Andrew Hessel believes that biology is the first technology because it created all living things, including us. And it’s also the most mysterious technology because we still do not understand exactly how the cells in our bodies convert molecules into new materials at room temperature. In this episode of the Futurists, Andrew explains how the science of synthetic biology enables humans to harness the phenomenal generative power of nature to accomplish incredible goals: curing cancer; devising personalized medicine; growing novel proteins; designing new materials and clean fuels. Biology is technology; synthetic biology confers the immense creative force of nature onto humans. Topics include genome sequencing, genome synthesis, how to write DNA, and the role of AI in reprogramming life.

In this week’s show we interview Neal Baer, M.D. an award-winning showrunner, television writer/producer, physician, author and a public health advocate and expert. Apart from ER, also worked on Designated Survivor, snd Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Today he is the Co-Director of the M.S. in Media, Medicine, and Health Program, at Harvard Medical School. We discuss his new book The Promise and Perils of CRISPR and get into where the tech is at and where it will take us, and the ways we might navigate ethical mindfields. We get sci-fi too – Join us!

Jim Rutt solves complex future problems by taking action. When we say complex, we mean very complex!. A pioneer of networked society since 1980, Jim launched the world’s first online community, and later led Network Solutions and the Santa Fe Institute. In this episode of the Futurists, the discussion moves fluidly from theory to practice as Jim explains his Game B initiative with colorful language and fresh insight. Topics include: complexity science, applied artificial intelligence, the importance of the number zero, the failures of governance mechanisms, the doom loop of money-on-money return, and why we need a system that is focused on optimizing human wellbeing within planetary limits.