Last month, longtime New Yorker staff writer Michael Specter released a brand new audiobook with our friends at Pushkin. It’s called “Higher Animals: Vaccines, Synthetic Biology, and the Future of Life,” and it’s an inspiring account of the emerging field of synthetic biology — a field where scientists combine chemistry, engineering, and computer science to develop new drugs and therapies for treating diseases of all sorts.
This month, Steven Johnson, a frequent guest on this show and a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, is publishing a brand new audiobook of his own. It’s called “Immortality: A User’s Guide,” and it was produced by ... us! (You can get a copy here.) The premise is this: we might well be on the cusp of a revolution in the science of aging and we are not prepared for the consequences.
You can see the overlaps, right?
So we decided to get Steven and Michael on the horn to talk about breakthrough technologies, radical life extension, and the future of our species.
AFTERLIFE: Sebastian Junger’s Journey to the Edge and Back
FUNNER: How Language Evolves and Why It Matters
DEMON OF UNREST: Why the Civil War Matters Today (with Erik Larson)
ALGEBRA OF WEALTH: Scott Galloway’s Formula for Financial Success
WHY WE REMEMBER: The New Science of Improving Your Memory
SLOW PRODUCTIVITY: Can We Get More Done by Doing Less?
MAGICAL OVERTHINKING: Why Modern Life Is Making Us More Irrational
Everything Paul Bloom Knows About Psychology
GET THE PICTURE: Why Bother With Art?
LOOK AGAIN: How to See Your Life With Fresh Eyes
GENEROSITY: How Simple Acts of Kindness Can Change the World
BURN BOOK: Kara Swisher Takes on Big Tech
SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: How to Connect With Anyone
MIDLIFE: Once a Crisis, Now an Opportunity
RADICAL CANDOR: Why Compassionate Honesty Is a Gift
BLOCKCHAIN: Why Chris Dixon Still Thinks It Matters
BIG BETS: A Practical Guide to Changing the World
CLIMATE OPTIMISM: Can We Still Build a Sustainable World?
FREE WILL: Are We Better Off Without It?
ATOMIC HABITS: James Clear’s Ultimate Guide to Building Good Habits (and Breaking Bad Ones)
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