Lyt til Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Medical science is advancing at an astonishing rate. Today we talk with leading expert Eric Topol about two aspects of this story. First, the use of artificial intelligence in medicine, especially in diagnostics. This is an area that is a perfect match between an important question and the capabilities of machine learning, to the point where AI can out-perform human doctors. And second, our understanding of aging and what to do about it. Eric even gives some actionable advice on how to live more healthily into our golden years. Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/05/05/episode-313-eric-topol-on-the-changing-face-of-medicine-and-aging/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/05/05/episode-313-eric-topol-on-the-changing-face-of-medicine-and-aging/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. Eric Topol received and M.D. from the University of Rochester. He is currently the Gary and Mary West Chair of Innovative Medicine in the Department of Translational Medicine at Scripps Research. He is also the Founder, Scripps Research Translational Institute, and Senior Consultant, Scripps Clinic, Division of Cardiovascular Diseases. Among his awards are the Hutchinson Medal from the University of Rochester and membership in the National Academy of Sciences. His books include Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Healthcare Human Again [https://bookshop.org/p/books/deep-medicine-how-artificial-intelligence-can-make-healthcare-human-again-eric-topol/12786538], and Super Agers: An Evidence-Based Approach to Longevity [https://bookshop.org/p/books/super-agers-an-evidence-based-approach-to-longevity-eric-topol/21872909]. * Web site [https://drerictopol.com/] * Scripps web page [https://www.scripps.edu/faculty/topol/] * Google Scholar publications [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=E2-uIQYAAAAJ&hl=en] * Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Topol] * Substack [https://substack.com/@erictopol] * Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/erictopol.bsky.social] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Welcome to the May 2025 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll] (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy! Blog post with AMA questions and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/28/ama-may-2025/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/28/ama-may-2025/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

The germ theory of disease is a crowning achievement of science, up there with modern physics, continental drift, and evolution via natural selection. (Even if there will always be cranky skeptics [https://www.youcanknowthings.com/germ-theory-2/].) But the road to widespread acceptance isn't always an easy one. Why did it take so long between Anton van Leeuwenhoek seeing "animalcules" in a microscope (1670s) to Louis Pasteur's work on pasteurization and vaccination (1860's)? Thomas Levenson is the author of a new book exploring this fascinating history: So Very Small: How Humans Discovered the Microcosmos, Defeated Germs--and May Still Lose the War Against Infectious Disease [https://www.amazon.com/Very-Small-Discovered-Microcosmos-Germs/dp/0593242734/]. Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/21/episode-312-thomas-levenson-on-the-mutual-history-of-humans-and-germs/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/21/episode-312-thomas-levenson-on-the-mutual-history-of-humans-and-germs/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. Thomas Levenson received a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Harvard University. He is currently Professor of Science Writing and director of the graduate program in science writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of numerous books and has written and produced a number of science documentaries for television. * Web site [https://thomaslevenson.com/] * MIT web page [https://sciwrite.mit.edu/person/thomas-levenson/] * Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Levenson] * Amazon author page [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-Levenson/author/B001HCU6CW?ccs_id=d724e4f4-782a-4c0a-ba29-d9af618833f1] * Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/tomlevenson.bsky.social] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Questions about consciousness range from the precise and empirical -- what neurons fire when I have some particular experience -- to the deeply profound -- does consciousness emerge from matter, or does matter emerge from consciousness? While it might be straightforward to think that consciousness arises from the collective behavior of atoms in the brain, Annaka Harris and others argue that consciousness could be the fundamental stuff from which matter arises. She talks with a variety of experts in her new audio series, Lights On: How Understanding Consciousness Helps Us Understand the Universe [https://annakaharris.com/lights-on/]. Blog post with show notes and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/14/311-annaka-harris-on-whether-consciousness-is-fundamental/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/14/311-annaka-harris-on-whether-consciousness-is-fundamental/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. Annaka Harris received a BFA from New York University. She is the author of Consciousness: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind. She is a co-founder of Project Reason. * Web site [https://annakaharris.com/] * Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annaka_Harris] * Amazon author page [https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B01MZFQBQK?ccs_id=0682c453-e418-4915-8ec0-4c28a46ba281] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Welcome to the April 2025 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll] (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy! Blog post with questions and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/07/ama-april-2025/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/04/07/ama-april-2025/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. A couple of links relevant to the intro: * Tariff formula [https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/04/03/trump-tariff-formula/] (Snopes) * Tufts student nabbed by ICE [https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/04/04/tufts-university-graduate-student-arrested-by-ice-has-case-moved-to-vermont/] (plus video [https://apnews.com/article/tufts-student-detained-massachusetts-immigration-6c3978da98a8d0f39ab311e092ffd892]) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].