logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2020
50m 32s

An Unlikely Superpower

NPR
About this episode
What if you had a superpower that allowed you to see part of the world that was to come? At the age of 60, a Scottish woman named Joy Milne discovers she has a biological gift that allows her to see things that will happen in the future that no one else can see. A look at how we think about the future, and the important ways the future shapes the present. | To learn more about this episode, subscribe to our newsletter. Click here to learn more about NPR sponsors.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Jul 2025
"The Network" from NPR's Embedded
New from NPR's Embedded: Hosts Victoria Estrada and Marta Martinez travel across Latin America and within the U.S. to understand how women in Brazil discovered one of the medications that's used for self-managed abortions, the spread of this method across the world, and how this ... Show More
42m 6s
Feb 2025
Alternate Realities from NPR's Embedded
New from NPR's Embedded: Reporter Zach Mack thinks his dad has gone all in on conspiracy theories, while his father thinks that Zach is the one being brainwashed. In 2024, after the latest round of circular arguments, they decided to try something new, an attempt to pull each oth ... Show More
25m 53s
Aug 2024
Tested (Ep 2): Questions of a Physical Nature
We go back almost 100 years, to the beginning of women's inclusion in elite sports. It turns out that men had an odd variety of concerns about women athletes. Some doubted these athletes were even women at all. And their skepticism resulted in the first policies requiring sex tes ... Show More
34m 26s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2022
191 | Jane McGonigal on How to Imagine the Future
The future grows out of the present, but it manages to consistently surprise us. How can we get better at anticipating and preparing for what the future can be like? Jane McGonigal started out as a game designer, working on the kinds of games that represent miniature worlds with ... Show More
1h 21m
Oct 2018
Real Life Super Powers Part II
<p>Does someone have real-life superspeed? Can people telepathically control machines? When the guys originally began investigating real-life superpowers, they had no idea how many extraordinary abilities they would end up discovering. Tune in for the superpower sequel, with all ... Show More
1h 10m
Aug 2022
How to predict the future | The TED Interview
Future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal ran a social simulation game in 2008 that had players dealing with the effects of a respiratory pandemic set to happen in the next decade. She wasn’t literally predicting the 2020 pandemic—but she got eerily close. Her game, set ... Show More
43m 6s
Aug 2022
The TED Interview: How to predict the future with Jane McGonigal
Future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal ran a social simulation game in 2008 that had players dealing with the effects of a respiratory pandemic set to happen in the next decade. She wasn’t literally predicting the 2020 pandemic—but she got eerily close. Her game, set ... Show More
43m 15s
Jun 2022
How to predict the future with Jane McGonigal
Future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal ran a social simulation game in 2008 that had players dealing with the effects of a respiratory pandemic set to happen in the next decade. She wasn’t literally predicting the 2020 pandemic—but she got eerily close. Her game, set ... Show More
42m 49s
Jun 2022
How to predict the future with Jane McGonigal
Future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal ran a social simulation game in 2008 that had players dealing with the effects of a respiratory pandemic set to happen in the next decade. She wasn’t literally predicting the 2020 pandemic—but she got eerily close. Her game, set ... Show More
42m 49s
Feb 2022
Influence: Your Greatest Super Power w/ Zoe Chance
I am a BIG BELIEVER in SUPERPOWERS. INFLUENCE is at the top of my list Superpowers are your small set of unique SKILLS, TALENTS, AND ABILITIES that give you a natural advantage you can tap into to lead your best life. WHAT WOULD IT TAKE to get you to LISTEN to somebody who could ... Show More
1h 6m
Apr 2021
Why The Present is a Gift
#3. In this episode of LUNA The Podcast, we talk about one of the first things I learned in my spiritual journey -- the power of the present moment. We go over how to become the observer of your thoughts, why you should stop focusing on the past and the future too much, and how t ... Show More
16m 29s