What is it like to shadow Elon Musk for two years? To sit courtside as he builds a rocket? Or tears apart an engineer? Or couch surfs at the homes of billionaires? And how on earth do you make sense of it all? Walter Isaacson is the biographer of giants: DaVinci, Franklin, Doudna, Jobs...and now Musk, former enfante terrible, rocket launcher, electric car innovator, and Twitter—er, X—disruptor, to put it gently. In this four part series, author Evan Ratliff (Mastermind, Longform Podcast) sits down with Isaacson to draw out the behind-the-scenes stories of this epic biography, and what the writer has learned as an outsider inside Silicon Valley.
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ON CRISPR Episode 5: The Conversation
In the four years since the book’s publication, CRISPR has revolutionized the world of medical treatments and possibilities. But our world has changed drastically, too. As AI’s impact grows, U.S scientists are facing funding cuts like never before. For our final episode, we bring you a live conversation between Walter Isaacson and Jennifer Doudna at the New Orleans Book Festival. In her own words, you’ll hear Doudna explain how CRISPR blossomed from an idea to a phenomenon, and the challenges scientists faces in this politically fraught moment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON CRISPR Episode 4: Franken Monsters
As the gene editing field kept growing, so did the dangers. Back in 2018, Jennifer Doudna received an email from a Chinese scientist claiming that he had genetically edited two twin babies. The news reverberated across the world and made Doudna and her colleagues urgently consider the implications of what their discovery could mean for humanity. Walter Isaacson sits down with Evan and tells him why the field has always been ripe with ethical questions, and how the COVID-19 pandemic pushed researchers to recalibrate their priorities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON CRISPR Episode 3: Patent Wars
Jennifer Doudna thought she had won the race. She thought she had beaten out all scientific competitors when she and her co-author had shocked the world with their groundbreaking technology for gene editing. But turned out, the race had just gotten fiercer. Walter Isaacson sits down with Evan to talk about how one of the most cutthroat scientific competitions in biotech got started around one goal — making CRISPR work for humans, and getting the credit for it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON CRISPR Episode 2: The Discovery
Back in the 1990s, a young microbiologist in Alicante, Spain became obsessed with a strange pattern he observed in the genes of tiny organisms — a series of inexplicable clusters. And he wasn’t alone. All around the world, a network of scientists were growing curious as to what these genetic knots could be and all of their potential functions. Their curiosity would prove to be the foundation for a history altering discovery: the ability to edit our genetic code. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON CRISPR Episode 1: Beginnings
Earlier this year, when the world learned the news of baby KJ successfully undergoing the first personalized genetic treatment, it represented a milestone for researchers and patients. But behind this scientific feat there’s the story of the technology that made it possible, CRISPR, and one of the key pioneers behind it — Jennifer Doudna. Evan sits down with Walter Isaacson to understand how Doudna’s upbringing in Hilo, Hawaii influenced her trajectory as a gene editing scientist. And how the history of gene editing might have started with understanding DNA, but soon after, it became clear the real secret lay with its underrated sibling molecule, RNA.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Introducing ON CRISPR: The Story of Jennifer Doudna with Walter Isaacson
Walter Isaacson - bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs - in conversation with Evan Ratliff brings you behind the scenes of The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race. The story of the third great technological revolution in modern times. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kaleidoscope Recommends: Citizen Elon
Donald Trump and Elon Musk occupied two entirely different worlds. Until they didn’t. In this episode of Citizen Elon from the Elon, Inc. podcast, we learn how their paths as public figures — often informed and provoked by personal grievances — brought them together. Which snubs, perceived or not, prompted Musk to dip his toes in the politics pool? We hear from misinformation scholars, right wing media experts, Bloomberg journalists, and people who have worked closely with Musk—close enough to discuss what he and Trump might have in common, and where they diverge. To listen to more Citizen Elon, follow Elon, Inc. wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 5: Legacy
In this final episode of our series, host Evan Ratliff and biographer Walter Isaacson discuss Benjamin Franklin's remarkable late-in-life achievements-- from his last anonymous essay, to the way he empowered George Washington, to his evolution on slavery, to the beautiful way Philadelphia mourned its favorite son... oh, and they discuss Ben Franklin's favorite magic trick, too! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON Musk Episode One Genius
Hey listeners! We're off this week, but we'll be back with the FINAL episode of ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN next week. In the meantime, remember, you can always binge the first season about the controversial tech genius Elon Musk right now... starting with episode one, here! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 4: The Statesman
After retiring at the age of 42, Ben Franklin immersed himself in politics, taking on enormous diplomatic challenges on behalf of Pennsylvania and the colonies. In this episode, we dive into Franklin the talented statesman-- a man who emerged from his mission in England with a taste for revenge, charmed the French into supporting a burgeoning nation, and somehow found time to get involved in every revolutionary tract-- from Common Sense to the Constitution... in between playing chess in the bathtub! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 3: Industry
Few people remember that Benjamin Franklin was America’s wealthiest self-made man. After being denied a formal education and then indentured to his own brother, he launched America's first media empire. But while Franklin could be a ruthless businessman, he was out for more than himself—he knew his success was predicated on a strong middle class, a new, American idea. So he started civic ventures like fire departments, street sweepers, and public libraries. But it wasn't until he became a postmaster that he realized why the colonies needed to band together as a nation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 2: The Great American Character
From writing under pen names in the newspaper as a teenager, to the Poor Richard maxims we all know, to the autobiography he created to show the path toward American virtues, Ben Franklin literally wrote the books on what it means to be American. But how close was the real Ben Franklin to the character he created? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
ON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Episode 1: Ingenuity
From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Shell Games, Longform) comes a revealing look into the life of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped America. In this first episode of five, we dive into the way Franklin's scientific curiosity laid the groundwork for his approach to democracy, and how his thirst for innovation not only led him to invent everything from swimming flippers to the lightning rod, but also turned him into a bona fide, worldwide celebrity—a fame he would soon wield for America's benefit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Introducing Season 2 of On with Walter Isaacson
Introducing season 2 of On with Walter Isaacson - an intimate behind the scenes interview to understand Benjamin Franklin’s remarkable life.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Introducing: Fire and Fury – The Podcast
What happens when one of the best-sourced reporters in the game catches up with an old friend to share his latest scoop? Every week, we listen in as journalist Michael Wolff (Fire and Fury, Siege, Landslide) speaks with James Truman, former editorial director of Condé Nast. They dish from inside the Trump campaign and share election intel before the world gets to hear it. Fire and Fury: The Podcast is essential listening for anyone looking to stay one step ahead of the headlines. Listen here or on the iHeartRadio app.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.