The Most Important Question

It's been 26 months since so many of us took our kids out of schools, downloaded an app called Zoom, and started videoconferencing our work from our kitchens and sweatpants. For many others, especially the marginalized and those working in the service ...

This week: Gas stoves can GTFO Omicron means we still need masks at schools The future of "organic" food Throwing cash at bigger baby brains Pregnancy apps are a data nightmare which is so so great Get more: Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at...

This week: How to market climate change to the people Here come the masks - are they enough? What's "enough"? Kids EBT food on the wane Expanding the blood donor pool The IRS wants your selfie (or do they?) Get more: Get more news, analysis, and Action...

This week: Moving on from Machin; What "mild" COVID really means; How China's going plant-based; How exercise defeats anxiety; This is what happens when old senators misunderstand new tech Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importa...

In Episode 129, Quinn tries to better understand data privacy, data stewardship, and what it means for Indigenous cultures in the future of biotech, how we design equity into genetic research, and who gets to make those decisions. His guest is Krystal ...

This week: Biden's executive orders; What Omicron means for you; The future of coffee farmer migration; Telehealth lobbying on the rise; China's queer internet is being erased Find links and Action Steps from this newsletter and more at newsletter.impo...

Yes, we all know that the 1998 Michael Bay flick Armageddon is a masterpiece of cinema, but two years ago we asked ourselves this question: How much does it actually hold up as a blueprint for preventing planetary destruction? Let’s say it doesn’t: Wha...

This week: McDonald’s isn’t trying; Biden’s test plan had to be better; Plant-based meat math is obvious; We need more biotech data scientists; We need less crime prediction software Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com...

In Episode 128, Quinn unpacks the most delicious olive oil in the world, how it came to be, and what it means to start a food business in the age of climate change. Our guest is Aishwarya Iyer, dreamer, doer, and eternal optimist. Ash is the founder an...

This Week: Is there a green bubble?; Can you get a booster?; Where to find clean water; Why health workers are quitting; Amazon’s privacy nightmare Find links from this newsletter and more at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com Got feedback? Email us ...

In Episode 127, Quinn wants to know just how the hell “innovation” actually works. His guest is Christopher Mims, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, who’s spent a career asking big questions about the most pressing technological and societal iss...

In Episode 126, Quinn meets his newsletter heroes: Kim Zou & Sophie Purdom, co-founders of the independent media outlet Climate Tech VC. Kim works with Energy Impact Partners, a venture capital firm investing in climate technology. Sophie works as an i...

This Week: China takes on methane; Moderna's downturn; Inflated food costs; Measles on the rebound; Google's new drug company Find links from this newsletter and more at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com Got feedback? Email us at questions@important...

In Episode 125, Quinn asks: How can venture capital offer solutions to two of the biggest problems of our time? His guests are Vida Asiegbu and Anthony Oni, two incredible climate venture capitalists with Elevate Future Fund. Vida Asiegbu is a Principa...

This week: Checking in on COP; How is this still happening?; An Impossible evaluation; Digitizing Medicade; Facebook is deleting your face; Did Big Oil lie in front of Congress? Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/news...

This Week: Biden's agreement, revealed; Why vaccinating kids matters for everyone; Plant-based meat emissions questioned; Public health's original sin; Fixing Facebook Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got...

In Episode 124, Quinn interviews Dr. Elizabeth Ruzzo, a brilliant human geneticist who left the world of academia to launch adyn, her effort to help women find the best birth control for their unique bodies. Family planning affects everybody – whether ...

This Week, Summarized: Moving on from Manchin; Kids shots; Forever chemicals regulated (finally); Google vs. Iran Get Action Steps and more at newsletter.importantnotimportant.com Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.com Follow us ...

In Episode #123, Quinn gets a masterclass on Snapchat AND running for office with RFS co-founder, returning guest, and our favorite human alive, Amanda Litman! Amanda’s helped thousands of progressive young people run and get elected to office across t...

This week: climate finance exposed; Moderna’s COVID profits are… a lot; beef’s emissions problem examined; startups for aging, and who gets to write the AI Bill of Rights? Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter...

This week: How to reduce methane; America’s out of diapers; COVID questions; A new day against malaria; Food systems examined; How you’re tracked Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at...

We’re bringing back one of our all-time most popular conversations, and not just because it kicks ass. When this interview was recorded back in 2018, Dr. Sian Proctor was almost an astronaut. Now, in 2021, Dr. Proctor has just returned to Earth after b...

This week: It’s Climate Day; How to defeat the next pandemic; Telehealth in red states; Is lab-grown meat a myth; Facebook’s very bad month continues Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email u...

This week: Manchin wields a dirty pen; Our new COVID rules; Fighting for expanded telehealth; 200 million climate migrants; Even more trolls Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at ques...

I’m very excited to share an awesome show with you today, from the fine folks at PBS! God, I love PBS. The show is called “NOVA Now” and I’m a longtime huge fan. This episode is near and dear to the moment we’re in. As the Western U.S. faces increasing...