What's Your Problem?
iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries
Every week on What's Your Problem?, former Planet Money host Jacob Goldstein talks with entrepreneurs and engineers tackling the biggest challenges at the forefront of technology. How do you make a trip to space as routine as a plane flight? How do you turn solar energy into clean fuel? How do you use AI to stop deadly infections before they spread? We hear a lot these days about how the world is getting worse. What's Your Problem? learns from the thinkers and doers trying to make our future better.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Episodes
Mentioned books
9 snips
May 30, 2024 • 45min
Making Palm Oil Without Palm Trees
Shara Ticku, CEO of C16 Biosciences, discusses creating palm oil alternatives using yeast. They explore microbiology's potential, synthetic biology challenges, and sustainable yeast production. The podcast covers the journey to commercial success and navigating industry regulations.
12 snips
May 23, 2024 • 35min
Fighting Cancer with CRISPR
Rachel Haurwitz, Co-founder and CEO of Caribou Biosciences, discusses using CRISPR to engineer human immune cells to fight cancer. Topics include the journey of CRISPR from breakthrough to FDA approval, enhancing CRISPR's effectiveness, balancing affinity in CRISPR editing, challenges in CAR T-cell therapies for cancer, and reflections on career shifts and gene complexities.
May 16, 2024 • 29min
How to Start 40 Companies (and Counting)
Renowned entrepreneur Robert Langer discusses his journey of co-founding numerous companies and overcoming obstacles in bioengineering. He highlights pioneering work in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and the development of innovative medical technologies. From starting 40 companies to advancing research in neurological diseases, the podcast explores the transformative impact of Langer's groundbreaking innovations.
May 9, 2024 • 36min
The Cutting Edge of Energy Storage: Rust
Mateo Jaramillo, Co-founder and CEO of Form Energy, discusses the need for long-duration backup power for the grid using iron-based batteries. He explores the limitations of lithium ion batteries and the promise of iron anode technology. The podcast also delves into the challenges of decarbonizing the energy sector and the complexity of the energy grid system.
8 snips
May 2, 2024 • 36min
The First Pig to Human Kidney Transplant
Mike Curtis, CEO of eGenesis, discusses genetically engineering pigs for human organ transplants. They explore using CRISPR technology to edit pig genomes, adding human genes for regulatory factors. Ethical considerations and future potential of pig organs in transplants are also highlighted.
Apr 25, 2024 • 38min
Designing a Drone That Delivers
Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing, discusses the challenges of making drone delivery as common as using a shopping cart. Topics include safety benefits, cost dynamics, noise reduction, drone hook design, operational setup, advancements in drone technology, funding obstacles, and redefining drones as airplanes.
Apr 18, 2024 • 32min
How Do Psychedelics Work?
Gul Dolen, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley, discusses the common mechanism that psychedelics use to affect the brain, potentially helping those with mental illness and neurological issues like strokes. The podcast explores the intersection of psychedelics and critical periods in brain development, the benefits of combining psychedelics with therapy for stroke recovery, and speculative theories on psychedelics and allergies.
Apr 11, 2024 • 35min
Building Boundary-Breaking Balloons
Kai Marshland, co-founder of WindBorne Systems, discusses building weather balloons for extended flights to improve weather forecasting using AI. The podcast delves into challenges in creating altitude-controlling balloons, data analysis for hurricane forecasts, advancements in AI weather modeling, and the company's mission to revolutionize weather forecasting and climate change mitigation.
Apr 4, 2024 • 39min
Building a Robot That Can Walk the Walk
Jonathan Hurst, a professor at Oregon State University and co-founder of Agility Robotics, discusses designing robots that mimic animal movements for practical use. They explore the challenges of creating robots that can walk like birds and run like animals, testing them in real-world scenarios like warehouses. The podcast highlights the evolution of robot design from academic research to mass production, emphasizing the importance of specialized functionalities in robotics.
Mar 14, 2024 • 36min
Can Your Phone Tell When You're Getting Sick?
The podcast explores how voice patterns can detect health conditions, using AI to analyze acoustic biomarkers. It discusses the potential of smartphones in health detection, the importance of individual nuances in tracking health, and the challenges of balancing privacy with data integrity in AI development.
