Brave New World -- hosted by Vasant Dhar

In Episode 95 of Brave New World, Palaeontologist Peter Ward returns to explore life's evolutionary journey and examine compelling possibilities for its future direction.

Useful Resources:

1. Peter Ward on Wikipedia and The University Of Washington.
2. Stephen Jay Gould.
3. Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and Nature Of History – Stephen Jay Gould.
4. Cambrian Explosion.
5. Burgess Shale.
6. Nick Lane.
...

Neuroscientist Anil Seth explores how the brain constructs our sense of self and reality in Episode 94 of Brave New World with Vasant Dhar, offering insights on the boundary between perception and consciousness.

Useful Resources:
1. Anil Seth
2. Being You: A New Science Of Consciousness – Anil Seth.
3. TED Talk: Your Brain Hallucinates Your Conscious Reality – Anil Seth.
4. Predictive Coding
5. Hermann Helm...

How do we get meat that is more nutritious, sustainable, and less cruel to animals? Dr Uma Valeti, a cardiologist turned CEO of Upside Foods, joins Vasant Dhar in episode 93 of Brave New World to discuss the future of cultivated meat.

Useful Resources:
1. Dr Uma Valeti, MD, Upside Foods.
2. Clean Meat - Paul Shapiro.
3. ‘Animal Liberation NOW’ - Peter Singer.
4. How India Eats, Vegetarians vs Non Vegetar...

All meaningful reform happens when there is one smooth pipeline from research to policy to execution. Angela Hawken joins Vasant Dhar in episode 92 of Brave New World to discuss her work as both a thinker in academia and a doer with government.

Useful resources
1. Angela Hawken at Marron Institute of Urban Management.
2. Solly Angel's Atlas of Urban Expansion.
3. Graduated Reintegration: Smoothing the Transition from Prison to Com...

Memory, consciousness and the self aren't what you think they are. Michael Levin joins Vasant Dhar in episode 91 of Brave New World to explain why the distinction between machines and organisms will soon fall apart.

Useful resources
1. Michael Levin at Tufts, Wikipedia, Twitter, Google Scholar and The Levin Lab.
2. There's Plenty of Room Right Here: Biological Systems as Evolved, Overloaded, Multi-scale Ma...

We take it for granted -- but we shouldn't: smell is incredibly powerful and plays a critical role in our lives.

Sandeep Robert Datta joins Vasant Dhar in episode 90 of Brave New World to discuss what neuroscience has taught him about the power of smell.

Useful resources:
1. Sandeep Robert Datta at Harvard, Datta Lab, LinkedIn and Google Scholar.
2. Alex Wiltschko on the Sense of Smell -- Episode 81 of B...

There's always risk at the cutting edge of technology. Driverless cars are awesome -- but can we rely on the tech? Missy Cummings joins Vasant Dhar in episode 89 of Brave New World to share her insights on why we need to proceed with caution.

Also check out:
1. Missy Cummings on LinkedIn, Wikipedia, GMU and Google Scholar.
2. California Bans GM's Cruise Robotaxis After Near-Fatal Pedestrian Accident -- Just...

He lifted The Stern School of Business up significantly in the rankings, and is now making NYU a major global player in higher education. Raghu Sundaram joins Vasant Dhar in episode 88 of Brave New World to share his learnings about higher education where so much is changing, and yet, some foundational truths persist.

Useful resources:
1. Raghu Sundaram on LinkedIn, Wikipedia, Google Scholar and NYY Stern.
...

What does it mean to be geeky -- and how are geeks changing the world? Andrew McAfee joins Vasant Dhar in episode 87 of Brave New World to share his insights on how geeks have created a brave new innovation culture.

Useful resources:
1. Andrew McAfee on Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon, MIT and his own website.
2. The Geek Way -- Andrew McAfee.
3. The Second Machine Age -- Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee.
4. E...

Imagine an America where the government provides a floor for all our needs, from housing to health care to college to an income. Natalie Foster joins Vasant Dhar in episode 86 of Brave New World to argue that such a shift is possible -- and the time to make it is now.

Useful resources:
1. Natalie Foster on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, the Economic Security Project, the Aspen Institute and her own website.
...

Does life exist outside our planet? Are we alone in the universe? Seth Shostak joins Vasant Dhar in episode 85 of Brave New World to describe his search for the answers.

Useful resources:
1. Seth Shostak at The Seti Institute, Wikipedia, TED, Amazon and his own website.
2. Life in the Universe -- Jeffrey Bennett, Seth Shostak, Nicholas Schneider and Meredith MacGregor.
3. Sharing the Universe: Perspectives...

He came to America as a ten-year old, and became invested in both the country and its world of finance. Vlad Barbalat joins Vasant Dhar in episode 84 of Brave New World to discuss his life and learnings.

Useful resources:
1. Vlad Barbalat on LinkedIn and Liberty Mutual Investments.
2. The Story Of My Experiments With Truth -- MK Gandhi.
3. The Coddling of the American Mind -- Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Hai...

He has been a driver of change at Transport for London, which has shown the way to the rest of the world. Shashi Verma joins Vasant Dhar in Episode 83 of Brave New World to share his learnings on urban transport -- and the governance structures that lead to the best results.

Useful resources:
1. Shashi Verma on LinkedIn and Centre for London.
2. Albert Wenger on the World After Capital — Episode 29 of Brave...