logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2019
16m 47s

How synthetic biology could wipe out hum...

TED
About this episode

The world-changing promise of synthetic biology and gene editing has a dark side. In this far-seeing talk, author and entrepreneur Rob Reid reviews the risks of a world where more and more people have access to the tools and tech needed to create a doomsday bug that could wipe out humanity -- and suggests that it's time to take this danger seriously.



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Yesterday
The 60 seconds that make or break a conversation | Chris Fenning
What's your point? Communication expert Chris Fenning reveals how the first 60 seconds can make or break a workplace conversation — and shares a three-step framework to help you get it right. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. 
13m 13s
Aug 31
This is what the birth of the universe sounded like | Mark Whittle
What sound came after the Big Bang? Astronomer Mark Whittle takes us back to the infant cosmos, where massive sound waves pulsed through primordial gas in a pattern that's still traceable across the galaxy today. Working with sound artist Ander Mikalson and composer Caroline Shaw ... Show More
15m 35s
Aug 30
Sunday Pick: How to quit (and why it matters) with Anthony Klotz | from Fixable
During the pandemic, Anthony Klotz predicted the “Great Resignation”: a mass exodus of unhappy workers leaving their jobs after COVID epiphanies. Now, he’s seeing a different pattern begin to emerge as people opt to hunker down in their current jobs until they can find a better o ... Show More
46m 25s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2021
How To Avoid Destroying Humanity - Rob Reid - #346
Rob Reid is an entrepreneur, podcaster and an author. The last 15 months have been a terrifying taster of just what a global crisis is like, except it wasn't lethal enough to be a threat to our long term survival - but just because this one wasn't, doesn't mean that more deadly e ... Show More
2h 11m
Apr 2021
Special Episode: Engineering the Apocalypse
In this nearly 4-hour SPECIAL EPISODE, Rob Reid delivers a 100-minute monologue (broken up into 4 segments, and interleaved with discussions with Sam) about the looming danger of a man-made pandemic, caused by an artificially-modified pathogen. The risk of this occurring is far h ... Show More
3h 41m
Dec 2021
Humanity on the precipice (Toby Ord)
Humanity could thrive for millions of years -- unless our future is cut short by an existential catastrophe. Oxford philosopher Toby Ord explains the possible existential risks we face, including climate change, pandemics, and artificial intelligence. Toby and Julia discuss what ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 2024
Are Robots Going to Take Over the World?!?!?
AI technology is super trendy, but can also be super scary! The 3D Printing Doctor not only makes really fun trinkets and videos with his machines, he is actually a real scientist who specializes in AI and robotics! We asked him if there was any real possibility of robots taking ... Show More
54m 17s
Sep 2024
The Future of Robot “Servants”
The human world is increasingly 'assisted' by a pantheon of automations. Yet this emergent reality brings to bear fundamental philosophical quandries about the nature of not only the mind but the soul of things called 'artificial.' In tonight's episode, sponsored by Illumination ... Show More
1h 14m
Jul 2023
How much should we fear artificial intelligence?
<p>Scientists have been sounding the alarm about the potentially catastrophic dangers posed by artificial intelligence. Gideon talks to Anu Bradford, professor at Columbia University and author of a forthcoming book on the global battle to regulate technology about the different ... Show More
29m 57s
Mar 2023
How will AI change the world? | George Zaidan and Stuart Russell
In the coming years, artificial intelligence is probably going to change your life -- and likely the entire world. But people have a hard time agreeing on exactly how AI will affect our society. Can we build AI systems that help us fix the world? Or are we doomed to a robotic tak ... Show More
7m 45s
Aug 2023
555. New Technologies Always Scare Us. Is A.I. Any Different?
<p>Guest host Adam Davidson looks at what might happen to your job in a world of human-level artificial intelligence, and asks when it might be time to worry that the machines have become too powerful. (Part 2 of "<a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/how-to-think-about-a ... Show More
47m 33s