People I (Mostly) Admire

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 origin of biology in poisonous chemicals, and the possibility that life might exist on other planets too.    SOURCES: Jack Szostak, Nobel laureate and professor of chemistry at The University of Chicago.   RESOURCES: Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest...

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 nature of consciousness.   SOURCES: Owen Flanagan, philosopher, neurobiologist, and professor emeritus at Duke University.   RESOURCES: What Is It Like to Be an Addict?: Understanding Substance Abuse, by Owen Flanagan (2025). Consciousness Reconsidered...

The primatologist discusses the thrill of observing chimpanzees in the wild, the value of challenging orthodoxy, and why dying is her next great adventure.   SOURCES: Dr. Jane Goodall, GBE , founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and U.N. Messenger of Peace.   RESOURCES: The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times , by Jane Goodall, Douglas Abrams, and Gail Hudson (2021). Jane , by Brett Mo...

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 launched Hank’s career, the economics of the internet, and how a cancer diagnosis prompted him to become a stand-up comedian.   SOURCES: Hank Green , founder of Complexly and science communicator   RESOURCES: Complexly CrashCourse YouTube Channel SciSh...

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 billion dollars, why he turned down Steve’s unusual pitch to come to the University of Chicago, and why being a nice guy makes him a better college president.   SOURCE : Jonathan Levin , president of Stanford University.     RESOURCES: " Income Segregati...

Sarah Hart investigates the mathematical structures underlying musical compositions and literature. Using examples from Monteverdi to Lewis Carroll, Sarah explains to Steve how math affects how we hear music and understand stories.      SOURCE: Sarah Hart , professor emerita of mathematics at the University of London.   RESOURCES: Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections Between Mathematics and...

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 different from other academic disciplines, how to approach hard problems, and why brainstorms are so annoying.   SOURCE: Sarah Stein Greenberg , executive director of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University.   RESOURCES: Creative Act...

In her book, Rumbles , medical historian Elsa Richardson explores the history of the human gut. She talks with Steve about dubious medical practices, gruesome tales of survival, and the things that medieval doctors may have gotten right.   SOURCE: Elsa Richardson , medical historian at the University of Strathclyde.   RESOURCES: Rumbles: A Curious History of the Gut: The Secret Story of the Body's...

How psychologist Dan Gilbert went from high school dropout to Harvard professor, found the secret of joy, and inspired Steve Levitt's divorce.   SOURCE: Daniel Gilbert , professor of psychology at Harvard University.   RESOURCES: " What the Data Says (and Doesn’t Say) About Crime in the United States ," by John Gramlich (Pew Research Center, 2020). Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science,...

Moon Duchin is a math professor at Cornell University whose theoretical work has practical applications for voting and democracy. Why is striving for fair elections so difficult?    SOURCE: Moon Duchin , professor of mathematics at Cornell University.   RESOURCES: " Gerrymandering: The Origin Story ," by Neely Tucker ( Timeless: Stories from the Library of Congress, 2024). " Redistricting for Prop...

The director of the Hayden Planetarium is one of the best science communicators of our time. He and Steve talk about his role in reclassifying Pluto, bad teachers, and why economics isn’t a science.   SOURCE: Neil deGrasse Tyson , director of the Hayden Planetarium.   RESOURCES: Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization , by Neil deGrasse Tyson (2022). “ The Universe and Beyond, with S...

He’s the chief creative officer of Pixar, and the Academy Award-winning director of Soul, Inside Out, Up, and Monsters, Inc. Pete Docter and Steve talk about Pixar’s scrappy beginnings, why wrong turns are essential, and the movie moment that changed Steve’s life.   SOURCE: Pete Docter , chief creative officer of Pixar.   RESOURCES: " ‘Inside Out 2’ Becomes the Highest-Grossing Animated Film of Al...

David Eagleman is a Stanford neuroscientist, C.E.O., television host, and founder of the Possibilianism movement. He and Steve talk about how wrists can substitute for ears, why we dream, and what Fisher-Price magnets have to do with neuroscience.   SOURCE: David Eagleman , professor of cognitive neuroscience at Stanford University and C.E.O. of Neosensory.   RESOURCES: Livewired: The Inside Story...

Boys and men are trending downward in education, employment, and mental health. Richard Reeves, author of the book Of Boys and Men , has some solutions that don’t come at the expense of women and girls. Steve pushes him to go further.   SOURCE: Richard Reeves , senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, president of the American Institute for Boys and Men, and author.   RESOURCES: Of Boys and Men...

Daron Acemoglu was just awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in economics. Earlier this year, he and Steve talked about his groundbreaking research on what makes countries succeed or fail.   SOURCES: Daron Acemoglu , professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   RESOURCES: The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2024 . Power and Progress: Our Tho...

David Autor took his first economics class at 29 years old. Now he’s one of the central academics studying the labor market. The M.I.T. economist and Steve dissect the impact of technology on labor, spar on A.I., and discuss why economists can sometimes be oblivious.   SOURCES: David Autor , professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   RESOURCES: " Does Automation Replace...

Kate Douglass is a world-class swimmer and data scientist who’s used mathematical modeling to help make her stroke more efficient. She and Steve talk about why the Olympics were underwhelming, how she won gold, and why she won’t be upset to say goodbye to the pool.   SOURCE: Kate Douglass , Olympic swimmer and graduate student. RESOURCES: " Kate Douglass HOLDS OFF Tatjana Smith to win 200m breasts...

Ken Ono is a math prodigy whose skills have helped produce a Hollywood movie and made Olympic swimmers faster. The number theorist tells Steve why he sees mathematics as art — and about his unusual path to success, which came without a high school diploma.   SOURCE: Ken Ono , professor of mathematics and STEM adviser to the provost at the University of Virginia.   RESOURCES: " ‘Digital Twins’ Give...

Artist Wendy MacNaughton knows the difficulty of sitting in silence and the power of having fun. She explains to Steve the lessons she’s gleaned from drawing hospice residents, working in Rwanda, and reporting from Guantanamo Bay.   SOURCE: Wendy MacNaughton , artist and graphic journalist.   RESOURCES: " What Happens if Two Complete Strangers Draw Each Other? " video by the National Gallery of Ar...

Bestselling author James Nestor believes that we can improve our lives by changing the way we breathe. He’s persuasive enough to get Steve taping his mouth shut at night. He explains how humans dive to depths of 300 feet without supplemental oxygen, and describes what it’s like to be accepted into a pod of whales.   SOURCES: James Nestor , author and journalist.   RESOURCES: Breath: The New Scienc...

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals founder Ingrid Newkirk has been badgering meat-eaters, fur-wearers, and circus-goers for more than 40 years. For a woman who’s leaving her liver to the president of France in her will, she sounds quite sensible when she tells Steve what we can learn from animals, why she supports euthanasia, and who’ll get her other organs.    SOURCE : Ingrid Newkirk , f...

Revisiting Steve’s 2021 conversation with the economist and MacArthur “genius” about how to make memories stickier, why change is undervalued, and how to find something new to say on the subject of scarcity.   SOURCE: Sendhil Mullainathan , university professor of computation and behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.   RESOURCES: " Fictional Money, Real Costs: I...

Under his helm, the TED Conference went from a small industry gathering to a global phenomenon. Chris and Steve talk about how to build lasting institutions, how to make generosity go viral, and what Chris has learned about public speaking.   SOURCE: Chris Anderson , head of TED.   RESOURCES: Infectious Generosity: The Ultimate Idea Worth Spreading , by Chris Anderson (2024). TED Talks: The Offici...

The former YouTube C.E.O. — and sixteenth Google employee — died on August 9, 2024. Steve talked with her in 2020 about her remarkable career, and how her background in economics shaped her work.   SOURCES: Susan Wojcicki , former C.E.O. of YouTube.   RESOURCES: " Susan Wojcicki, Former Chief of YouTube, Dies at 56 ," by John Yoon and Mike Isaac ( The New York Times, 2024). Hosted by Simplecast, a...

The author of the classic The Selfish Gene is still changing the way we think about evolution.   SOURCE: Richard Dawkins , professor emeritus of the public understanding of science at Oxford University.   RESOURCES: The Genetic Book of the Dead , by Richard Dawkins (2024). Flights of Fancy: Defying Gravity by Design and Evolution , by Richard Dawkins (2021). " About Three-in-Ten U.S. Adults Are No...