Episode description

Walter Isaacson is one of the preeminent biographers at work today, having written bestsellers about Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo da Vinci. In his latest book, he tells the fascinating story of Jennifer Doudna, a recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize who helped develop CRISPR. This revolutionary gene-editing technology was not only instrumental in the creation of the COVID-19 vaccines, but also has the potential to change how we fend off new viruses, cure virulent diseases, and have healthier babies.

The 5 Key Insights

1) Be passionately, playfully curious.

2) Be useful.

3) Know when to compete — and when to cooperate.

4) Persist.

5) Connect technology to humanity.

For the full text of Walter's Book Bite, click here.