Podcast Episodes
Back to Search154. Can Robots Get a Grip?
Episode 154
Ken Goldberg is at the forefront of robotics — which means he tries to teach machines to do things humans find trivial.
SOURCES:Ken Goldberg, profess…
11 months, 2 weeks ago
153. We’re Not Getting Sicker — We’re Overdiagnosed
Episode 153
Suzanne O'Sullivan is a neurologist who sees many patients with psychosomatic disorders. Their symptoms may be psychological in origin, but their pai…
11 months, 3 weeks ago
Reading Dostoevsky Behind Bars (Update)
Episode 112
Reginald Dwayne Betts spent more than eight years in prison. Today he's a Yale Law graduate, a MacArthur Fellow, and a poet. His nonprofit works to b…
1 year ago
152. Hunting for the Origins of Life
Episode 152
Chemist Jack Szostak wants to understand how the first life forms came into being on Earth. He and Steve discuss the danger of "mirror bacteria," the…
1 year ago
151. Neurobiologist, Philosopher, and Addict
Episode 151
Owen Flanagan's newest book details his 20-year dependence on alcohol and pills — and outlines his research on what addiction can tell us about the n…
1 year ago
Jane Goodall Changed the Way We See Animals. She’s Not Done. (Replay)
Episode 91
The primatologist discusses the thrill of observing chimpanzees in the wild, the value of challenging orthodoxy, and why dying is her next great adve…
1 year, 1 month ago
150. His Brilliant Videos Get Millions of Views. Why Don’t They Make Money?
Episode 150
Hank Green is an internet phenomenon and a master communicator, with a plan to reform higher education. He and Steve talk about the video blog that l…
1 year, 1 month ago
149. Stanford’s President Knows He Can’t Make Everyone Happy
Episode 149
Jonathan Levin is an academic economist who now runs one of the most influential universities in the world. He tells Steve how he saved Comcast a bil…
1 year, 1 month ago
Why Numbers are Music to Our Ears (Update)
Episode 104
Sarah Hart investigates the mathematical structures underlying musical compositions and literature. Using examples from Monteverdi to Lewis Carroll, …
1 year, 2 months ago
148. How to Have Good Ideas
Episode 148
Sarah Stein Greenberg runs Stanford’s d.school, which teaches design as a mode of problem solving. She and Steve talk about what makes her field diff…
1 year, 2 months ago