The Most Important Question
Science for people who give a sh*t.
Want to feel better AND unf*ck the world? The 6-time Webby nominee delivers deep conversations with the world's smartest people (scientists, doctors, CEO's, farmers, and more!), and digestible news updates every single week, to help you answer the world's most important question: What can I do?
We're talkin' clean energy and coral reefs, COVID vaccines and pediatric cancer research, clean water and carbon capture tech, asteroid deflection and artificial intelligence ethics.
"A vital service in an era where important truths, outright fiction and mere trivia all compete for your attention.” - Craig Mazin, creator, writer, and executive producer of HBO's Chernobyl
Hosted by Quinn Emmett
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 46 minutes
- Episodes
- 435
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
Newsletter #261: How to market climate change
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 the…
Newsletter #260: What "Mild" COVID Really Means
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 ne…
129. Indigenous DNA
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 wh…
Issue #258: What Omicron Means For You
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 St…
So We Can’t Just Blow Up Asteroids, Then?
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 preven…
Issue #257: McDonald’s Is Lying To You
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 t…
128. The Best Olive Oil You’ve Never Had
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, dreame…
127. How To Innovate
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 ab…
Issue #256: Alexa. Knows. Everything.
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 newslett…
126. Climate Tech $ Above The Fold
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 i…
Issue #255: It’s My Birthday, Let’s Ban Coal
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.importantnotimporta…
125. Elevating Climate Venture Capital
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 …
Issue #254: Delete Your (Face)Book
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 n…
Issue #253: Here’s The Deal
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 …
124. Birth Control 2.0
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…
Newsletter #252: What Comes After Manchin
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 u…
123. Snapchat Runs for Office
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…
Issue #251: Moderna Made How Much?
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 newslet…
Issue #250: Bye Malaria
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 importantn…
The First Black Female Space Pilot
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…