Innovation Hub
655 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 310 ratingsInnovation Hub looks at how to reinvent our world – from medicine to education, relationships to time management. Great thinkers and great ideas, designed to make your life better.
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Episodes
Using Rugs As A Developmental Tool In Afghanistan
May 18, 2018 09:00 - 11 minutes - 13.7 MBWhen Connie Duckworth visited Afghanistan in 2003, she was struck by two things: the deep poverty that engulfed the country and, by contrast, her own wealth and comfort. The former Goldman Sachs executive decided she needed to help and saw an opportunity in a skill many of the women already possessed: rug making. Duckworth created ARZU, a non-profit that employs Afghan women and gives them access to resources like education and healthcare. We talked with Duckworth about how this mod...
Dissecting America’s Digital Divide
May 18, 2018 08:30 - 17 minutes - 20.2 MBIf you’re reading this, you almost certainly have access to the internet, which means you can check email anytime, do online banking, or investigate whether your kid’s rash is worthy of a trip to the doctor. But, across the country, about one in five people don’t have access to those tools. According to Angela Siefer, the executive director of the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, there are three main reasons why people don’t have internet connections: it’s unaffordable, it’s phy...
Full Show: Change In The Air
May 11, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes - 56.8 MBRobert Sapolsky explains why it’s hard to act as if free will is an illusion… even if you believe that free will is an illusion. How the Keeling Curve, one of the most recognizable pieces of evidence of global warming, came to be. Corporations aren’t a minority group, but Adam Winkler says businesses have spent 200 years arguing for their civil rights.
The Biology Behind Evil, Free Will, And Everything Else
May 11, 2018 09:30 - 24 minutes - 28.1 MBHumanity is simultaneously incredibly kind and incredibly violent. We commit indescribable atrocities, but also acts of incomprehensible compassion. There is both horror and beauty in our history. Which leads to the question… how do we reconcile this inherent contradiction? It all goes back to our biology, according to Robert Sapolsky, a neurobiologist at Stanford and author of the book “Behave: The Biology of Humans at our Best and Worst. In fact, all questions about human behavior...
The Beginnings Of Climate Science
May 11, 2018 09:00 - 9 minutes - 11 MBFor thousands of years, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere fluctuated relatively consistently (air bubbles trapped in Antarctic ice provide a record of the past). But, since around the 19th century, CO2 levels have been rising and haven’t really stopped. We know this partly because of the work of Charles Keeling. Keeling developed the first technique for accurately measuring CO2 in the air. He set-up a continuous measurement of CO2 on a volcano in Hawaii in 1958. When you plot out ...
Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Corporate Happiness
May 11, 2018 08:30 - 14 minutes - 16.4 MBFormer presidential candidate Mitt Romney famously declared that “corporations are people” while on the campaign trail in 2011. The Iowa State Fair crowd jeered him and Romney launched into a stammering defense. But, if you look at Supreme Court cases from the past 200 years, Romney’s assessment wasn’t too far off. Corporations may not be people, but they enjoy many of the same basic rights we do. We talk with UCLA law professor Adam Winkler about his new book, “We The Corporations:...
Full Show: A Spoonful Of Sugar
May 04, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBA spoonful of sugar may help the medicine go down… but what about a spoonful of Splenda? And what if the medicine you were taking with that sugar was a little less private than you thought? This week we’ve got stories about healthcare, artificial sweeteners, and the math behind our fears. First up, if you think that Sweet’N Low is healthier than sugar… you might want to reconsider. It turns out, the health benefits of sugar substitutes aren’t exactly clear-cut. We talk with Univers...
Why The Science Behind Artificial Sweeteners Ain’t So Sweet
May 04, 2018 09:30 - 23 minutes - 21.6 MB*Do you take your coffee black, or do you put a little something in it? Many Americans reach for an artificial sweetener if they’re concerned about their waistlines. But it turns out, the health benefits of sugar substitutes aren’t so simple. We spoke with University of Manitoba assistant professor Meghan Azad about her meta-analysis (a study of studies) on how artificial sweeteners could actually contribute to weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. Then, a conversation with Univ...
Why Our Fear Of Flying Is Immune To Statistics
May 04, 2018 09:00 - 10 minutes - 9.24 MBDespite a recent death in an accident on a Southwest flight, it’s still safer to fly than drive. So why do we still get sweaty palms before takeoff? Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, explains the math behind our fears… and how we might be able to overcome them.
How Your Health Data Gets Sold
May 04, 2018 08:30 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBIn 2017, the fact that companies have access to personal data about us is common knowledge. But the data available to companies goes beyond just what websites you browse and where you’ve checked in on social media. Your (anonymized) medical information can be sold to drug companies to promote drugs - and to sell those to doctors in a process that is, shockingly, legal. Adam Tanner, a writer-in-residence at Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, has written a book on th...
Full Show: Childish Things
April 27, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBIs it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, it’s Superman... A character who both reflected - and changed - American pop culture. There’s a huge achievement gap in education. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek explains when it starts, and tells us how to combat it. If you’re looking for some controversy, look no further than board games. Seriously. Clue was scandalous, Twister was called “sex in a box.” We look at why why.
After 1,000 Issues, Superman Still Resonates
April 27, 2018 09:30 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBSuperman has been around for 80 years. His comic book just released its thousandth issue. Movies featuring him have made billions of dollars at the box office. All told, he’s one of the most successful and popular characters in American fiction. And that success started in 1938 with two teenagers from Cleveland. To explore Superman’s origins, and his legacy, we talked with Brad Ricca, author of the book Super Boys: The Amazing Adventures of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster - the Creator...
How Inequality Plays Out in Preschool
April 27, 2018 09:00 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBIt’s not hard to see the achievement gap in education. Students from lower-income backgrounds on average score lower on their SATs and are less likely to graduate from college than their higher-income peers. But this gap doesn’t just appear when kids reach adolescence. It stretches back to the early years of a child’s life, according to author Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, co-director of the Temple University Infant and Child Lab in Philadelphia. She says by the time children turn three years ...
Why Board Games Reflect Our World
April 27, 2018 08:30 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBWhen we break out a board game, we are rarely doing it because we want a history lesson. But many board games mirror social trends from years past. Monopoly’s creator used her board game to demonstrate the evils of capitalism. The Game of Life started out as a way to reinforce 19th-century moral values. We speak with author Tristan Donovan about his book “It’s All a Game: The History of Board Games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan” about the evolution and legacy of board games. ...
Full Show: Looking Back, Looking Forward
April 20, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBFirst up: We live in a world run by complicated systems. And the failure to understand those systems can have pretty dire consequences. Then: What’s that one song you keep listening to on repeat? Turns out, that tune could be used as therapy to improve your quality of life as you get older. Finally: It might seem like rich people don’t have a care in the world, but sociology professor Rachel Sherman found that some 1 percenters feel uneasy about publicly displaying their wealth. ...
How Small Problems Snowball Into Big Disasters
April 20, 2018 09:30 - 15 minutes - 14 MBThe Three Mile Island disaster caused hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. It absolutely dominated the news cycle. It led to a complete rethinking of nuclear energy. And it all stemmed from a plumbing problem, a valve that didn’t shut. But the Three Mile Island accident isn’t the only meltdown caused by a seemingly small issue that snowballed into a gigantic disaster. To find out exactly how this happens, we talked with Chris Clearfield, co-author of “Meltdown: ...
Can Music Help Improve Memory?
April 20, 2018 09:00 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MBABBA, Patsy Cline, and Frank Sinatra are filling the earbuds of elderly people all over America. Why? Eldercare services and nonprofit organizations are increasingly using music as a therapeutic tool to stir up memories and soothe anxiety. Innovation Hub takes a look at the science behind these programs, as well as the lives that they’re changing.
Why The Rich Don’t Want To See Themselves As Rich
April 20, 2018 08:30 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBLet’s say that you make more than $500,000 a year. You have a million bucks in the bank. Maybe you have a second home in the Hamptons. You’re rich, right? Well, to most people, it certainly looks that way. But even if you’re part of the 1%, you might not think of yourself as that wealthy. Rachel Sherman is a professor of sociology at The New School and the author of Uneasy Street: The Anxieties of Affluence.” She interviewed 50 wealthy New Yorkers about their attitudes toward their ...
Full Show: For Love Or Money
April 13, 2018 10:30 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBFirst up, after WWII, lots of soldiers came home and started families. And businessman Bill Levitt saw that as an opportunity. We’ll talk with Lawrence Levy, the Executive Dean of Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies, about the rise of the American suburbs and how this new version of the American dream left some people out. Then, an entirely different sort of baby boom. According to Stanford’s Hank Greely, “In 20 to 40 years, most babies born to people with goo...
Levittown And The Rise Of The American Suburb
April 13, 2018 10:00 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBWhen people get sick of urban living, there’s a clear alternative: the suburbs. But how did the suburbs become so popular in America? After World War II, Bill Levitt cleared a few potato fields on Long Island, New York, and created an orderly suburb, Levittown. We talk with the Executive Dean of Hofstra University’s National Center for Suburban Studies, Lawrence Levy, about how Levittown, and the advent of the modern suburbs, changed the nation.
The Future Of Making Babies
April 13, 2018 09:30 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBWe’ve made babies pretty much the same for a very long time. No need to get into the specifics, but for the majority of people throughout human history, sex and reproduction have been inextricably linked. But, according to Hank Greely, a professor at Stanford and author of “The End of Sex and the Future of Human Reproduction,” that all may change. And it may change sooner than we think.
What’s Your Job Really Worth?
April 13, 2018 09:00 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBWe know the old adage, “money can’t buy you love.” But, we also know the feeling that if we had just a little more money, we might be just a little more happy. Figuring out the balance between the two can be tough. How much value should you put in your paycheck? Cornell economist Robert Frank agrees that it’s complicated, but he might also have some answers for us.
Full Show: When Things Go Wrong
April 06, 2018 10:30 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBThe human body is kind of a mess. Why is that? Politicians are willing to do anything to bring new jobs to their city. That’s not necessarily a good thing. The Spanish Flu was the most devastating pandemic since the Black Death. And it’s been mostly forgotten.
What’s Wrong With Our Bodies?
April 06, 2018 10:00 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBHumans have a tailbone for a tail we don’t have, wisdom teeth that don’t fit in our mouths, and tonsils that only seem to cause problems. Each of these “mistakes” can tell us a little bit about how we evolved and why we were so successful in spite of these flaws. We talk about our body’s quirks with biologist Nathan Lents, author of “Human Errors: A Panorama of Our Glitches, from Pointless Bones to Broken Genes.”
Why Cities Shouldn’t Lure Companies With Tax Breaks
April 06, 2018 09:30 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBThe competition for Amazon’s second headquarters has gotten a lot of attention recently. And that makes sense. After all, cities have offered Amazon billions of dollars in tax incentives, free workforce training, and all sorts of other perks. Bloomington, Minnesota, even suggested building a monorail. But cities and states aren’t just trying to woo Amazon. They’re fighting over all sorts of corporations. And that might be a big mistake. Nathan Jensen, a professor at the University o...
The History Of A Forgotten Plague
April 06, 2018 09:00 - 12 minutes - 11.2 MBThe competition for Amazon’s second headquarters has gotten a lot of attention recently. And that makes sense. After all, cities have offered Amazon billions of dollars in tax incentives, free workforce training, and all sorts of other perks. Bloomington, Minnesota, even suggested building a monorail. But cities and states aren’t just trying to woo Amazon. They’re fighting over all sorts of corporations. And that might be a big mistake. Nathan Jensen, a professor at the University o...
Full Show: Mind Over Matter
March 30, 2018 14:30 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBAmerican democracy. Where the people tell the politicians what to do… right? It turns out, politicians actually influence voters more than you think. Then: We know more about the brain than ever before. Law professor Francis Shen talks about how what we’ve learned is playing out in our legal system. Finally: That sugar-filled doughnut might bring you pleasure, but it probably doesn’t make you happy. Pediatrician Robert Lustig says, yes, there’s a difference between the two, and ...
How Neuroscience Is Changing The Law
March 30, 2018 14:00 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBFrancis Shen says that he often calls neurolaw a “new” and “emerging” field, but even he doesn’t completely believe that. Shen is an associate law professor at the University of Minnesota and executive director of education for the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law. He says we’ve been using neuroscience in law for decades, but there have been some major developments over the last few years. For example, brain science is increasingly informing how we view criminals — espe...
Do We Shape Politicians, Or Do They Shape Us?
March 30, 2018 14:00 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBYou’re at the voting booth, ready to cast your vote for the candidate who will support the issues you care about. But how did you come to care about those issues to begin with? Did you and your fellow Americans set the political agenda, or do politicians dictate what’s important? Gabriel Lenz is the author of “Follow the Leader?: How Voters Respond to Politicians’ Policies and Performance.” We talk with him about political influence and how it shapes democracy.
The Difference Between Pleasure And Happiness
March 30, 2018 14:00 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBIn the last few decades, Americans have become fatter, sicker, more depressed, more addicted, and, often, unhappy. At least, that’s according to physician Robert Lustig, author of the book “The Hacking of the American Mind: The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains.” He says that we’re facing four big crises in our country: a health care crisis, a social security crisis, an opioid crisis, and a depression crisis. And he argues that while these crises might s...
Full Show: All For One
March 23, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBHenry Ford didn’t just bring standardization to his plants. He also wanted to standardize his workers. Joshua Freeman walks us through the history of the factory. Doesn’t everyone seem so self-involved nowadays? Well, maybe, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think. Turns out, being a perfectionist might just make your work less perfect.
From Ford to Foxconn: A History of Factories
March 23, 2018 09:30 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBLook around you: at your computer, your phone, your water bottle, or the books on your desk. Chances are, all of these things were made in a factory. Factories fuel the modern world. And they’ve shaped our society - from politics, to work, to leisure. Joshua Freeman, author of Behemoth: A History of the Factory and the Making of the Modern World, walks us through the history of the factory, and how it still impacts our daily lives.
Selfies And The Self
March 23, 2018 09:00 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBTwitter. Selfie-sticks. Reality TV. It can seem like our society is becoming more narcissistic and self-involved. (Just read a few of the boatload of articles and think-pieces on this topic) But are we really more self-centered? The answer involves Aristotle, Ayn Rand, and ‘80s-era California. At least, that’s according to Will Storr, author of the book, Selfie: How We Became Self-Obsessed and What It’s Doing to Us. He explains how our conception of self has changed throughout human...
Why Practice Rarely Makes Perfect
March 23, 2018 08:30 - 7 minutes - 7.08 MBIt’s 1:30 in the morning, and you’re obsessing over whether the conclusion you’ve written captures the essence of your research paper. But is putting in all this time and effort actually paying off? Eugenia Cheng, a scientist in residence at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, explains that by using the concept of diminishing returns, we’ll find that perfectionism isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.
Full Show: Bring On The Competition
March 16, 2018 10:00 - 49 minutes - 44.9 MBFirst, U.S. News releases its college rankings each year to much fanfare. But are they actually hurting higher ed? We ask journalist Scott Jaschik and U.S. News’ Robert Morse. Then, there will be 10 billion people on the planet by 2050. That’s a lot of mouths to feed. Can we do it without destroying Earth’s resources? We talk with science writer Charles Mann about different approaches to tackling this problem. Finally, you’ve heard the name Martin Shkreli, but there are many othe...
Are College Rankings Actually Useful?
March 16, 2018 09:30 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBIn 1983, U.S. News & World Report began ranking America’s colleges. More than 30 years later, they continue to release annual lists of the “best” schools in the country. We talk with Inside Higher Ed’s Scott Jaschik and U.S. News’ Robert Morse about how these rankings have shaped how students select colleges in America.
Feeding A Growing Global Population
March 16, 2018 09:00 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBThe global population is steadily climbing, and by 2050, scientists expect that 10 billion people will call Earth home. This got science writer Charles Mann wondering: How are we going to feed all of those mouths without completely destroying the planet? Mann explores this question in his new book, “The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrow’s World.” We talk with him about whether innovation, conservation, or some mixture of th...
Why Americans Pay So Much For Drugs
March 16, 2018 08:30 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBIf you've noticed the cost of your medication going up over the years, you're not alone. Humira, the top selling drug in the U.S., has doubled in price since 2012, costing more than $38,000 a year. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies are finding it harder and harder to develop new products. We talk with journalists Matthew Herper and Barry Werth about the challenges of developing affordable drugs.
Full Show: Changing The System
March 09, 2018 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBSurgery in the 19th century was a special kind of gross. We’re talking maggot-ridden hospital beds and unwashed tools. We take a look at how surgery turned into the sterile practice we know today. Then, we tend to love or hate wealthy philanthropists depending on whether their politics align with our own. David Callahan explains how the political influence of billionaires is changing our world. Finally, it’s tempting to spend your hard-earned paycheck on fancy gadgets and kale. Bu...
The Extremely Bloody And Unimaginably Gross History Of Surgery
March 09, 2018 10:30 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBFor most of 1800s, surgery was disgusting, filthy, and unsafe. Hospitals were places people desperately tried to avoid, and operations didn’t always result in a clean bill of health. You might even get your testicles accidentally sawed off during a leg amputation. But this all changed with Joseph Lister, who transformed the way that doctors approach surgeries. We talked to Lindsey Fitzharris, author of “The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victo...
The Rise Of Big Philanthropy
March 09, 2018 10:00 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBWhen the super-wealthy make the decision to give away their money, many of them choose causes that align with their personal values and politics. From Bill and Melinda Gates’ donations to put the Common Core in classrooms to the Koch brothers’ sweeping financial support of conservative causes, it is apparent that the wealthy can use philanthropy as a tool to shape the world in the ways they see fit. David Callahan explores the outsized influence that these donations can have -- and ...
Why Buying Time Makes You Happier
March 09, 2018 09:30 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBYou’re counting down until payday, waiting for the moment when a direct deposit turns your bone-dry bank account into a lush oasis. But what should you spend your hard-earned money on? Fancy dinners? The new iPhone? Avocado toast? We talk with Harvard Business School associate professor Ashley Whillans, who says that if you truly want your money to make you happier, consider spending it on things that will save you time.
Full Show: Big Bets
March 02, 2018 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.5 MBHe was a dynamic entertainer and a prolific business man, but P.T. Barnum was also responsible for shaping how we view celebrity and fake news. We look at how Barnum’s impact lives on. Then, we have a lot of faith that self-driving cars - and a bunch of other technologies - will be a part of our life very soon. But, according to roboticist Rodney Brooks, we should take that enthusiasm down a notch. Finally, Americans pay more for solar panels than people in other countries. Andr...
The Life of P.T. Barnum
March 02, 2018 10:30 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBHe was a huckster, a showman, and a consummate businessman. P.T. Barnum and his exhibitions presented “freaks” and oddities from abroad, while also shaping the definition of what it means to be an American. We speak with Stephen Mihm, editor of the book, The Life of P.T. Barnum, Written by Himself, about Barnum’s lasting contribution to American culture.
Rodney Brooks Predicts The Future (Kinda)
March 02, 2018 10:00 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBIf you could talk to some folks who attended the 1964 World’s Fair, they might be a little disgruntled. After all, they were promised jet packs, flying cars, and vacations to Mars in the near future. Alas, we have none of those things, and yet we still expect transformative technologies like self-driving cars to be part of our lives soon. This week, we talk with robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks about the art of predicting when new technology will go mainstream.
Why Americans Pay More For Solar Panels
March 02, 2018 09:30 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MBLet’s say you want to install some solar panels on your home. For the average homeowner, that will set you back around $16,000, according to Andrew Birch, former CEO of the solar installation company Sungevity. In Australia, you would pay about $7,000. And it’s not just Australia where it’s cheaper. Birch says that the US is an outlier when it comes to how much solar installation costs the regular consumer. Why? Birch explains.
Full Show: Fooling Ourselves
February 23, 2018 11:00 - 49 minutes - 45.3 MBWillpower isn’t the only thing dictating what you eat. Neuroscientist Rachel Herz says the color, shape, and presentation of food has a major impact on our diet. Then, there’s not as much evidence-based decision-making in medicine as you might expect. We take a look at why. Finally, we talk with physics professor Robbert Dijkgraaf about why funding basic scientific research can yield powerful results down the road.
How Your Brain Interacts With Food
February 23, 2018 10:30 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MBWe know that our brain plays tricks on us, but did you know the size of your plate can dictate how much you eat? Or that a bowl filled with jelly beans in a variety of colors will induce you to eat more than a series of bowls with the jelly beans separated out by color? Rachel Herz, a neuroscientist at Brown University and the author of Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food, describes the psychology that influences our eating habits.
Are You Getting Evidence-Based Healthcare?
February 23, 2018 10:00 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBNearly half of medical procedures may not be based on sound science. That’s according to Eric Patashnik, director of Brown University’s public policy program. And he says it’s not necessarily your doctor’s fault. How did we get to this point? We put that question to Patashnik, who is co-author of the new book, “Unhealthy Politics: The Battle over Evidence-Based Medicine.”
When “Useless” Research Has Long-Term Benefits
February 23, 2018 09:30 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBBack in the 1990s, the Digital Libraries Initiative from the National Science Project supported a small project out of Stanford University. It sounded obscure, and a lot of people thought it wasn’t exciting, and would have little real-world application. But on that team were two graduate students – Larry Page and Sergey Brin – the founders of Google. The modest grant ended up paying off very well, according to Robbert Dijkgraaf, a physics professor and the director of the Institute...