Neil Shubin: defender of American science

Two decades ago, Neil Shubin discovered a fish-like fossil which transformed scientists’ understanding of how animals transitioned out of the sea. In this episode, Prof Shubin tells us about hunting for fossils at Earth’s extremes and how he is gearing up for another big challenge: taking the reins of America’s National Academy of Sciences. In his telling, American science is in a “dark age”. Why, then, is he so optimistic?

Host: Alok Jha, The Economist’s science and technology editor. Guest: Professor Neil Shubin of the University of Chicago and the author of “Ends of the Earth”.

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