Flash Forward

In case you think I've been sitting on my butt doing nothing, here's a trailer to let you know that I have been sitting on my butt doing lots of things! Flash Forward returns to your feeds NEXT WEEK, but to get you excited, I wanted to drop in and give you all a little taste of what’s to come.See you in the future! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At long last, we’re doing genetic editing. What’s the deal with the recent news about CRISPR babies? What does a future full of human genetic editing look like? And how might CRISPR change the food we eat? Guests:Sarah Zhang, reporter at The AtlanticGreta Johnsen, weekend anchor at WBEZ, co-host of NerdetteAlice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility ProjectAlison Van Eenennaam, researcher at UC Davis→→→ Further reading and sources HERE ←←←Paper mentioned in the Policygenius ad: “National culture and life insurance consumption”Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky.Get in touch: Twitter // Facebook // Reddit // info@flashforwardpod.comSupport the show: Patreon // DonorboxSubscribe: iTunes // SoundcloudLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What happens when the Rio Grande dries up? The river is often overshadowed, at least in the US, by the Colorado River. But the Rio Grande creates the border between US and Mexico, and the water that flows through it is at the center of a looming geopolitical crisis. So what happens when towns, farms and cities on both sides of the border start to run out of water?Guests:Naveena Sadasivam: staff writer at the Texas Observer covering the environment, energy and climate and co-author on the series Shallow WatersZoë Schlanger: staff writer at Quartz covering the environment, and co-author on the series Shallow WatersFlavio Lehner: Climate scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric ResearchJ. Alfredo Rodríguez-Pineda: Water program coordinator at the WWFSponsors:Bombas (use code FLASH at checkout)Papers mentioned in the ad: Deranged Socks, Sock Matching exercise, Sock sorting→ → → Links to sources and further reading available here ← ← ←Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asu

Getting from one place to another is hard. What if we could just teleport? From the physics of how this would work (it wouldn’t) to the ripple effects it might have on politics, urban development, and tourism, this episode is all about what would happen if we could zip instantly from one place to another.GuestsMatt Lubchansky, comic artist and associate editor at The NibZeeya Merali, physicist at the Foundational Questions Institute, author of A Big Bang in a Little Room, cohost of the FQXi PodcastPeter Norton, historian at the University of Virginia, author of Fighting Traffic: The Dawn of the Motor Age in the American City(Paper from the advertisement: Time to End the Use of Genetic Test Results in Life Insurance Underwriting) → → → Sources and more links available here ← ← ←Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth.The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia.The teleportation attendant from the future was played by Tamara Krinsky. Tamara is the host of the science & technology

If humans want to really have a go at leaving Earth and living in space or on other planets, we’re going to have to figure out a lot of things: spaceships, food supplies, fuel, how to keep everybody from killing one another. But one thing seems to be frequently left out of the picture, when it comes to distant space travel research: reproduction. It turns out we know very, very little about what pregnancy in space might look like, or whether it’s even possible at all.GuestsMaggie Koerth-Baker: senior science writer at FiveThirtyEightKim Stanley Robinson: science fiction author of the Mars trilogy, The Years of Rice and Salt, 2312, Aurora and others, including a new book Red Moon.Anicca Harriot: PhD student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, advocate for STEM outreach→ → → Further reading and sources available at flashforwardpod.com ←←←Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth.Intro music by AsuraOuttro music by Hussalonia.Episode art by Matt Lubchansky. Connect with us on: Twitter, Facebook

On today’s episode we tackle a future that was once a staple of science fiction: food pills. Instead of shopping and cooking and sitting down to eat meals together, we all simply pop our nutritional pills and move along with our lives. How feasible is this, really? Where did the idea come from? And what does the rise and fall in the popularity of the idea say about our changing relationships to food, culture and politics?Guests:Annalee Newitz, science journalist and science fiction author, co-host of Our Opinions Are CorrectCharlie Jane Anders, science fiction author, co-host of Our Opinions Are CorrectHelen Rosner, food correspondent for the New YorkerRob McGinley Myers, writer and podcasterKatie Gordon, associate professor of psychology at North Dakota State University and co-host of Jedi Counsel PodcastMike Rugnetta, producer of Reasonably SoundSoleil Ho, food writer, co-host of Racist Sandwich, host of Popaganda→→→ For more information about the guests, links, and further reading, go to https://www.flashf

Computers are getting smaller and smaller. But what if we had sensors the size of dust, that could float through the air undetected, talk to one another, gather information, and transmit that information back down to a central place? This is the concept behind smart dust, and it's more plausible than you might think.Guests:Amy Webb, quantitative futurist and founder of the Future Today InstituteFaine Greenwood, journalist and drone expertStacey Higginbotham, journalist, co-host of the Internet of Things podcast→ → More information band background reading at flashforwardpod.com ←←Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky.If you want to suggest a future we should take on, send us a note on Twitter, Facebook or by email at info@flashforwardpod.com. We love hearing your ideas! And if you think you’ve spotted one of the little references I’ve hidden in the episode, email us there too. If you’re right, I’ll

What if we just gave everybody money? It sounds simple, but universal basic income is a trendy idea right now and a lot of you have asked for an episode about a future where everybody gets money from the government no matter what. And it turns out that while it sounds simple, just giving everybody money is way more complicated than you might thing.Guests:Atossa Araxia Abrahamian, Senior editor at The Nation, author of The CosmopolitesShaksam Khosla, graduate student at Johns Hopkins University, author of India’s Basic Income: Bedeviled by the Details Aisha Nyandoro, CEO of Springboard to OpportunityCara Rose deFabio, special initiatives director at Economic Security Project →→ Further Reading Here ←←Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The human voice from the future was provided by Daniel Tannenbaum. The episode art is by Matt Lubchansky. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much of what you do is actually your choice? What if you were secretly being controlled by a parasite that had infected your brain? What if that infection was spreading? Guests:David Walton, author of The Genius PlagueTade Thompson, author or RosewaterCharissa de Bekker, researcher at the University of Central FloridaSandeep Ravindran, science journalistFor additional reading and resources on this episode, visit flashforwardpod.com. Flash Forward is produced by me, Rose Eveleth. The intro music is by Asura and the outtro music is by Hussalonia. The voices from the future this week were provided by Charles Anderson, David Dunsmuir, Anthony Friscia, Andrea Klunder and Brent Rose. Check out Brent’s project Connected States, in which he drives around the US in a big van, at http://www.connectedstates.com/. You can listen to Andrea’s podcast The Creative Imposter wherever you get your podcasts. If you want to be a voice in a future scene for Flash Forward, that is one of the perks of a $10 Patreon pledge! When

On today’s episode we travel to the near-future of advertising. Welcome to a future in which you can sign up to be a brand ambassador, and get paid for every time you mention a product in conversation. Simply download the app, and your phone will listen to your every word waiting to hear brand names, and pay you some money every time you mention one. Guests:Deborah Dahl, speech technology expert and principal of Conversational TechnologiesLee Tien, senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier FoundationLindsey Webber, writer, editor and cohost of the podcast Who? WeeklyBobby Finger, writer at Jezebel and cohost of the podcast Who? WeeklyKristen Strader, campaign coordinator for Public Citizen’s Commerical Alert program

~~~~ TAKE THE SURVEY! (Please) ~~~~Today we tackle the age-old question: what if animals could talk? Or, more precisely, what if we could actually understand what animals are saying?Guests:Con Slobodchikoff, professor at Northern Arizona University, CEO of Zoolingua, and author of Chasing Dr. Doolittle: Learning the Language of Animals.Irene Pepperberg, professor of psychology Harvard University, author of Alex and Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence-and formed a Deep Bond in the ProcessAlexandra Horowitz, professor at Barnard, head of dog cognition lab, author of Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and KnowAshley Shew, professor at Virginia Tech, author of Animal Constructions and Technological KnowledgeKeri Cronin, professor at Brock University, author of Art for Animals: Visual Culture and Animal Advocacy, 1875-1914Further Reading:The “Clever Hans Phenomenon” revisitedLost in Translation: Koko the gorilla and language researchThe Alex studies: cognitive and

In the 1960's, the United States spent millions of dollars exploring two different realms: outer space, and the deep oceans. But today, only one of those programs is still around. Why do space colonies seem more likely than underwater cities? And what does it take to build a settlement on the sea floor?Guests:Ben Hellwarth, journalist and author of SEALAB: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean FloorJim Fourqurean, professor of Marine Science at Florida International University and the director of the Center for Coastal Oceans ResearchRoger Garcia, operations director at Aquarius Reef BaseKatherine Sammler, assistant professor at California State University Maritime in the department of Global Studies & Maritime AffairsFurther Reading/Watching:The Silent WorldJFK's Moon Shot speechJFK 1961 remarks on the oceanJFK Address at the Anniversary Convocation of the National Academy of Sciences, 22 October 1963SEALAB: America's Forgotten Quest to Live and Work on the Ocean FloorTo Tell The Truth

In today’s episode I welcome you to the Museum of Non-Human Art, a brand new gallery full of art made entirely by machines, computers, algorithms, robots and other non-human entities. I hope your enjoy your visit!To see pictures of any of the artworks we talked about on this show head to the website! Guests:Elizabeth Stephens, Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities at the University of QueenslandMichael Noll, computer artist, professor emeritus at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern CaliforniaAhmed Elgammel, director of the The Art & Artificial Intelligence Lab at Rutgers UniversityOrit Gat, art critic & writerXiaoyu Weng, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Associate Curator of Chinese Art at the Guggenheim Further Reading:Do Androids Dream of Electric Bananas?Machines in the GardenAutomata by Jacquet-DrozThe Story of Jacquet-DrozWhen the Machine Made Art "Incredible Machine" (1968) — main-title a

In 1918, the Spanish flu killed four to five percent of the entire global population. Infectious disease experts all agree that another pandemic is coming. It's when, not if. But are we ready for it? Today's episode explores what happens when a pandemic strikes, what the most likely candidates are, and whether or not the world is ready.Guests:Ed Yong, science writer at The AtlanticNahid Bhadelia, assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine and the Medical Director of Special Pathogens Unit (SPU) at Boston Medical CenterLaura Spinney, science writer and author of Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the WorldNicola Twilley, co-host of Gastropod and author of a forthcoming book on quarantineFurther Reading:The Next Plague is Coming. Is America Ready?Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the WorldYuuyaraq: The Way of the Human Being by Harold NapoleonStrengthening Health Systems While Responding to a Health Crisis: Lessons Learned by a Nongovernmental Organizati

This episode we take on a future where space junk has gotten so bad, that active spacecraft are constantly having to maneuver around it, which wastes fuel and cuts down on operation time. And humans decide to finally do something about it. But what?Guests:Loren Grush, science reporter at The VergeLisa Ruth Rand, historian of science technology and the environment.Tiago Soares, systems engineer for ESA’s Clean Space programAndrew Wolahan, systems engineer for ESA’s e.deorbit programAlice Gorman, space archaeologist at Flinders University Jill Stuart, space policy & law expert at the London School of EconomicsFurther Reading:Tracking Space JunkHow can humans clean up our space junk?The Space Junk Problem is About to get a Whole Lots GnarlierOrbital Decay: Space Junk and the Environmental History of Earth’s Planetary BorderlandsThe Forgotten Cold War Plan That Put A Ring Of Copper Around The EarthProject West Ford, NASA RepositoryJapanese mission to clear up space junk ends in failureThis is what happens whe

With the rise in consumer DNA tests and online genealogy, people might soon have a pretty good idea where their families came from for generations. But are we putting too much faith in DNA? Can our genetic ancestry really tell us anything about ourselves? And what happens when DNA databases become playgrounds for true crime sleuths?Guests:Carl Zimmer, science journalist and author of She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions and Potential of HeredityKristen V. Brown, biotechnology reporter at BloombergKim Tallbear, author of Native American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic ScienceClan_McCrimmon, moderator of the Lyle Stevik subreddit Colleen Fitzpatrick and Margaret Press, cofounders of DNA Doe Kelly Hills, cofounder of Rogue BioethicsFurther Reading:She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions and Potential of HeredityNative American DNA: Tribal Belonging and the False Promise of Genetic ScienceThe Garden of Invention: Luther Burbank and the Business of Breeding Plants

Guests:Susan Quinn, author of Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times and other books.Monet Noelle Marshall, playwright, consultant, artist, director, founder of JOCOAA.Monica Byrne, novelist, playwright, futurist, activist.Further Reading:Furious Improvisation: How the WPA and a Cast of Thousands Made High Art out of Desperate Times by Susan QuinnThe New Deal Art Projects, An Anthology of Memoirs by Francis V. O’ConnorEngendering Culture: Manhood and Womanhood In New Deal Public Art and Theater by Barbara MedoshAmerican-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA:When FDR Put the Nation to Work by Nick TaylorThe Subsidized Muse: Public Support for the Arts in the United States by Dick NetzerThe American Guide to the New VermontAfter the Curtain CallsCreator of the Week with Monica ByrneWhat if Trump Really Does End Money for the Arts?Global Trends in Art FundingHow the United States Funds the ArtsCulturally Impoverished: US NEA Spends 1/40th of What Germany Do

This episode we talk exoskeletons: what are they being used for now? What might they be used for in the future? And what happens when they’re everywhere?Guests:Tim Pote, PhD student at Virginia TechGreg Pote, Tim’s brotherDr. Bill Marras, professor at The Ohio State University & Director of the Spine Research InstituteLarry Jasinksi, CEO, RewalkAshley Shew, assistant professor at Virginia Tech in technology & disability, and author of Animal Constructions and Technological KnoweldgeKim Sauder, graduate student in Disability Studies, author of Crippled Scholar blogBill Peace, anthropologist & bioethicist, author of Bad Cripple blogFurther Reading:The robotic exoskeleton market is poised to grow to $1.9 billion in 2025, compared to $97 million in 2016, says ABI Research's Dan Kara.Berkeley BLEEX ExoskeletonExoskeletons Won’t Turn Assembly Workers into Iron ManWe Try a New Exoskeleton for Construction WorkersThe Exoskeletons Are ComingReWalk TestimonialsFor heavy lifting, use exoskeletons with cautio

Some people love going to the gym. Some people hate it. But what if there was a pill that could replace exercise? Today’s future might actually be closer than you think.Today’s guests:Nicola Twilley, co-host of Gastropod and New Yorker writerDavid Eveleth, my dad and biotech expertNatalia Mehlman Petrzela, historian and co-host of Past PresentSigmund Loland, philosopher of sports at Norwegian School of Sport SciencesCasey Johnston, editor at The Outline, author of Ask a Swole WomanRobert, my boyfriendFurther reading can be found here, including background documents, research papers, suggested books and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, a huge submarine volcano erupts, breaks the surface of the ocean, and forms a new island. What happens next?Guests:Tracy Gregg, associate professor of geology at the University at BuffaloRebecca Carey, senior lecturer at the University of TasmaniaParaskevi V. Nomiku, assistant professor of geological oceanography at the University of AthensGianpierro Orbasano, Tongan photojournalist and explorerMichael Bates, Prince of SealandJames Grimmelmann, professor of law at Cornell TechFurther reading:The largest deep-ocean silicic volcanic eruption of the past centuryTsunami hazard risk of a future volcanic eruption of Kolumbo submarine volcano, NE of Santorini Caldera, GreeceVolcanic ash as fertiliser for the surface ocean The Submarine Volcano Eruption off El Hierro Island: Effects on the Scattering Migrant Biota and the Evolution of the Pelagic Communities What is law of the sea?United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaPrincipality of Sealand: Nation Building by IndividualsSealand, Havenco an