FUTURES Podcast

BioViva CEO Liz Parrish shares her insights into developing gene therapies to end ageing, the ethics of taking a proactionary approach to experimental treatments, and the growing importance of preventative healthcare. Elizabeth is the Founder and CEO of BioViva, is a humanitarian, entrepreneur, innovator, author, and a leading voice for genetic cures. As a strong proponent of progress and educatio...

Artist Taryn Southern shares her insights into how collaborating with robots can unlock new creative possibilities, the experimental processes behind developing your own artificially intelligent clone, and the tools we can use to preserve our digital legacy and animate our ancestors. Taryn Southern is an award-winning artist, storyteller and strategist whose work explores the intersection of emerg...

Marine biologist Helen Scales shares her insights into the vital role that the ocean plays in sustaining life on earth, the innovative new technologies humans are using to explore the seabed, and how a rich diversity of deep sea creatures might hold the key to new scientific advances. Helen Scales is a marine biologist, diver, surfer, broadcaster and writer who's spent hundreds of hours underwater...

Geneticist Christopher Mason shares his insights into genetically modifying humans to mitigate against the risks of space exploration, the methods for sustaining life on Mars, and how becoming a multi-planetary species will help humanity avoid its own extinction. Christopher E. Mason is a geneticist and computational biologist who has been a Principal Investigator and Co-investigator of seven NASA...

Futurist Tracey Follows shares her insights into how digital technology is transforming identity, how new ways to capture biometric data will require us to rethink our relationship with governments and corporations, and what AI-enabled virtual persons can teach us about what it means to be human. Tracey Follows is a professional futurist identifying the future trends that will shape our world. Her...

Science writer Ginny Smith shares her insights into the latest ways to scientifically understand the human brain, the role of hormones and neurotransmitters in memory, sleep, depression and addiction, and the methods we can use to improve our cognition. Ginny Smith studied Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge, specialising in Psychology and Neuroscience, and now spreads her love of her...

Bionic pop artist Viktoria Modesta shares her insights into developing artworks that showcase a posthuman aesthetic, the challenge of constructing and managing online digital-identities, and the role collaboration plays in prototyping future possibilities. Viktoria Modesta is a bionic pop artist, creative director and futurist. Describing her work as post-human and post-disability, she bridges per...

Product designer Tom Gruber shares his insights into creating intelligent interfaces, the ethical use of technology, and how humanistic AI can enable learning, knowledge sharing, and increased productivity. Tom Gruber is a technologist, designer, and entrepreneur, using technology to augment human intelligence. He was cofounder and head of design for Siri, which created the first virtual assistant...

Co-founder of The Pirate Bay Peter Sunde shares his insights into the cultural importance of copying, why pranking and trolling is an effective form of online activism, and why civil disobedience might be our best tool to bring about a free and open internet. Peter Sunde, alias brokep, is a politician, computer expert, and spokesperson with Norwegian and Finnish ancestry. He is best known for bein...

Professor Andy Miah shares his insights into why competitive video gaming has experienced a rapid growth in popularity, how digital technology is changing the way traditional sports are played, and how gamification looks set to transform the world of health and fitness. Professor Andy Miah, PhD is Chair of Science Communication & Future Media, at the University of Salford, where he also leads The...

Professor Frank Pasquale (Brooklyn School of Law) and Professor Steve Fuller (University of Warwick) debate whether humans should regulate artificial intelligence, and discuss the appropriate ways to safeguard the development of automation technologies. Pasquale argued for a precautionary approach to the development of AI - one that favours a careful deployment of new laws for their usage. Whereas...

Historian Thomas Moynihan shares the complex history of how humanity began to contemplate its capacity to bring about its own extinction, why the study of existential risk exposes a prevailing pessimism about the future, and what the search for extraterrestrial intelligence reveals about our unique place in the universe. Thomas Moynihan is a writer from the UK, currently working with Oxford Univer...

Professor of Law Frank Pasquale shares his insights on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can capitalise on human strengths and take advantage of human limits; what automation means for healthcare, education and warfare; and how the robotics regulations we implement today might have a dramatic effect on the future of work. Frank Pasquale is Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School and author of The B...

Writer Grafton Tanner shares his insights into how nostalgia is leveraged by big tech and corporations, how fictional universe-building has impacted the way we think about lived-reality, and how our recent obsession with the past might stop us from imagining a better future. Grafton Tanner is a writer and musician from Athens, Georgia. He is the author of Babbling Corpse: Vaporwave and the Commodi...

Science journalist Ziya Tong shares her insights into the hidden worlds that exist beyond the limits of the human senses, how illusions contribute to our understanding of reality, and how our collective blind spots are at the core of our current environmental crisis. Ziya Tong is the Vice-Chair of WWF Canada. She anchored Daily Planet, Discovery Channel's flagship science programme, until its fina...

Cyborg Nest's Liviu Babitz shares his insights into the latest methods for becoming a cyborg, the process behind designing new senses, and how biohacking will change the way we think about human limitations. Liviu Babitz is co-founder and CEO of Cyborg Nest, the world's first company to sell intelligently designed senses. He believes more is happening around us than we can actually perceive, so he...

Computational biologist Dr. Andrew Steele shares his insights into the latest scientific research dedicated to tackling age-related disease, the societal implications of extending the human lifespan, and the habits linked to a longer life. Andrew Steele is a computational biologist with a PhD in physics. He is a Research Fellow at the Francis Crick Institute in London, using computers to decode ou...

Physicist Sean Carroll shares his insights into the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, how theoretical physics informs our understanding of reality, and what the human mind can comprehend about nature of the universe. Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology. His papers on dark matter and dark energy, the physics of extra dimensions, and alter...

Neuroscientist David Eagleman shares his insights into the mystery of neuroplasticity, how modern technology impacts our brains' development, and the different ways we might soon be able to augment our senses and enhance our cognition. Dr David Eagleman is a neuroscientist and internationally bestselling author. He teaches brain plasticity at Stanford University, is the creator and host of the Emm...

The Terasem Movement Foundation's Bruce Duncan shares his thoughts on the possibility of uploading our minds into machines, what artificial intelligence might teach us about the origin of consciousness, and the story behind the creation of the humanoid robot BINA48. Bruce Duncan has been the Managing Director of the Terasem Movement Foundation Inc. since 2004. He has worked in the field of non-pro...

Former NASA Astronaut Kathy Sullivan shares her insights into what it was like to be part of the team responsible for the launch of The Hubble Space Telescope, the scientific and societal importance of space exploration, and how to create the ideal conditions for innovation to thrive. Kathy Sullivan is former NASA astronaut and the first American woman to walk in space. She has been a crew member...

Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees shares his insights into the existential threats facing humanity, what it means to be a techno-optimist, and how we can plan for the long-term future. Lord Martin Rees is a leading astrophysicist as well as a senior figure in UK science. He has conducted influential theoretical work on subjects as diverse as black hole formation and extragalactic radio sources, an...

Sociologist Prof. Steve Fuller shares his thoughts on transhumanism as a science-based religion, the value of taking a death-based approach to life, and why Friedrich Nietzsche is the futurist we need today. Prof. Steve Fuller is Auguste Comte Professor of Social Epistemology at the University of Warwick, UK. Originally trained in history and philosophy of science, he is the author of more than tw...

Historian Rutger Bregman shares his insights into why we have such a pessimistic view of human nature, what it means to be evolutionarily hardwired for kindness, and how radical ideas and stories can shape the future. Rutger Bregman is a historian and author. He has published five books on history, philosophy, and economics. His book Utopia for Realists was a New York Times Bestseller and has been...

Journalist Jenny Kleeman shares her thoughts on developments in the emerging fields of sex robotics, lab-grown meat, artificial wombs, and assisted dying. Jenny Kleeman is a journalist and documentary filmmaker who travels the world finding eye-catching, thought-provoking stories and compelling characters. Her articles appear regularly in the Guardian and also in the Sunday Times (London), The Tim...