Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda

Alan joins his old friend to compare notes on staying happy when old; and Roger shares tips from a forthcoming book, including some that may seem counterintuitive – like don’t use common sense, believe everyone, and don’t pay attention to people in your way. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Tina Fey’s reimagining of a movie Alan made over 40 years ago has been a big hit for Netflix. She and Alan have fun talking about how she went about updating the story for a new generation. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan lets bots mostly run the show to see how much they can do and still be under human control. For a while, it seems to go well, but then dangers start to emerge— and it gets a little scary. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Alan and Clear and Vivid’s executive producer Graham Chedd chat about and play clips from some of the shows coming up in season 30. Guests include actor Bob Odenkirk, scuba diver Tara Roberts, and some AI chatbots. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Research often derided for being a waste of money has led to world-changing breakthroughs, ranging from GPS to Ozempic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

To celebrate Sir Paul’s 83rd birthday June 18th we are reprising a wonderful conversation recorded five years ago. Alan and Paul exchange their experiences writing and performing; and McCartney demonstrates how some of the Beatles’ greatest hits began with what he calls “oobley” chords on the piano. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

Reaching back to the first season of Clear and Vivid, a replay of the July 2018 episode when the violin virtuoso tells Alan why he likes to talk to his audience as well as play for them; why he plays Bach very differently from Tchaikovsky; and why the first time he played the Stradivarius that was to become his 30 years later, “I thought that I'd died and went to heaven.” Hosted by Simplecast, an...

In a world awash with misinformation, how do we know what’s true? How can we be certain about anything? It turns out one of the most effective ways began with a polite disagreement over the best way to pour a cup of tea. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Playing attending physician “Robby” Robinavitch in the hit HBO Max series  The Pitt  has given him insights into how the harrowing world of the emergency room could be improved in real life. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The recent discovery on a distant planet of a chemical that could be a sign of life has this astrophysicist intrigued if not convinced. But if it turns out to be real it would mean that not only are we not alone – “It would really mean that our Galaxy is teeming with life.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data f...

Now starring in the Netflix series The Four Seasons – based on Alan’s 1981 movie – he’s won an Emmy and has been nominated for two Oscars and two Tony awards. In 2024, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world. And you surely didn’t miss him at this year’s Met Gala! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...

While promises of extending the human lifespan to 125 and beyond are premature, recent breakthroughs in the early detection of killer diseases of the major organs and brain offer a healthier old age – especially when paired with behavioral changes that Dr Topol calls “Lifestyle+.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal...

AI generated voices like Alexa and Siri are now so much a part of our everyday experience that disembodied chatbots that talk are edging ever closer to being accepted as real. And not for the first time: attempts to generate artificial human voices date back over two centuries. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal da...

Stories of the discovery that the air is full of invisible life – and how that discovery was tragically overlooked when the covid pandemic struck. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

His far-reaching career acting, writing and producing on television and film spans voicing a sloth in the movie Ice Age to hosting a PBS series on the untold history of Latinos in the US. He’s fast talking, funny, outspoken and possesses a rare quality in his acting – on display in his new movie Bob Trevino Likes It. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abo...

Alan and Clear and Vivid’s executive producer Graham Chedd chat about and play clips from some of the shows coming up in season 29. Guests include actor John Leguizamo, science writer Carl Zimmer, and astrophysicist Mario Livio. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A chat with an actor who does it all. After recovering from a near fatal fall on stage as his career was beginning, Bill Pullman has not only had a busy and award-winning career on stage, screen and television, he’s also getting into science communication  – while working on a one-man play and making hard cider for his friends and neighbors. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswiz...

How the letters in the acronym TALK can have a profound effect on the next conversation you have. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A psychiatrist, engineer and neuroscientist, Kaf Dzirasa is researching ways to reengineer the brain to make it better able to cope with stress and so improve mental health. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Artificial intelligence is poised to reshape our world, in many ways for the better. But the gains come with great risks – above all that its seductive appeal lulls us into believing that AI machines know better than we do. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

His new book  Revenge of The Tipping Point  takes a fresh look at the tipping points of social change he opened our eyes to 25 years ago  –­ and unearths unexpected explanations for such new questions as: what really drove the opioid crisis, why diversity matters, and why Harvard University has a women’s rugby team. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information abou...

In a remarkable and illuminating tour de force, the novelist recently took a fresh look at her best-known book, going through it line by line and annotating it with handwritten notes in the margins – notes on things she both loved and hated. “It shows,” she says, “a lot about how to write a novel.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...

The answer, regrettably, is unbelievable. That is, unbelievable to most of us, because we cannot imagine a universe – including ourselves – made of waves. Quantum physicist Matt Strassler braves the task of convincing Alan he is a collection of waves, and in doing so helps Alan answer a question that’s haunted him for more than a decade. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.co...

Her new book,  Linguaphile: A Life of Language Love  is an ode to the power of language to both shape us and be shaped by us. It’s informed by her own experience with languages: she spoke five before learning English as an immigrant to Canada as a child. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The 500 feet of wiring packed into fruit fly’s brain has been fully mapped – giving insights into how the more that 300,000  miles  of wiring packed into your brain generates your thoughts, feelings, perceptions and actions. These insights could also lead to novel treatments for the diseases caused when the wiring goes wrong. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for inform...