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
109. Introducing “What Can I Do?”
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 remo…
Issue #227: Building a Better Battery, It’s Covid Crunch Time, I Was Promised Waterworld Wouldn’t Suck
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 i…
108. Data for Progress
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 scie…
Issue #226: Show Me Receipts, I Like Those Odds, The Next Frontier in Your Fleshbag
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 news…
107. Start a Sustainable Fashion Revolution
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 …
Issue #225: The Cost of Climate Change, Skeptical Evangelists, Algorithms for the Win
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…
Do Better Better #17: Start Over
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 chang…
#106: Black Moms Matter
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 Presiden…
Issue #224: Biden Steps Up, The Take-Home Test You Hope to Fail, Why Green is Good
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.c…
Best of the Best: “‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens”
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, Ja…
Issue #223: Summer’s About to Get a Whole Lot Longer
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 importantnotimpo…
#105: Your Smart Fridge Just Overturned Democracy
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 In…
Issue #222: Low Hanging vs Game Changing: Why Not Both?, a Strong Cup of Joe, Waiting is the Hardest Part
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…
#104: Global.Health: Big Data for Good
In Episode 104, Quinn & Brian discuss: the future of data and medicine.
Our guests are: Robel Kassa & Dr. Sam Scarpino, two of the brilliant minds behind Global.Health, which is setting a new standar…
Issue #221: Lab Trial & Error, Finding a Pain-Free Way to Treat Pain, How to Lose a Crop in 10 Days
In brief: Batteries are cheaper and increasingly everywhere; the best COVID treatments; a possible opioid alternative; cabbage is off the menu
- Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnoti…
#103: Black Hearts Matter
In Episode 103, Quinn & Brian ask: Why do so many more Black people die after heart transplants than everybody else?
Our guests are: Dr. Hasina Maredia and Dr. Errol Bush, who recently published a pap…
Issue #220: Sunk Costs are Sinking Cities, Finally the Food Chain is Essential, & Putting the “AI” in “Racist”
This week: Miami kicks the can down the road, relief for farmworkers, poor Twitter, how not to waste food, how not to do ethical A.I.
- Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.…
#102: Put Your Money Where Your Future Is
In Episode 102, Quinn & Brian discuss: How to invest in defeating climate change.
Our guest is: Boris Khentov, SVP of Operations & Legal Counsel at Betterment. If you’ve been reading or listening to o…
Issue #219: The Social Cost of Carbon, Not Enough Nurses, & Even Trump’s Corporate Bailouts Were Racist
This week: the price of climate change, how to re-open your office, a new wave of nurses, bailing out Black farmers.
- Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter
- Got…
Do Better Better #16: The Hard Work Starts Yesterday
Synopsis: Where does America keep paying clean up costs, instead of doubling down on prevention?
Do Better Better essays help you build mental models and ask questions about our changing world — for y…