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
Issue #218: How to Help Texas, Catching Our Breath, & Creating Equitable Education
This week: How to help Texas. Air pollution and infertility. A drastic life expectancy gap. A big test for higher education. And AI rethinks pesticides.
- Find links from this newsletter and more at imp…
Issue #217: Capitalism Gonna Capitalism, Vaccines Are Working, & The Secrets Hidden in Your Poop
This week: Your gas stove and water heater are hiding a dirty secret; where COVID goes from here; and all the good your poop can do.
- Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.c…
Issue #216: Downsides of Living in the Future, Sustainable and Enjoyable Retirements, & Why You Should Upgrade Your Mask
This week: The economic choices that have led us to a climate breaking point (and why the last year has prepared us to do something about it better than before, if we take action); what it will take …
Do Better Better #15: Overwhelm The System
Synopsis: If we're going to defeat the systemic issues of today, we need to Overwhelm The System. Here's how.
Do Better Better essays help you build mental models and ask questions about our changing …
Issue #215: Biden isn’t Throwing Away His Shot, COVID-19 Version Control, & Climate Change Christmas
This week: Joe Biden has been president for about eight and a half days and the man’s not throwing away his shot when it comes to climate, environmental justice, COVID, or science in general; Santa’s…
Do Better Better #14: A Safety Net for America
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for the first time. You’ll learn how to ask questions and think about our…
Issue #214: Some Honest-to-Goodness Optimism, Keeping Up With COVID, Giving Up the Vape
This week: Giving it all we got; 25 doses; Tobacco is the new tobacco;
- Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter
- Got feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimp…
Issue #213: Our COVID predictions for 2021
This week: Why’s COVID so bad in Los Angeles?; How the next few months will go; Go deeper on clean tech; IVF might get a lot more effective thanks to AI; All the way down the food chain;
- Find links fr…
Do Better Better #13: Flailing, Perfected
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for the first time. You’ll learn how to ask questions and think about our…
Issue #212: How Ossoff and Warnock will help fight climate change
This week: Context is everything; Back to your regularly scheduled pandemic; COVID has rightfully distracted a lot of science funding, but the train hasn’t stopped entirely; Beef: It’s what’s destroy…
Do Better Better #12: 20% For the Future
This episode was originally published in print on December 14, 2020.
For more information on 20% For The Future or to get involved, email us a [email protected]. This is an open-sour…
Do Better Better #11: The Trick to Unlocking Every Problem
This episode was originally published in print on December 7, 2020.
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for th…
Do Better Better #10: “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future”
This episode was originally published in print on November 22, 2020.
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for t…
Do Better Better #9: Georgia On My Mind
This episode was originally published in print on November 9, 2020.
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for th…
Issue #211: The 80/20 Problem of Our Time
Happy Holidays! In brief, this week: how to breathe in India.
- "Who Gets to Breathe Clean Air in New Delhi?"
- Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletter
- Got feedback…
Do Better Better #8: One Choice Determined the Last 400 Years
This episode was originally published in print on October 11, 2020.
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for th…
Do Better Better #7: Let's Measure How Exposed You Are, Shall We?
This episode was originally published in print on September 20, 2020.
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for …
Do Better Better #6: How to Spend The Next 10 Years
This episode was originally published in print on September 7, 2020.
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for t…
Do Better Better #5: How to Spend Your Time Right Now
This episode was originally published in print on August 29, 2020.
Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for the…
Issue #210: Checking Your Clean Air Privilege, Fighting COVID Misinformation, & Starving for Capitalism
This week: Justice for Ella Kissi-Debrah; fighting COVID misinformation on Facebook; how often should your kids be on antibiotics?; and what hunger does to a nation (during a pandemic (during a clima…