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
#68: Let’s Send Our Homework into Space
In Episode 68, Quinn & Brian discuss: Sending our homework to space.
Our guest is Michelle Lucas, an actual rocket scientist and the founder of Higher Orbits. Michelle spent 10 years at NASA, where pa…
#67: Is Climate Change "Flippable"?
In Episode 67, Quinn & Brian ask: Is Climate Change "Flippable"?
Our guest is Catherine Vaughan, CEO and Co-Founder of Flippable, an organization dedicated to flipping state governments from red to bl…
#66: So We Can’t Just Blow Up Asteroids, Then?
In Episode 66, Quinn & Brian want to know why the hell we can't -- and further -- shouldn’t just blow up asteroids.
Our guest is the incredible Professor K.T. Ramesh, professor of mechanical engineer…
#65: Chernobyl: A Preventable and Rare Accident from the Past or a Vivid Picture of Our Hellish Nuclear Future?
In Episode 65, Quinn asks: Is Chernobyl a preventable and rare accident from the past or a vivid picture of our hellish nuclear future?
Our guest is Craig Mazin, a screenwriter, podcaster, and the cre…
#64: Sunrise Movement Tour - Live (ish) in LA!
#63: Green Acres: Farming for Millennials and Other People Who Like Food
In Episode 63, Quinn & Brian discuss: Building a new pipeline of sustainable food growers.
Our guest is Dena Leibman, the Executive Director of the Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable A…
#62: Where Does Ebola Go From Here?
In Episode 62, Quinn & Brian ask: Where does Ebola go from here?
Our guest is Karin Huster, a Field Coordinator at Doctors Without Borders, where she is currently bouncing between the Democratic Repub…
#61: How Do We Atone for Poisoning Generations of American Minorities?
In Episode 61, Quinn & Brian ask: How do we atone for poisoning generations of American minorities?
Our guest is Dr. Michael Dorsey, a recognized expert on global energy, finance and sustainability ma…
#60: Why You Should Run For Something in 2020
In Episode 60, Quinn & Brian discuss: Why YOU should run for something in 2020!
Our guest is Amanda Litman, the co-founder and Executive Director of Run For Something, a PAC that helps recruit and sup…
#59: Is Florida the Harbinger of Doom? (Probably)
In Episode 59, Quinn & Brian ask: Is Florida the harbinger of doom? (Probably)
Our guest is Dr. Salvador Almagro-Moreno, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences…
#58: Is Faith Sustainable?
In Episode 58, Quinn & Brian ask: Is faith sustainable?
Our guest is Dekila Chungyalpa, a trained scientist and Buddhist operating at the intersection of science, faith, and the environment. She is th…
BONUS REPLAY: Is Food Waste the Stupidest Thing We Do (& How Do We Cut it in Half)?
We’re digging into our vault and playing a hit this week because there’s big news for former guest Dr. James Rogers and his company Apeel Sciences: Fast Company named Apeel the 7th most innovative co…
#57: Make Food Great (Nutritious) Again
In Episode 57, Quinn & Brian discuss: Why more food ≠ more nutrition. Our excellent guests are Professors Kristie Ebi and Irakli Loladze.
Dr. Ebi is the Rohm & Haas Endowed Professorship in Public He…
#56: What’s It Feel Like To Be Asked To Save the World?
In Episode 56, Quinn & Brian ask: What’s it feel like to be asked to save the world?
Our guest is Rhiana Gunn-Wright, who is writing policy and leading the Green New Deal project at New Consensus, whi…
#55: What are the Energy Requirements of Well-being?
In Episode 55, Quinn & Brian ask: What are the energy requirements of well-being?
Our guest is Julia Steinberger, a Professor of Social Ecology & Ecological Economics at the University of Leeds School…
#54: The State That’s Not a State is a Hell of a Lot Greener Than Your State
In Episode 54, Quinn & Brian discuss: why the state that’s not a state is a hell of a lot greener than your state.
Our guest is Jamie DeMarco, a State-Level Carbon Pricing Coordinator with our friends…
#53: How the Hell Do We Pull Clean Drinking Water Out of Thin Air?
In Episode 53, Quinn & Brian ask: How the hell do we pull clean drinking water out of thin air?
Our guest is Dr. Shing-Chung “Josh” Wong, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Akr…
#52: What’s the Deal With the Green New Deal?
In Episode 52, Quinn & Brian ask (using their best Seinfeld impression): What’s the deal with the Green New Deal?
Our guest is Varshini Prakash, a founder of the Sunrise Movement, a veritable army of …
#51: Are We Thinking About CRISPR All Wrong (& What the Hell is CRISPR)?
In Episode 51, Quinn & Brian ask: Are we thinking about CRISPR all wrong (and what the hell is CRISPR)?
Our guest is C. Brandon Ogbunu, an evolutionary systems biologist working as an Assistant Profes…
BEST OF 2018: New Antibiotics in a Post-Antibiotic Era
Back in Episode 19, Quinn & Brian asked: What’s the future of antibiotics?
To find out, we sat down with bowtie enthusiast and professor of pathology and immunology and biomedical engineering Dr. Gaut…