Shaping Science with Nick Dirks

#18 Azra Raza on the Unique Challenges in Treating Blood Cancers, Becoming Her Late Husband’s Oncologist, and the Need for a More Humane, Patient-Centered Approach

Azra Raza, MD, is a world leading cancer physician scientist and Professor of Medicine at Columbia University, where she directs the Myelodysplastic Syndrome Center. For more than four decades, she has been at the forefront of research into blood cancers, with a particular focus on detecting cancer at its very earliest stages. She is also the author of the acclaimed book The First Cell, which challenges how we think about cancer research, treatment, and prevention. Dr. Raza is widely respected not only for her scientific contributions, but for her powerful advocacy for a more humane, patient centered approach to cancer. 00:00 Intro 06:15 The Unique Challenges of Blood Cancers 13:21 The Importance of Early Diagnosis: Finding “The First Cell” 19:42 A Patient-Centered Approach: The Human Cost of Cancer Treatment 24:13 A Waste of Financial and Intellectual Resources: The Current State of CancerResearch 29:15 Exploring New Technologies in Cancer Research: AI, Multi-omics, SpatialBiology, Nanotechnology 35:59 Developing “Implantable Intelligence” to Detect Cancer 40:34 The Future of Healthcare and the Role of AI

#17 Jonathan Metzl on Firearm Control, Vaccine Mandates, and the Rural Pushback Against Government

Jonathan Metlz, MD, PhD, joins Nick Dirks to discuss his educational journey that combined the sciences with the humanities, firearm culture in the American Heartland, and the growing skepticism of institutional expertise. Prof. Metzl is a physician, psychiatrist, sociologist and public intellectual whose scholarship and commentary explore the intersections of health, race, identity and violence in America. He currently holds the Frederick B. Rentschler II Professorship in Sociology and Psychiatry and directs the Department of Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University. His path-breaking books – such as Dying of Whiteness and What We’ve Become – challenge conventional public-health narratives about gun violence, mental illness and race. His work asks what it means to be healthy, safe and free in a deeply divided society.

#16 Sebastian Mallaby on the Role of Video Games in AI Development, the Magic of Human Cognition, and Demis Hassabis’ Insatiable Scientific Curiosity

Sebastian Mallaby,  author, journalist, and the Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Nick Dirks to discuss his latest book, The Infinity Machine [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/752231/the-infinity-machine-by-sebastian-mallaby/], a fascinating chronicle of Demis Hassabis and the rise of DeepMind.  Also read from Sebastian Mallaby: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/opinion/china-ai-america-chipmakers.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/opinion/china-ai-america-chipmakers.html] 00:00 Intro  01:40 The Intellectual Challenges of Covering AI  07:23 Covering One of the Most Important People in the History of Humanity  10:29 The Early Life of Demis Hassabis  17:21 When Computer Science Meets Neuroscience  22:12 Shifting from Video Games to Artificial Intelligence  25:57 The Potential of Neural Networks and Reinforcement Learning  32:13 Why Video Games and ‘Go’ are So Useful in the Development of AI Systems  39:25 Two Schools in AI: Deep Learning vs Reinforcement Learning  46:27 When Will Superintelligence Come?

#15 Steven Johnson on 19th Century Literature, the Future of Academic Research, and the Role of the Humanities in AI Development

Steven Johnson joins Nick Dirks to discuss his journey from majoring in semiotics to becoming a bestselling author widely known for his perspectives on the intersection of science, technology, and society. The author of 13 acclaimed books including Everything Bad Is Good for You [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/319149/everything-bad-is-good-for-you-by-steven-johnson/], and Where Good Ideas Come From [https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299687/where-good-ideas-come-from-by-steven-johnson/] – and the host of the Emmy-winning PBS/BBC series How We Got to Now [https://www.pbs.org/show/how-we-got-now/], Steven Johnson is currently the Editorial Director at Google Labs, where he helped develop the new AI-powered writing and research tool, NotebookLM.    00:00 Intro  02:00  From Semiotics Major to Best Selling Author Covering Technology and Culture  08:05 Establishing the First Online-Only Magazine: The East-Coast ‘Wired’  10:55 Interface Culture: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Society  15:34 Self-Organizing Systems and Decentralized Networks Post 9/11  17:42 Transformative Ideas: The Intersection of Science, Technology, History, and Social Change  23:10 New Tools for Writing and Research  25:53 [AD BREAK]  26:26 LLMs: What is Means When Computers Have Mastered Language  33:40 To Google and Beyond: The Development of NotebookLM  40:36 From Dungeons & Dragons to Fan Fiction: The Vast Applications of NotebookLM  44:27 Strengthening Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Across the Globe with NotebookLM

#14 Britney Schmidt on Robotic Submersibles, Rising Sea Levels, and the Potential of Extraterrestrial Life

Britney Schmidt, PhD, joins Nick Dirks to discuss what we can learn from earth’s harshest environments, what the Thwaites Glacier tells us about rising sea levels, and why she believes Europa deserves more attention than Mars. Dr. Britney Schmidt is a planetary scientist, glaciologist, and astrobiologist whose groundbreaking work explores the hidden oceans beneath ice worlds – both on Earth and beyond. Currently Associate Professor at Cornell University and Principal Investigator of the Planetary Habitability and Technology Lab, Dr. Schmidt leads major NASA- and NSF-funded projects, including the development of robotic submersibles to study Earth’s subglacial lakes and Europa's potential ocean, helping us understand habitability in the solar system and resilience in the face of climate change. In 2024, Prof. Schmidt was named a Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists Laurate [https://blavatnikawards.org/honorees/profile/britney-e-schmidt/], which is administered by the Academy in collaboration with the Blavatnik Family Foundation [https://blavatnikfoundation.org/]. 00:00 Intro 02:15 From the Deserts of Arizona to the Ice Sheets of Antarctica 05:42 ICEFIN: Robotic Submersibles Studying Ice at the Bottom of the World 11:11 Measuring Ice Melt in the Underbelly 18:00 Interdisciplinary Research: Planetary Science Meets Physics and Engineering 25:26 Aliens on Our Own Planet: Observations from 530 Meters Beneath the Ice Shelf 31:24 Studying the Pace and Physics of Ice Melt 39:17 Rising Sea Levels: Correcting the Problems and Treating the Symptoms 43:38 The Impact of Funding Cuts for Scientific Research 47:22 Why Europa Deserves More Attention than Mars