People I (Mostly) Admire

Victoria Groce is the best trivia contestant on earth. The winner of the 2024 World Quizzing Championship explains the structure of a good question, why she knits during competitions, and how to memorize 160,000 flashcards.   SOURCE: Victoria Groce , “The Queen” on the television game show The Chase .   RESOURCES: The Chase , TV series (2013-2015, 2021-present). LearnedLeague . Anki .   EXTRAS: "...

Richard Prum says there's a lot that traditional evolutionary biology can't explain. He thinks a neglected hypothesis from Charles Darwin — and insights from contemporary queer theory — hold the answer. Plus: You won't believe what female ducks use for contraception. SOURCE: Richard Prum , professor of ornithology, ecology and evolutionary biology at Yale University.   RESOURCES: " Stop Your Popul...

Thomas Hildebrandt is trying to bring the northern white rhinoceros back from the brink of extinction. The wildlife veterinarian tells Steve about the far-out techniques he employs, why we might see woolly mammoths in the future, and why he was frustrated the day the Berlin Wall came down.   SOURCES: Thomas Hildebrandt , head of the department of reproduction management at the Leibniz Institute fo...

She is one of the best basketball players ever. She’s won multiple championships, including five Olympic gold medals and four W.N.B.A. titles. She also helped negotiate a landmark contract for the league’s players. Sue Bird tells Steve Levitt the untold truth about clutch players, her thoughts about the pay gap between male and female athletes, and what it means to be part of the first gay couple...

Conrad Wolfram wants to transform the way we teach math — by taking advantage of computers. The creator of Computer-Based Maths convinced the Estonian government to give his radical curriculum a try — so why is the rest of the world so resistant? SOURCE: Conrad Wolfram, strategic director and European cofounder/C.E.O. of Wolfram Research, and founder of computerbasedmath.org. RESOURCES: "In Califo...

Ellen Langer is a psychologist at Harvard who studies the mind-body connection. She’s published some of the most remarkable scientific findings Steve has ever encountered. Can we really improve our physical health by changing our mind?   SOURCE: Ellen Langer , professor of psychology at Harvard University.   RESOURCES: Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thi...

Author and YouTuber John Green thought his breakout bestseller wouldn’t be a commercial success, wrote 40,000 words for one sentence, and brought Steve to tears.   SOURCE: John Green , best-selling author and YouTube creator.   RESOURCES : " The Deadliest Infectious Disease Isn’t a Science Problem. It’s a Money Problem ," by John Green ( The Washington Post, 2024). “ Tuition Inflation Isn’t as Bad...

Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with cancer at 22. She made her illness the subject of a New York Times column and a memoir, Between Two Kingdoms. She and Steve talk about what it means to live with a potentially fatal illness, how to talk to people who've gone through a tragedy, and ways to encourage medical donations.   SOURCE: Suleika Jaouad , author.   RESOURCES: " The Art of Survival ," by Jenni...

Caroline Paul is a thrill-seeker and writer who is on a quest to encourage women to get outside and embrace adventure as they age. She and Steve talk about fighting fires, walking on airplane wings, and finding awe in birdwatching.   SOURCE: Caroline Paul , author and former firefighter.   RESOURCES : Tough Broad: From Boogie Boarding to Wing Walking ― How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as W...

Steve shows a different side of himself in very personal interviews with his two oldest daughters. Amanda talks about growing up with social anxiety and her decision not to go to college, while Lily speaks candidly about her battle with anorexia and the conversation she had with Steve that led her to seek treatment.    SOURCES: Lily Levitt, daughter of Steve Levitt. Amanda Levitt, daughter of Stev...

The economist Joseph Stiglitz has devoted his life to exposing the limits of markets. He tells Steve about winning an argument with fellow Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, why small governments don’t lead to more freedom, and why he’s not afraid to be an advocate.   SOURCE: Joseph Stiglitz , professor at Columbia University and chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute.   RESOURCES : The Road to F...

Monica Bertagnolli went from a childhood on a cattle ranch to a career as a surgeon to a top post in the Biden administration. As director of the National Institutes of Health, she’s working to improve the way we find new treatments — despite regulatory constraints and tight budgets.   SOURCE : Monica Bertagnolli , director of the National Institutes of Health.   RESOURCES: " Steven Levitt and Joh...

Nobel laureate, bestselling author, and groundbreaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman died in March. In 2021 he talked with Steve Levitt — his friend and former business partner — about his book Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment (cowritten with Olivier Sibony and Cass Sunstein) and much more.   SOURCES: Daniel Kahneman , professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.   RE...

Google researcher Blaise Agüera y Arcas spends his work days developing artificial intelligence models and his free time conducting surveys for fun. He tells Steve how he designed an algorithm for the U.S. Navy at 14, how he discovered the truth about printing-press pioneer Johannes Gutenberg, and when A.I. first blew his mind.   SOURCE: Blaise Agüera y Arcas , fellow at Google Research.   RESOURC...

After Haiti’s devastating earthquake, Rajiv Shah headed the largest humanitarian effort in U.S. history. As chief economist of the Gates Foundation he tried to immunize almost a billion children. He tells Steve why it’s important to take big gambles, follow the data, and own up to your mistakes. SOURCE : Rajiv Shah , president of the Rockefeller Foundation.   RESOURCES: Big Bets: How Large-Scale C...

The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Steve shares how the book helped him understand his own conversational weaknesses.   SOURCES: Charles Duhigg , journalist and author.   RESOURCES : Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection , by Charles Duhigg (2024). " 2023 Word of the Year Is 'Enshittification ,...

Cat Bohannon’s new book puts female anatomy at the center of human evolution. She tells Steve why it takes us so long to give birth, what breast milk is really for, and why the human reproductive system is a flaming pile of garbage.   SOURCE: Cat Bohannon , researcher and author.   RESOURCES: Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution , by Cat Bohannon (2023). “ Genomic In...

Economist Daron Acemoglu likes to tackle big questions. He tells Steve how colonialism still affects us today, who benefits from new technology, and why democracy wasn’t always a sure thing.   SOURCE: Daron Acemoglu , professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   RESOURCES: Power and Progress: Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity , by Daron Acemoglu an...

Journalist Walt Hickey uses data to understand how culture works. He and Steve talk about why China hasn’t produced any hit movies yet and how he got his own avatar in the Madden NFL video game.    SOURCE: Walter Hickey , author, journalist, and data expert.   RESOURCES: You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything , by Walter Hickey (2023). " France Gave Teenagers $350 for Culture....

Arnold Schwarzenegger has been a bodybuilder, an actor, a governor, and, now, an author. He tells Steve how he’s managed to succeed in so many fields — and what to do when people throw eggs at you.   SOURCE: Arnold Schwarzenegger , professional bodybuilder, actor, and former governor of California.   RESOURCES: Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life , by Arnold Schwarzenegger (2023). " Arnold Schwarzeneg...

Physicist Helen Czerski loves to explain how the world works. She talks with Steve about studying bubbles, setting off explosives, and how ocean waves have changed the course of history.   SOURCE: Helen Czerski , physicist and oceanographer at University College London.   RESOURCES: The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works , by Helen Czerski (2023). " Ocean Bubbles Under High Wind Conditions – Part 1...

The filmmaker doesn’t want to be known only for his movies. He tells Steve why he considers himself a writer first, how it feels to be recognized for his role in The Mandalorian , and why he once worked as a rodeo clown.   SOURCE: Werner Herzog , filmmaker, author, and actor.   RESOURCES: Every Man for Himself and God Against All , by Werner Herzog (2023). The Mandalorian , TV show (2019-2023). Th...

Economist Michael D. Smith says universities are scrambling to protect a status quo that deserves to die. He tells Steve why the current system is unsustainable, and what’s at stake if nothing changes.   RESOURCES: The Abundant University: Remaking Higher Education for a Digital World , by Michael D. Smith (2023). " Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission t...

Computer scientist Fei-Fei Li had a wild idea: download one billion images from the internet and teach a computer to recognize them. She ended up advancing the state of artificial intelligence — and she hopes that will turn out to be a good thing for humanity.    RESOURCES: The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of A.I. , by Fei-Fei Li (2023). " Fei-Fei Li's Quest to M...

Data scientist Nate Silver gained attention for his election predictions. But even the best prognosticators get it wrong sometimes. He talks to Steve about making good decisions with data, why he’d rather write a newsletter than an academic paper, and how online poker led him to the world of politics.    RESOURCES " Not Everyone Who Disagrees With You Is a Closet Right-Winger ," by Nate Silver ( S...