Important, Not Important

The Most Important Question

Science EN ↓ 462 episodes

You already know things are broken. You read the news, you listen to the analysis, you've got the outrage. What you don't have is a plan. The Most Important Question — 6x Webby-nominated, 2x Signal Award-nominated — is a weekly conversation with one person who stopped asking "what can I do?" and went and found out. Not pundits. Not commentators. The scientists, doctors, nurses, journalists, farmers, activists, and policymakers who are doing the actual work on the frontlines of climate, public health, democracy, AI, food, water, medicine, and justice. Host Quinn Emmett goes deep with each of th...

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Important, Not Important

Episodes

115: Fossil Fuel Propaganda 07.06.2021 1:01:27

In Episode 115, Quinn & Brian discuss: How to stop fossil fuel advertising. Our guests are JaRel Clay and Jamie Henn. JaRel Clay is the Digital Director of Hip Hop Caucus, a national nonprofit focused on ending the climate crisis, having some fun, and ...

Issue #233: Big Renewable Energy, AI Isn’t All That (Yet), Hot Vax Summer 04.06.2021 13:55

This week: bigger doesn’t mean better; COVAX has got next, finally; a brand new day… and vaccine; AI and medicine – so close, and yet so far. Visit ImportantJobs.com to find your next role working on the frontlines of the future. Find links from this n...

114. Carbon Offsets: Not A Get Out of Jail Free Card, TBH 31.05.2021 1:18:06

In Episode 114, Quinn asks: What are carbon offsets, and do they even work? Our returning guest is Akshat Rathi, a reporter at Bloomberg Green. Carbon offsets -- like our planet -- are so hot right now. And like our planet -- they kind of don’t work! S...

Issue #232: These Shrooms Aren’t Fungi, Climate Change Is Costly, Keep the Vaccines Rolling 28.05.2021 13:14

This week: a brutal day for oil; fungi on the move (not great); wastewater: so hot right now; paying for climate protection; vaccine inequities; and facial recognition on the way out (for now). Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotim...

Do Better Better #18: Back to the Future 26.05.2021 13:00

Synopsis: We can time travel to the past to understand how we got to where we are today. But the past doesn’t dictate the future - not anymore. So we have to look forward. The decisions we make today will guarantee that the world of 2041 is cleaner, sa...

113: Lessons from Plants 24.05.2021 1:12:47

In Episode 113, Quinn asks: What can we learn from plants? The answer, it turns out, is: A whole heck of a lot. Our guest is the wonderful and way overqualified Dr. Beronda Montgomery -- PhD, writer, researcher, scholar, and author of “Lessons from Pla...

Issue #231: Electric Truck Boogaloo, Get Your Colon Checked, What’s Your Beef 21.05.2021 14:43

This week: An electric truck for the masses; India’s vaccine production stays home; Better cancer screening; Beef emissions. Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at questions@importantn...

112. The Next Pandemic 19.05.2021 1:04:57

Oh, when we were young and so naive. In Episode #9 (!), Quinn and Brian got to know Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, an infectious diseases physician, Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Medicine, and the Medical Director of Special Pathogens Uni...

111: When Your Government Runs on Windows 95 10.05.2021 57:00

In Episode 111, Quinn & Brian discuss the past, present, and future of government IT infrastructure. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED??? Our guest is Aneesh Chopra, the first Chief Technology Officer of the United States. Twelve years after serving under Presid...

Issue #229: Fossil Fuel Funding, MDMA Magic, Leaky Legislation 07.05.2021 15:07

This week: fossil fuel financing under the microscope, India’s COVID summer, MDMA to the rescue, how to fix our water pipes. Psychedelics 101: Books, Documentaries, Podcasts, Science, and More – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss Find links from this newsl...

110. The End of the Universe 03.05.2021 1:14:52

In Episode 110, Quinn’s talking about the end of the universe. His guest is Sarafina Nance, Ph. D. candidate at Berkeley, astrophysicist, author, and women’s health advocate. She also hosts Constellation, a TV show by Seeker. How the hell is the univers...

Issue #228: Carbon Offset Upset, the COVID Baby Bust, Man vs. Mosquito 30.04.2021 14:31

This week: AI is going backwards; carbon offsets are a mirage; falling birthrates and COVID; the end of malaria?; Jordan’s out of water. Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at question...

109. Introducing “What Can I Do?” 26.04.2021 1:20:04

In Episode 109, Quinn & Brian try to help answer the eternal question: What can I do? Our guest is Frank Buncom IV, Head of Product Management at AIRx Health, a ground-breaking digital health and remote monitoring service for patients with chronic cond...

Issue #227: Building a Better Battery, It’s Covid Crunch Time, I Was Promised Waterworld Wouldn’t Suck 23.04.2021 12:12

This week: Batteries 101; too many vaccines, not enough takers; new antibiotics, but are they the right ones?; water disputes grow; AI gets the crack down Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Em...

108. Data for Progress 19.04.2021 1:03:41

In Episode 108, Quinn & Brian discuss: Data for progress. Our guest is Julian Brave NoiseCat, the Vice President of Policy & Strategy at Data for Progress, a progressive think tank that uses data science, public opinion research, policy analysis, and o...

Issue #226: Show Me Receipts, I Like Those Odds, The Next Frontier in Your Fleshbag 16.04.2021 13:23

This week: Biden’s climate disclosures; Johnson & Johnson on pause; Odds of being infected post-vaccination; Biotech’s next decade; The EU draws up AI rules… and just in time Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newslet...

107. Start a Sustainable Fashion Revolution 12.04.2021 54:57

In Episode 107, Quinn & Brian discuss: How to buy clothing that lasts while not polluting the oceans or exploiting low-income workers. Our guest is Orsola de Castro, a fashion icon and the founder of Fashion Revolution, a collection of designers, produ...

Issue #225: The Cost of Climate Change, Skeptical Evangelists, Algorithms for the Win 09.04.2021 13:40

This week: Climate finance remains unregulated; God vs Vaccines; AI antibiotics are coming; New data on food waste since the 1960s Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at questions@impo...

Do Better Better #17: Start Over 07.04.2021 11:08

Synopsis: Starting over sucks. But, like in Contra, maybe starting over is just the thing that’ll save the world. Do Better Better essays help you build mental models and ask questions about our changing world — for yourself, your family, and your busi...

#106: Black Moms Matter 05.04.2021 54:03

In Episode 106, Quinn & Brian ask: Why is it so dangerous to have Black babies in America? Our guest is Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, the millenial Black nurse and former senior adviser to President Obama. Her “Momnibus Act” is a suite of 12 bills de...

Issue #224: Biden Steps Up, The Take-Home Test You Hope to Fail, Why Green is Good 02.04.2021 11:39

This week: Biden’s plan, explained; financial climate risk, uncovered; at-home COVID tests, approved; pesticide poisonings, revealed Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at questions@im...

Best of the Best: “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens” 29.03.2021 58:16

Hi. Hello. Americans are leaving their living rooms again, which means we’re shooting people again, too. As such, we’re re-running our conversation with Fred Guttenberg, father of Parkland victim, Jaime Guttenberg. We need to break the fucking gun lobb...

Issue #223: Summer’s About to Get a Whole Lot Longer 26.03.2021 14:32

This week: The Western drought grows; China’s vaccine exports; menthol cigarettes on the run; bacon and Alzheimer’s; croissants and cancer. Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at quest...

#105: Your Smart Fridge Just Overturned Democracy 22.03.2021 1:02:29

In Episode 105, Quinn & Brian ask: How safe is your data (and can your wine fridge take down democracy)? Our guest is: Dr. Carissa Véliz, an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI, and a Tutorial Fellow in P...

Issue #222: Low Hanging vs Game Changing: Why Not Both?, a Strong Cup of Joe, Waiting is the Hardest Part 19.03.2021 12:24

In brief: The most powerful Joe; when you’re really clear on COVID; Black maternal outcomes; how to understand the AI internal war Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter Got feedback? Email us at questions@impo...