Happy Holidays! However you’re celebrating, we hope you’re able to find time to connect with friends, family, and loved ones. To accompany you through the season, we’re re-running one of our most popular episodes from 2024, the future of skin longevity with Professor Zakia Rahman . As an expert in dermatology, Professor Rahman explains that our skin is our most photographed organ, and taking care of it is not about vanity but rather vitality. Tune in to hear our conversation about everything fro...
Dec 27, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Leanne Williams is an expert in depression. The first thing that she wants the world to know is that depression is not some sort of character flaw, but a real illness with symptoms that can impair one’s ability to function day to day. The past decade has seen remarkable advances, she says, as functional MRI has opened new avenues of understanding depression’s mechanisms and its treatments. These are hopeful times for the science of depression, Williams tells host Russ Altman on this episode of S...
Dec 20, 2024•31 min•Ep 269•Transcript available on Metacast Guest Michael Greicius is an authority on Alzheimer’s disease. He makes the case that while effective treatments have remained elusive, there are high hopes for new approaches that target tau proteins in the brain associated with the disease. In the meantime, to reduce Alzheimer’s risk stay active, eat well, and manage circulatory risks, but skip genetic testing for now until better treatments emerge, Greicius tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everyth...
Dec 13, 2024•33 min•Ep 268•Transcript available on Metacast Two-time guest Nate Persily is a professor of law and policy who studies the intersection of artificial intelligence and democracy. AI is creeping into democracy, he says, and 2024 saw its share of deepfakes and synthetic media, but with surprisingly little impact. His bigger concern is the opposite – politicians claiming the truth to be fake. It breeds distrust and, for democracy, that’s more pernicious, Persily tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Ever...
Dec 06, 2024•30 min•Ep 267•Transcript available on Metacast The field of robotics has a long history at Stanford Engineering, and Professor Oussama Khatib has been a pioneering leader in that field, working on everything from human-interactive robots to underwater exploration, pushing the boundaries of what robots can do. Most recently, he’s led the opening of a new Robotics Center at Stanford. Today we’re bringing back the conversation we had with him about his work on OceanOneK — a humanoid robot who now has a new home in the Robotics Center. Join us a...
Nov 29, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Guest James Landay is an expert in human-centered artificial intelligence, a field all about optimizing technology for human and societal good. Landay says one of the most promising intersections is in education and AI, where the technology excels as a coaching and tutoring tool. His Smart Primer and Acorn apps use augmented reality and AI to engage children in outdoor, hands-on environmental science, and his GPT Coach is an AI-powered fitness planning tool. When it comes to AI and education, th...
Nov 22, 2024•31 min•Ep 266•Transcript available on Metacast Climate change authority Noah Diffenbaugh says that the effects of climate change are no longer theoretical but apparent in everyday, tangible ways. Still, he says, it is not too late to better understand the effects of climate change, to mitigate them through reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and other measures, and to adapt how we live in the face of a warmer planet. Society is falling behind in its ability to deal with increasingly extreme climate events but solutions are not out of reac...
Nov 15, 2024•33 min•Ep 265•Transcript available on Metacast Climate modeler Aditi Sheshadri says that while weather forecasting and climate projection are based on similar science, they are very different disciplines. Forecasting is about looking at next week, while projection is about looking at the next century. Sheshadri tells host Russ Altman how new data and techniques, like low-cost high-altitude balloons and AI, are reshaping the future of climate projection on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Have a questio...
Nov 08, 2024•29 min•Ep 264•Transcript available on Metacast Halloween may be behind us in the US but here at The Future of Everything we’re not quite done with spooky season. If you’re pairing your trick-or-treat haul with some scary movies, we invite you to revisit with us a conversation Russ had with Lawrence Wein a couple years ago about the work he’s doing in forensic genetic genealogy to crack cold cases. Professor Wein shares how he’s using math to catch criminals through traces of their DNA. It’s both haunting and hopeful, and we hope you’ll take ...
Nov 01, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Returning guest Marco Pavone is an expert in autonomous robotic systems, such as self-driving cars and autonomous space robots. He says that there have been major advances since his last appearance on the show seven years ago, mostly driven by leaps in artificial intelligence. He tells host Russ Altman all about the challenges and progress of autonomy on Earth and in space in this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in wri...
Oct 25, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Physicist Matthias Kling studies photons and the things science can do with ultrafast pulses of X-rays. These pulses last just attoseconds – a billionth of a billionth of a second, Kling says. He uses them to create slo-mo “movies” of electrons moving through materials like those used in batteries and solar cells. The gained knowledge could reshape fields like materials science, ultrafast and quantum computers, AI, and medical diagnostics, Kling tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford...
Oct 18, 2024•37 min•Ep 262•Transcript available on Metacast We’re just weeks away from a national election, and in our polarized society, we all know it can be difficult to find and create spaces for thoughtful policy discussions. A couple of years ago, James Fishkin , a professor of communication at Stanford, joined the podcast. He talked about a system called deliberative polling that can serve as a model for structuring small group discussions to help bring people together and bridge differences in conversations about some of the most politically frau...
Oct 11, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Astronautics professor Grace Gao is an authority on the Global Positioning System. GPS has long been key to navigation on Earth, she says, but science is now shifting its focus outward to the frontiers of space. Gao is working on a GPS-like system for the Moon. To keep costs low, this lunar positioning system will leverage Earth-based satellites complemented by a network of smaller satellites in lunar orbit. It could lead to autonomous vehicles on the moon and a new era of lunar exploration, Gao...
Oct 04, 2024•31 min•Ep 261•Transcript available on Metacast Sports medicine physician Emily Kraus knows a lot about the health challenges of female athletes. Women face far more ACL tears and bone stress injuries than men, for instance, and excessive training or poor nutrition can also delay puberty and affect menstruation. These differences are vastly understudied, she says. To close the gap, Kraus initiated the “Female Athlete Voice Project” that asks female Olympic and Paralympic athletes about their health experiences. We need to tailor approaches sp...
Sep 27, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we’re bringing you a best-of from our archive of over 250 episodes. We’re all aware that the consequences of climate change range from rising sea levels, to drought, wildfires, economic disruption and the displacement of populations. We’re seeing and living through many of these effects, but is there hope for managing additional risk? A couple years ago we sat down with environmental scientist Chris Field to ask this question. He shared that it’s still possible to pave the way to a sustai...
Sep 20, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Taken any selfies lately? Dermatologist Zakia Rahman studies both the science of healthy skin and the effects of the exponential increase in skin images on self-esteem. As a result, skin health is linked to mental health, she says. It’s not about vanity, it’s about vitality, Rahman tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episod...
Sep 13, 2024•30 min•Ep 259•Transcript available on Metacast Arvind Karunakaran studies the intersections of work, AI, and organizational behavior. He says AI can enhance speed and productivity in the short run, yet degrade skills over time. But it is in organizational power dynamics where AI has had its most marked impact, he says, telling host Russ Altman about situations in law firms where AI has fostered tension between paralegals and junior attorneys. It’s AI and the modern workplace on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything ...
Sep 06, 2024•33 min•Ep 258•Transcript available on Metacast We want to wish our listeners in the states a happy Labor Day weekend. We hope, wherever you are, you’re taking some time to savor the last bit of summer. After a couple months full of travel and news about the airplane industry, we can’t help wondering — are there better ways to build airplanes? Our previous guest, Ilan Kroo, an expert in aeronautics, discusses how recent developments in fuels, engines, materials, and computer controls are leading to a new era of airplanes. We hope you’ll tune ...
Aug 30, 2024•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast Political scientist Kathryn Stoner is the Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford and an authority on Russian/Ukrainian politics. She says views on the current war depend on which side someone is on: Many Russians and their leader Vladimir Putin say Ukrainians are Russians and have been since the 10th century. Ukrainians strongly disagree, likening the two nations to the U.S. and Great Britain. How the present conflict is resolved has important im...
Aug 23, 2024•32 min•Ep 257•Transcript available on Metacast Dan Schwartz is a cognitive psychologist and dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Education. He says that artificial intelligence is a different beast, but he is optimistic about its future in education. “It’s going to change stuff. It’s really an exciting time,” he says. Schwartz imagines a world not where AI is the teacher, but where human students learn by teaching AI chatbots key concepts. It’s called the Protégé Effect, Schwartz says, providing host Russ Altman a glimpse of the future of...
Aug 16, 2024•30 min•Ep 256•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we’re re-running a fascinating conversation with Sara Singer , a Stanford professor of medicine, and an expert on integrated healthcare. Anyone who’s had to navigate the healthcare system knows it’s extremely complex, and care can often feel disjointed or inefficient. In this episode, Sara highlights new technologies that could improve integration within the healthcare system, ultimately enhancing a practitioners’ ability to care for patients. We hope you’ll take another listen and enjoy....
Aug 09, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Psychologist Judy Fan is an expert in how physical objects facilitate learning. In the classroom, these include pencils, pens, paper, and whiteboards. But in any learning situation, the physical world provides tools for learning and communicating, often trumping the speed and reach of today’s digital technologies. These objects are cognitive tools – physical representations of human thought, she says. They help us think, solve problems, and communicate with others better and more effectively, as...
Aug 02, 2024•34 min•Ep 255•Transcript available on Metacast From witchcraft to shamans to those with schizophrenia, voices and visions have always been part of human experience and they have always intrigued anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann . She now studies how various cultures understand these mysterious mental phenomena. Luhrmann has observed and talked to hundreds who’ve experienced voices and visions and learned there are “different pathways” to understand them, as she tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Every...
Jul 26, 2024•29 min•Ep 254•Transcript available on Metacast Whether you’re taking a summer road trip, planning a long plane ride, or simply enjoying walks in the warm weather, we want to take a moment to recommend to you a few recent episodes of The Future of Everything to listen to along the way. You’ll find a list of these episodes in the show notes, but as a brief preview we’ve got conversations on robotics, brain science, cybersecurity, the universe, and exercise waiting for you. If you’re interested in any one of these topics, check out this summer ...
Jul 19, 2024•53 sec•Transcript available on Metacast Alberto Salleo is an expert in the long, chain-like molecules known as polymers. The world relies on polymers and the most common are in plastics. Salleo is now working on a new generation of organic polymers made of Earth-abundant materials that could lead to flexible electronics that can biodegrade or be easily recycled. These polymers could be game-changers, Salleo tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Episode Reference Links: Stanf...
Jul 12, 2024•30 min•Ep 253•Transcript available on Metacast We have another best-of episode for you today. This one is a conversation with Irene Lo about the work she’s doing to study and leverage markets for social impact — think markets for public school assignments, or medical school residency matches. Irene reminds us that markets exist to help effectively allocate limited resources, and not all marketplaces are based in cash. We hope you’ll tune in again to this thought provoking conversation to hear Irene talk about the changing face of markets. Ep...
Jul 05, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jonathan Long is a biochemist who studies the chemicals produced during exercise. In Long’s world, “you always start with molecules,” which offer “clean handles” to understanding complex processes. His lab has identified a chemical produced in the digestive tract during exercise that can make a person stop eating. Long now studies this “gut-brain axis” for ways to treat obesity, diabetes, and, perhaps, even age-related conditions like dementia, as he tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Sta...
Jun 28, 2024•28 min•Ep 252•Transcript available on Metacast We’re digging back into our archives with an episode with bioengineer Polly Fordyce. Polly studies the form and function of proteins. She refers to proteins as the “workhorses” that make things in the body happen, and her study of these molecules reveals a greater understanding of human life. We hope you’ll tune in to this conversation again, and enjoy. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profile: Polly Fordyce Polly’s Lab: The Fordyce Lab Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Eve...
Jun 21, 2024•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chris Piech is a professor of computer science who studies how computers can help students learn. In comparing human- and computer-aided education, he says humans are great one-on-one, but AI is more consistent at grading and feedback. He and colleagues have created several generative AI grading apps to take advantage of these relative strengths, as he tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profile: Chr...
Jun 14, 2024•32 min•Ep 251•Transcript available on Metacast Guest Matt Abrahams is a master communicator who helps others overcome their fear of speaking — before live audiences, in small groups, or even one-on-one. His catchphrase, “Think Fast, Talk smart,” describes a mindset that, he says, is key to speaking well. Thinking fast is the ability to recognize and respond to patterns in order to talk smart — becoming more salient, relevant, and concise in the process. Abrahams coaches host Russ Altman on how to talk smart on this episode of Stanford Engine...
Jun 07, 2024•30 min•Ep 250•Transcript available on Metacast 
