Podcast · 67 episodes
The Future of Everything
by Stanford Engineering · English
Host Russ Altman, a professor of bioengineering, genetics, and medicine at Stanford, is your guide to the latest science and engineering breakthroughs. Join Russ and his guests as they explore cutting-edge advances that are shaping the future of everything from AI to health and renewable energy. Along the way, “The Future of Everything” delves into ethical implications to give listeners a well-rounded understanding of how new technologies and discoveries will impact society. Whether you’re a researcher, a student, or simply curious about what’s on the horizon, tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments that are transforming our world.
Latest episodes
Best of: The future of the innovation economyA “best of” episode on the future of the innovation economy—how AI and digitization reshape innovation, creativity, jobs, education, regulation, and public policy, with a focus on bottlenecks,…25 Sep 2026 · 32 min
Special episode: Think Fast, Talk SmartFuture of communication in the age of AI, plus practical guidance for grants, explaining complex ideas, and leading teams (rigor vs support, conflict, collaboration).18 Sep 2026 · 26 min
The future of gut healthThe gut microbiome as a “critical organ” that influences immune function, metabolism, and even the nervous system; how industrialization and Western diets reduce microbial diversity and shift…11 Sep 2026 · 34 min
All episodes
Best of: The future of the innovation economyA “best of” episode on the future of the innovation economy—how AI and digitization reshape innovation, creativity, jobs, education, regulation, and public policy, with a focus on bottlenecks,…25 Sep 2026 · 32 min · 13 chapters
Special episode: Think Fast, Talk SmartFuture of communication in the age of AI, plus practical guidance for grants, explaining complex ideas, and leading teams (rigor vs support, conflict, collaboration).18 Sep 2026 · 26 min · 11 chapters
The future of gut healthThe gut microbiome as a “critical organ” that influences immune function, metabolism, and even the nervous system; how industrialization and Western diets reduce microbial diversity and shift…11 Sep 2026 · 34 min · 16 chapters
Best of: The future of language learningThe future of language learning, comparing how children acquire language versus AI systems; what data, context, and social/pragmatic inference contribute; and how this knowledge can improve AI and…4 Sep 2026 · 31 min · 13 chapters
The future of citiesHow 21st-century U.S. cities are rapidly changing (gentrification, immigration/demographics, crime decline, school choice, housing/financialization, climate change) and how these shifts affect…28 Aug 2026 · 30 min · 14 chapters
Best of: The future of addictionRe-release of Russ Altman’s conversation with psychiatrist Anna Lembke on “The future of addiction,” arguing that many addictions (opioids, alcohol, social media, even work and romance novels) share…21 Aug 2026 · 30 min · 10 chapters
The future of neuroimagingFunctional MRI (fMRI) and the future of neuroimaging—how it works, what it can reveal about brain networks and disorders, and how the field is improving reproducibility via larger datasets,…14 Aug 2026 · 34 min · 16 chapters
The future of clinical bioethicsClinical bioethics as a core part of medical care—how hospitals support clinicians and families with ethically complex, time-critical decisions; how ethics consultation works; and how clinician moral…7 Aug 2026 · 37 min · 13 chapters
Best of: The future of AI and the lawHow AI can improve legal work and government efficiency, while warning about hallucinations and limits of general-purpose legal chatbots.31 Jul 2026 · 34 min · 11 chapters
The future of menopauseThe future of menopause focuses on perimenopause/menopause basics, common disabling symptoms that can start 5–7 years before the final period, and how to treat them—especially with appropriately…24 Jul 2026 · 34 min · 13 chapters
The future of Parkinson’s diseaseParkinson’s disease future—molecular mechanisms, early detection, and disease-modifying treatments.17 Jul 2026 · 33 min · 18 chapters
The future of AI and the legal fieldThe future of AI in the legal field, focusing on how to evaluate AI’s usefulness, improve legal services and legal education, and study fairness/bias in AI systems.10 Jul 2026 · 38 min · 18 chapters
Best of: The future of wildfire managementWhy wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive (especially in California and Canada), and what proactive, community-level wildfire management can do—covering climate drivers,…3 Jul 2026 · 33 min · 12 chapters
The future of storytelling for healthHow to improve health communication using short, high-quality animated stories—often wordless—to make evidence-based pediatric and infectious-disease guidance memorable, globally accessible, and…26 Jun 2026 · 31 min · 22 chapters
Best of: The future of exerciseA “best of” rerun on the future of exercise, focusing on how exercise changes the body via specific molecules, and how that knowledge could lead to new anti-obesity/anti-diabetes therapies and…19 Jun 2026 · 28 min · 11 chapters
The Future of Retinal ImplantsPRIMA (photovoltaic retinal implant) aims to restore vision for people with retinal degeneration by replacing lost photoreceptors with a wireless photovoltaic pixel array under the retina, enabling…12 Jun 2026 · 34 min · 11 chapters
The future of ultrafast materials and devicesUltrafast, non-equilibrium materials and devices—how measuring atomic-scale dynamics (femtosecond “snapshots” and “movies”) reveals speed/energy/reliability trade-offs and guides better solar cells,…5 Jun 2026 · 37 min · 18 chapters
Best of: The future of computer-aided educationFuture of computer-aided education, arguing AI should augment teachers (not replace them) to make learning more motivating and to enable fairer, more capable assessment/feedback, including open-ended…29 May 2026 · 32 min · 10 chapters
The future of farmingThe future of farming and food security—how agriculture affects political stability, international war, environmental damage, and climate goals; and how satellite data and computational modeling can…22 May 2026 · 34 min · 12 chapters
The future of fungiThe future of fungi—using mushrooms, molds, and other filamentous fungi to upcycle food/agricultural waste (even plastics) into nutritious foods, new medicines, and sustainable materials; also…15 May 2026 · 34 min · 20 chapters
The future of influencersHow economic incentives and platform metrics shape journalism and today’s influencer economy; “follow the money” while consuming social media.8 May 2026 · 37 min · 17 chapters
Best of: The future of the universeA rerun of an interview on “the future of the universe,” using recent and upcoming sky surveys to map cosmic history, explain galaxy formation, and constrain dark matter and dark energy.1 May 2026 · 30 min · 11 chapters
The future of cell-free biotechnologyCell-free biotechnology—using components of cells (molecular “engines”) to produce medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and sustainable chemicals without growing living cells in huge vats.24 Apr 2026 · 37 min · 16 chapters
The future of educationThe future of education, centered on “learner experience,” scaling effective practices, tutoring after the pandemic, and how AI is being used in schools despite limited causal evidence.17 Apr 2026 · 34 min · 17 chapters