Episodes
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Today I interview Prof. Kevin Esvelt of the MIT media lab. Coming from George Church's lab, Kevin was part of the discovery of Crispr, and the inventor of the Crispr based gene drive. He has become deeply involved in the prevention of existential risks.
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Wasalu Jaco p.k.a. Lupe Fiasco is a rapper, producer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, (martial) artist, (and more), and is spending the 2022-2023 school year at MIT as an MLK Visiting Scholar. He was kind enough to take some time to talk about his goals for the upcoming year, where he envisions rap going and its interplay with academia and institutions, and the fundamentals of his craft. Talking with Lupe was incredibly on many levels, and I look forward to connecting with him again at the end of the year and re-examining this discussion then.
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Missing episodes?
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 19:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with Dr. Brad Stanfield, a 30 year old medical doctor trained in New Zealand who is trying to see if we are any closer to finding ways that extend healthspan.
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 18:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with Dr. David Emerson from the Bigelow Institute. Dr. Emerson. His research focuses on mitigating climate change through iron fertilization and aquaculture. Learn more about his research here:
https://www.bigelow.org/about/people/demerson.html
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 18:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with Dr. Brad Stanfield, a 30 year old medical doctor trained in New Zealand who is trying to see if we are any closer to finding ways that extend healthspan.
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he Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 7:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion Former Director of Accelerators at Lawrence Berkley National Lab Jose Alsonso. See some of his current work here:
https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.07931
https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.08804
https://arxiv.org/abs/2201.10040
https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.07919
Other Xapiens Info:
XPC Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKCp...
Xapiens Home: https://xapiens.mit.edu/
Other Xapiens Info:
XPC Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKCp...
Xapiens Home: https://xapiens.mit.edu/
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Nurvv Run is a smart insole which uses 32 pressure sensors to quantify your running form, allowing users to measure their pronation, stride length, running economy, and running economy, and get recommendations on how to optimize their technique. Grant Trewartha is a biomechanist who works at Nurvv and previously conducted research in rugby science at University of Bath.
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 15:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion Mathew Meselon, the leader of the international bioweapons treaty, as well as being deeply involved in the Meselson-Stahl experiment, and the discovery of mRNA. See his page here:
https://www.mcb.harvard.edu/directory...
Check out the Xapiens podcast on our website!
https://xapiens-at-mit.captivate.fm/
Or listen to us on google podcast, spotify, amazon, apple podcasts or wherever you listen!
RSS feed:
https://feeds.captivate.fm/xapiens-at...
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/12FjwjY...
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B...
google podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...
Other Xapiens Info:
XPC Channel:
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 16:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion special guest Eleanor Sheeky from Cambridge university and the Sheeky Science Show!
You can see her channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSheekeyS...
Super Secret Sheeky Science Blog: https://asheekeyscienceblogcom.wordpr...
Check out the Xapiens podcast on our website!
https://xapiens-at-mit.captivate.fm/
Or listen to us on google podcast, spotify, amazon, apple podcasts or wherever you listen!
RSS feed:
https://feeds.captivate.fm/xapiens-at...
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/12FjwjY...
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B...
google podcasts:
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Parsl.run is a new company in the Boston - Cambridge area, co-founded by two recently graduated MIT students, Angel & Ruben. Almost all delivery products struggle with the "last mile problem" - getting an item from the last warehouse to the actual end customer. Parsl.run attempts to solve this problem for lightweight packages by connecting with runners to seamlessly integrate small item delivery as part of their trip, benefitting all parties. Minimally frictionless solutions like this are inspiring for better future, and Ruben was kind enough to come on and talk a bit about his company's work and goal.
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Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with Harvard Professor Donald Ingber. Founder of the Wyss Institute. You can learn more about him here:
https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/donald-ingber/
and check out our website!
https://xapiens.mit.edu/
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 11:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Bobby Johnston in a discussion with Fei Chen. Fei is a core institute member at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and an assistant professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. During the course of his doctoral research, Chen co-invented Expansion Microscopy. He completed his undergraduate degree at CalTech in EE before coming to MIT for his Ph.D. in biological engineering. Fei can sometimes be found playing basketball around MIT, which is how Bobby first met him, and eventually convinced him to talk on the podcast.
Check out the Xapiens podcast on our website!
https://xapiens-at-mit.captivate.fm/
Or listen to us on google podcast, spotify, amazon, apple podcasts or wherever you listen!
RSS feed:
https://feeds.captivate.fm/xapiens-at-mit/
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/12FjwjYf6NahxAuRwg7JUT
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Xapiens-at-MIT/dp/B08JJS62YW/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=xapiens+at+mit&qid=1647018254&sr=8-1
google podcasts:
https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly94YXBpZW5zLWF0LW1pdC5jYXB0aXZhdGUuZm0vcnNzZmVlZA?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiY8KaYrND2AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ
Other Xapiens Info:
XPC Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKCp2QLDdzA3nuhdkRkJwXQ
Xapiens Home: https://xapiens.mit.edu/
RELEVANT LINKS:
Fei Chen Lab: https://www.broadinstitute.org/bios/fei-chen
DNA Dark Matter Detectors: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1206.6809.pdf
Ticker Tape Paper: https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1306/1306.5709.pdf
Bionumbers: https://bionumbers.hms.harvard.edu/search.aspx?trm=ribosome+coli
Inflation Calculator: https://www.usinflationcalculator.com/
OUTLINE:
0:00 - Expansion Microscopy in 120 seconds
2:12 - Introduction
3:12 - From EE to Biology
6:37 - Transition to Graduate School
9:53 - The Chen Lab
11:17 - What Do You Look for In Undergrads?
13:53 - Working as a Mentor
16:15 - Overview of Expansion Microscopy
26:02 - Does the Exact Expansion Factor Matter?
28:05 - ExMic + Electron Microscopy?
31:11 - Feeling of Discovery as a Grad Student
34:08 - Difficulties Along the Way
35:46 - From Grad School to Chen Lab
39:19 - How are Abundances of Genes Measured?
45:27 - The Cell as a State Machine
53:40 - Where is the ROM?
58:35 - Temporal Genomics and Dynamic Videos
1:07:19 - Overview of Slide Seq
1:19:31 - Are There Enough Tools in This Field?
1:24:00 - Sources of Inspiration
1:26:53 - OpenWetWare
1:33:00 - Advice to Young People
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 10:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Bobby Johnston in a discussion with Mark Phillips, VP of Business Development at Helium. We discuss the hardware and software behind the project, as well as the technical challenges and overall goals. We look forward to a future where information flows effortlessly across the globe, and it seems Helium and the decentralized wireless network building blueprint they have developed will be integral to realizing that future.
Check out the Xapiens podcast on our website!
https://xapiens-at-mit.captivate.fm/
Or listen to us on google podcast, spotify, amazon, apple podcasts or wherever you listen!
RSS feed:
https://feeds.captivate.fm/xapiens-at...
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/12FjwjY...
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B...
google podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...
Other Xapiens Info:
XPC Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKCp...
Xapiens Home: https://xapiens.mit.edu/
RELEVANT LINKS:
Helium website: https://www.helium.com/
Helium Github: https://github.com/helium
Helium Discord: https://discord.com/invite/helium
Helium on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/HeliumNetwork/
Helium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/helium
Mark Phillips on Twitter: https://twitter.com/pharkmillups
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HoneyBadgerBFT paper: https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/199.pdf
Motivation for honeybadgerBFT naming: https://youtu.be/4r7wHMg5Yjg
filecoin: https://filecoin.io
rndr: https://www.rendertoken.com/
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 8:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with MIT professor Hugh Herr. After his own double amputation, Herr was driven to make some of the most advanced bionics in the world. He currently is one of the leads of the K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics. You can learn more about him here:
https://www.media.mit.edu/people/hherr/overview/
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 8:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with MIT professor Ed Boyden. Founder of the MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group, The K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics, and inventor of optogenetics. You can learn more about him here:
https://mcgovern.mit.edu/profile/ed-boyden/
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 7:
After fleeing the Nazis with his family as a child, Rai Weiss went on to fix radios outside of Harlem. He went to MIT, later flunking out after a rough love story, before returning, completing his PhD, and becoming a full professor and Winning a Nobel Prize.
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with Nobel Prize Winner Rai Weiss, the man who discovered gravitational waves using LIGO. More info on him here:
https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/raine...
Check out the Xapiens podcast on our website!
https://xapiens-at-mit.captivate.fm/
Or listen to us on google podcast, spotify, amazon, apple podcasts or wherever you listen!
RSS feed:
https://feeds.captivate.fm/xapiens-at...
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/12FjwjY...
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B...
google podcasts:
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 6:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with Adam Marblestone and Anastasia Gammick. You can learn more about convergent research and their other efforts here: https://convergentresearch.org/
Check out Xapiens on youtube!
https://www.youtube.com/c/XapiensatMIT/videos
Check out the Xapiens podcast on our website!
https://xapiens-at-mit.captivate.fm/
Or listen to us on google podcast, spotify, amazon, apple podcasts or wherever you listen!
RSS feed:
https://feeds.captivate.fm/xapiens-at-mit/
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/12FjwjYf6NahxAuRwg7JUT
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/item_name/dp/B08JJS62YW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1XHBRXE1PBVFX&dchild=1&keywords=xapiens+at+mit+podcast&qid=1635954528&qsid=133-3533827-8746125&sprefix=xapiens+at+mit+podcast%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1&sres=B08JJS62YW%2CB07NHZP4FW%2CB09BFPNW2J%2CB08LB4656J%2CB004MQSV04%2CB06XCKGLTP%2CB0006H92QK%2CB08G7RG9ML%2CB07GQT8879%2CB08XXM6DRS%2CB07GY4WWP3%2CB089JLLDQB%2CB091CHFJYN%2CB095YTSZ8Y%2CB08N66WGMP%2CB06XKNZT1P
google podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5jYXB0aXZhdGUuZm0veGFwaWVucy1hdC1taXQv?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjD8u6Ayf3zAhWkM1kFHXobDHgQ9sEGegQIARAC
Other Xapiens Info:
XPC Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKCp2QLDdzA3nuhdkRkJwXQ
Xapiens Home: https://xapiens.mit.edu/
OUTLINE:
0:00 - Introduction
1:47 - Research Overview (Neuralink, Deepmind, Kernal, COVID)
6:54 - What makes an FRO different from DARPA
8:07 - How to start a Focused Research Organization
12:12 - Lessons learned for FROs
13:42 - FRO interaction
19:18 - Current FROs
25:07 - What is the Rejuvenome?
30:02 - Any Time for Research?
31:38 - Stand Out Stories and Working with Covid Testing
36:48 - Kernal and Brain Machine Interfaces
40:25 - Biologically Inspired Machine Learning and Cooperation
44:43 - Existential Risk
51:00 - Personal Lives
53:20 - Are you a Transhumanist?
56:27 - The Path to Consciousness
1:04:49 - How would FROs change with Limitless Funding
1:10:18 - Advice to Students
1:12:15 - Closing
Other Xapiens Info:
XPC Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKCp...
Xapiens Home: https://xapiens.mit.edu/
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 5:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Bobby Johnston in a discussion with Alex (Sandy) Pentland. Sandy is a professor at the MIT Media lab, is on the advisory board for the UN Secretary General, UN Foundation, Consumers Union, and OECD, co-led the World Economic Forum leading to GDPR, and has delivered keynote addresses for OECD, G20, World Bank, and JP Morgan. He has co-founded a long list of companies (for example https://cogitocorp.com/, https://www.ginger.com/, and https://www.endor.com/).
He is the author of several books, the two discussed in this podcast are Social Physics (https://www.amazon.com/Social-Physics...) and Building the New Economy (https://www.amazon.com/Building-New-E...) which was published in October 2021.
We did not have enough time to cover in the breadth nor depth necessary to really understand all of his ideas, so I highly encourage you to read his books (social physics is also available as an audiobook), or watch some of his great video content available online, for example: https://www.media.mit.edu/articles/re...
REFERENCE LINKS:
Paper discussing social physics as spin glass:
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 4:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Bobby Johnston in a discussion with MIT Media lab professor Pattie Maes. Pattie is the head of the Fluid Interfaces group at MIT, focusing on building devices that integrate seamlessly (hence, 'fluid') and is involved with dozens of exciting projects that help people with attention, cognition, memory, focus, and much more. You can find a full list of her projects here: https://www.media.mit.edu/people/patt.... She is also a successful entrepreneur, having sold Firefly Networks to Microsoft in the 90s and recently had the startup Tulip Co. valuated at $1B. As a core principle she focuses on practically improving peoples lives using existing advanced digital technology. Hopefully we will get to talk again soon in the near future.
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The Xapiens Podcast (XPC) Episode 3:
Join Xapiens Co-Director Loyd Waites in a discussion with Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek about his wide ranging work in particle physics and technology. Frank is a MIT professor of physics, Founding Director of T. D. Lee Institute and Chief Scientist at the Wilczek Quantum Center. You can find more information about his lab and current work here: https://physics.mit.edu/faculty/frank...
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