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  • Special Episode: The Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried

    Sam Bankman-Fried, the former crypto mogul, is on trial for fraud. On today’s show, we talk to Lidia Jean Kott, who is covering the trial for another Pushkin show, about a dramatic day in court.…


  • Getting Yeast to Make Medicine

    Christina Smolke is the co-founder and CEO of Antheia. Antheia is a synthetic biology company — they’re in the business of genetically engineering microorganisms to produce commercial products. Christina’s problem is this: How do you…


  • Could a Robot Make Your Salad?

    Stephen Klein is the co-founder and CEO of Hyphen, a company that is developing an automated make line. Stephen’s problem is this: How do you make restaurant food from fresh ingredients… cheaper? Chipotle invested in…


  • What the Industrial Revolution Teaches Us About the AI Revolution

    Simon Johnson is an MIT economist and the co-author of a new book called “Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle over Technology and Prosperity”. Simon’s problem is this: How do you create the conditions for…


  • Can AI Tutors Help Kids Learn? Khan Academy Thinks So

    Sal Khan is the founder and CEO of Khan Academy. Sal’s problem is this: How do you design an AI that can give students the kind of benefits they’d get from working with a human…


  • Smallpox: Gone but Not Forgotten from Incubation

    What can we learn from the centuries-long quest to eradicate smallpox, once the scourge of humanity? And how did it set the stage for all vaccines to come? First we meet Edward Jenner, a doctor…


  • Going to the Doctor Sucks. Can AI Make it Better?

    Allon Bloch is the co-founder and CEO of K Health. Allon’s problem is this: Can you use AI to make seeing a doctor easier and more helpful? Today, thousands of patients a month are treated…


  • Spotting Wildfires with AI

    Sonia Kastner is the founder and CEO of Pano. Sonia’s problem is this: How do you use data and machine learning to mitigate the damage caused by climate change? Pano mounts cameras on remote mountaintop…


  • Is the Era of Free Returns Over?

    Amit Sharma is the founder and CEO of Narvar. Narvar works with companies such as Sephora, Lululemon and Home Depot to manage the post-purchase phase of online shopping — tracking, alerts and returns. Around 10 percent…


  • Creative Technology at Pixar

    Danielle Feinberg is a Visual Effects Supervisor at Pixar Animation Studios. Danielle’s problem is this: How do you optimize technology so that you can spend more time being creative? Danielle Feinberg has worked at Pixar…