80k After Hours

Bryan Caplan, an advocate of why you should stop reading the news, discusses the negative impact of following the news on emotions and suggests alternative ways to stay informed. They explore the benefits of stopping reading the news, media bias, and balancing disaster prevention. Additionally, they address rebuttals to cutting down news consumption and the importance of base rates and rationality in decision-making.

This is a selection of highlights from episode #148 of The 80,000 Hours Podcast.These aren't necessarily the most important, or even most entertaining parts of the interview — and if you enjoy this, we strongly recommend checking out the full episode:Johannes Ackva on unfashionable climate interventions that work, and fashionable ones that don’tAnd if you're finding these highlights episodes valuable, please let us know by emailing podcast@80000hours.org.Highlights put together by Simon Monsour, Milo McGuire, and Dominic Armstrong

Investigative journalist recounts biosafety failures at top labs, including a smallpox incident at NIH. Covers uncovering the truth of a military lab accident and joint effort to hold accountable. Discusses balancing research and lab safety, oversight challenges, and need for regulation of privately funded labs.

Santosh Harish, an expert on air pollution, discusses its severe impact on global public health and its contribution to approximately 12% of all deaths worldwide. He highlights sources of air pollution, such as vehicular and coal power plant emissions, as well as concerning examples like municipal waste burning and industries without pollution control equipment. The role of the judiciary in air pollution regulation in India is explored, along with the potential for progress through individual researchers and think tanks. The importance of media in creating awareness and driving change is also emphasized.

Paul Niehaus, an expert in cash transfers and their impact on economic growth and theft levels, discusses the benefits of giving cash directly to people in need and the limitations of traditional philanthropy. He explores the concept of a multiplier effect in cash transfers and its impact on economic growth, as well as concerns and objections to Universal Basic Income (UBI). The chapter also touches on GiveDirectly's fraud case in the DRC and measures to prevent future incidents.

Ian Morris talks about the potential for an intelligence explosion, exploring the three scenarios for humanity, astonishing burials in Sungir, hunter-gatherer societies, the future of hybrid intelligence, and cycles of history and civilization development.

Seren Kell, a researcher working on alternative proteins, discusses the problems with animal agriculture and the role of fermentation in creating meat-like proteins. They explore enhancing taste through traditional fermentation techniques and highlight the potential of fungi for alternative protein production. The importance of government funding and research in advancing the industry is emphasized.

Tantum Collins, AI policy insider at the White House and DeepMind, discusses the risk of autocratic lock-in due to AI, the need for improved democratic oversight in government, misconceptions about AI in China, using language models to translate technical AI concepts, and exploring perceptions of finite resources and competing interests in AI ethics.

Guest Anders Sandberg, expert on war in space, civilizations, and the best things possible in our universe, discusses amazing future possibilities like brain emulation, humanity's future in an infinite space, absence of alien intelligence, and limitations on achieving grand futures for civilizations.

Kevin Esvelt, researcher on gene drives and pandemic prevention, discusses the risks of biological weapons, motives behind people wanting to kill everyone, predictions of biotechnology misuse, evolutionary tradeoff in pandemics, and the need for reliable monitoring to detect genetic engineering threats.