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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
About ON CRISPR: The Story of Jennifer Doudna with Walter Isaacson
A single scientific breakthrough changed the future of humanity, setting off the third great revolution of modern times. As with any revolution, things didn’t happen neatly or quietly. One figure stood at the center of it all: Jennifer Doudna, the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist who co-created CRISPR. Her invention signified the arrival of a newfound ability to edit our genes, as simply as we edit a sentence, with a word processor.
From Walter Isaacson - the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs – and journalist Evan Ratliff (Mastermind, co-host of the beloved Longform podcast) comes a behind the scenes look at the story of Jennifer Doudna.
Her personal trajectory, and that of her collaborators and competitors, tells the story of how we arrived at this new frontier of gene editing. It’s a story filled with global stakes and fiery competition. And a story that touches upon the ethical considerations that gene editing brings.
Season 2:
He didn’t have a role in Hamilton, but America wouldn’t be the same without him!
From Walter Isaacson– the bestselling biographer behind Musk, Einstein and Steve Jobs– and journalist Evan Ratliff (Mastermind, co-host of the beloved Longform podcast) comes a behind the scenes look at the story of Ben Franklin, and how his genius shaped our national character.
From Franklin’s adventures as a mischievous apprentice, to his evolution over 84 years into America’s best writer, inventor,scientist, diplomat, and business strategist… as well as Founding Father, Isaacson covers everything from the wit behind Poor Richard’s Almanac to the wisdom behind the Declaration of Independence; not to mention, how a former slave owner evolved into the shepherd of a near-perfect Constitution.
In this intimate behind the scenes interview, Isaacson provides a look at how he came to understand Franklin’s remarkable life, how it shaped America’s national identity, and why Ben Franklin matters so much right now.
Season 1:
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 enfant 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.
Listen to ON CRISPR: The Story of Jennifer Doudna with Walter Isaacson, Because We Said So and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app
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