hit. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Next month her camera will be hurled a million miles into space, from where it will be seeking the first stars in the universe. On board the James Webb Space telescope, her infrared camera will also be checking the atmospheres of planets beyond the solar system, looking for signs of life. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Jon LaPook, Chief Medical Correspondent for CBS News , is on a mission to help doctors be more empathetic with patients. And his communication skills are turning out to be contagious. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
With the invention of new ways to explore the brain, Karl Deisseroth has revolutionized neuroscience – work that has just now been recognized with the highest honor in medical research, the Lasker Award. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
Taking a deep dive into the alternative reality of people convinced that the earth is flat, Lee McIntyre learned valuable lessons about how – and how not – to talk to those who persist in denying science. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
The first female conductor of a major American symphony orchestra, Marin Alsop explains to Alan just what a conductor contributes to a performance; how her right and left hands have different roles; why oboists have to be treated differently from horn players; and the success of an innovative program to bring the joys of classical music to kids. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid
