Factually! with Adam Conover

Can you create the universe with nothing but mathematics? This week mathematician Manil Suri joins Adam to explain why and how math is fundamental to reality, and how to fall in love with a subject that many of us hated in school. Check out his new book at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does quantum physics have to tell us about the human experience? This week, Sabine Hossenfelder joins Adam to explain how quantum physics affects our notions of existence, time, and spirituality. Check out her book Existential Physics at http://factuallypod.com/books Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Most science fiction about climate change is apocalyptic. But what if we actually used our imaginative powers to invent a universe in which we DO something about climate change? This week, renowned author and outdoorsman Kim Stanley-Robinson joins Adam to talk about his book Ministry for the Future, and to explain why the future may not be as dark as we think. -- Listen to Pretend: A True Crime Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pretend-a-true-crime-documentary-podcast/id1245307962 EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/factually Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Congress is at a historic low point of dysfunction and voter confidence. Today on the show, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Congressional Modernization, Reps. Derek Kilmer and William Timmons, join Adam to make their case for how their committee can help Congress evolve in the face of unprecedented polarization and the upheaval of the events of January 6th. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Would leaving your freezer door open help climate change? What would happen if you slid down a fire pole from the Moon down to Earth? And how has creativity on the Internet changed over the past few decades? Legendary XKCD cartoonist and author Randall Munroe joins Adam today to ask and answer some of the most mind-blowing questions you’ve ever heard. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Iran is currently being rocked by protests against the oppressive theocratic regime that rules the country. What is happening there, and what brought us to this point? Writer and scholar Reza Aslan joins Adam to explain how decades of bad American foreign policy created the Iran we know today, dispel media myths about the country and its people, and tell us the amazing story of martyr Howard Baskerville, an American missionary who joined the fight for freedom in Iran.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The housing crisis seems like one of the most intractable problems threatening America. But slowly and surely, we’re solving it, and you can be a part of the solution. President of California YIMBY, Brian Hanlon, joins Adam to explain how his group is building a movement for fair housing, how to organize for your rights as a renter, and the two pieces of legislation that could dramatically expand housing in California. Check out welcomingneighbors.us to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Climate change is the biggest disaster facing humanity. And yet so often, our solutions seems to be limited to buying slightly better grocery bags and cars. How do we ACTUALLY fight back against climate change — and are our solutions working? One of America’s foremost climate experts and activists, Bill McKibben, joins Adam to explain what is being done, and more importantly what YOU can do, to protect our planet. factuallypod.com/books. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How do we fight back against those who are trying to take away Americans’ civil rights? Scholar and organizer Mie Inouye joins Adam to explain how American civil rights movements built political power, and how we can do the same by following their example. She gives practical tips for organizing in our daily lives, and explains how each of us can be part of the movement to restore rights in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Comedy is one of world’s oldest, most popular art forms, but almost no one thinks seriously about what comedy is or what it’s for. Is comedy inherently liberal? Does it actually convey truth, or is it just for entertainment? And what do we make of the rise of right-wing comedy in America? Researchers Nick Marx and Matt Sienkiewicz, authors of the new book That's Not Funny join Adam to discuss these topics and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.