SCIENCE FOR PEOPLE WHO GIVE A SHIT

Videos

March 17, 2025

Going Quietly Is Not An Option

We didn't always call our work science for people who give a shit. But ever since we did, we've welcomed at least two types of people to our flock. The first is people who are deeply invested in science, but are unsure how to tie it into measurable action on…

View more
March 13, 2025

Coping with Kids in Uncertain Times

This week, Claire and Quinn dive into the messy reality of all the different ways we cope with parenting, while everything else is happening. From that stomach-dropping moment when your kid asks you "Did you get a call from school?" to balancing mental health with the news cycle, they explore…

View more
March 6, 2025

How to Explain DISASTERS To Your Kids Without Terrifying Them

This week, Claire and Quinn explore the impossible question many parents are facing more frequently: how do you explain disasters, displacement, and uncertainty to your kids? From the Los Angeles wildfires to home insurance nightmares to tornado drills in the basement, they tackle the tough conversations about our changing world…

View more
March 3, 2025

What Can We Do About Land Power?

What can we do about land power? It's the most important question and my guest today is Mike Albertus. Mike is a professor of political science at the University of Chicago. He's the author of the new book, Land Power. Who has it? Who doesn't? And how that determines the…

View more
Feb. 27, 2025

NOT RIGHT NOW: The Phrase Every Parent Needs

This week Claire and Quinn dive into how the show got its name - the eternal parental struggle of "Not Right Now" - from TikTok bans and VPN-savvy kids to fighting for five minutes alone in the bathroom. Plus: the special horror of watching your kids figure out technology faster…

View more
Feb. 25, 2025

Essay: The Story of Not Right Now

This week: Not. Right. Now. I hope you enjoy our new show. It’s super, super informal, and fun, and full of profanity, and personal, and — I hope — something you or a parent in your life can identify with, and maybe get some relief from. It’s intentionally and decidedly…

View more
Feb. 20, 2025

Push Them Down

In our debut episode, Claire (Evil Witches) and Quinn (Important, Not Important) dive into the chaotic reality of raising tiny humans in these wild times. From behavioral reflection forms and schoolyard diplomacy to the eternal question of "how many water bottles does one child need?", we explore the messy, hilarious,…

View more
Feb. 14, 2025

Introducing: Not Right Now

Not Right Now is a new podcast for parents navigating the impossible task of raising kids while *gestures wildly at everything*. Join Quinn Emmett (Important, Not Important (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/) ) and Claire Zulkey (Evil Witches (https://evilwitches.substack.com/) ) for honest conversations about parenting in an era of climate change, artificial intelligence, social…

View more
Feb. 10, 2025

Essay: Have Mercy

This week: I’m not religious. But I did (barely) successfully major in religious studies. For better and often for worse, the history of faith and organized religion has been the backbone of human history, political science, culture, wars, sexual ethics, and more. Subtle or not, religion and faith are most…

View more
Feb. 3, 2025

Essay: Build Something Useful

This week: You're wasting your talent on bullshit while the world burns. You — yes, you — can actually use your very unique set of skills for good. Even and especially at scale, even — yes — right now. Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to the Electronic Frontier…

View more
Jan. 27, 2025

We Need To Talk About Bird Flu

We (Quinn) has been avoiding this question for quite a while. I even wrote a few thousand words about it a couple months ago and didn't publish it because it was a bit of a downer. But that's kind of malpractice in a way because we promised we don't shy…

View more
Jan. 13, 2025

Essay: Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

This week: Be prepared — because these fires that are still burning are only the beginning. Start somewhere, start right in front of you, do what you can. Here's What You Can Do: LA isn’t the only place suffering this week, but it was home for a long time, so…

View more
Jan. 6, 2025

Essay: About 2025

This week: It’s been a minute. Thanks for your patience. Please check out my 2025 preview, and if you’d be so kind, share it widely. Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to Everytown (https://link.mail.beehiiv.com/ss/c/u001.e2J9-W7GlwsjVhGxrZHMKatxQsVTlu5OZoym792iZQWuYulamNns8JyL2mDZBQMqeTUEAch12Q7ptpfmXgJpCh15gL4KQRANB82f6w0tM7C2-bNbYLaJWE-MzZ7jH3tAg2oK4Yh7bUrGqQ5wgek_CaR3NryGdHuoVRXNp4jle29B296yEUUIZZjPALybVg87HatsU9Lw-9B7OJc9vqPTbQ/4cg/1n9Q0aWGSeuVf5w-ljh9TA/h16/h001.tp3FR6mMtUhiQdfjYM1p_GKhEUf147xqVN0BEoCkw_Q) to support their efforts to end gun violence, community by community. • Volunteer with Communities…

View more
Nov. 11, 2024

Fighting Misinformation with Local Community Engagement Journalism

What's the missing link in local journalism? That's today's big question, and my guest is Lyndsey Gilpin. Lyndsey is the Senior Manager of Community Engagement at Grist. Lyndsey was the founder and executive editor at Southerly, a nonprofit media organization that equipped people who face environmental injustices and are at…

View more
Nov. 1, 2024

Essay: Only 86,000 To Go. You in?

This week: This entire (short!) episode is a call to action. It's time to do this thing...do the thing, but also take care of yourselves and your loved ones these next couple weeks. It's a lot right now. Here's What You Can Do: • Donate to the groups that are…

View more
Oct. 28, 2024

Multisolving: Thinking In Systems To Save An Indivisible World

Is multisolving the future? Is it today? Should we do more? That's all today's big question and my guest is Dr. Elizabeth Sawin. Dr. Sawin is the Founder and Director of the Multisolving Institute, which is convenient for our conversation. She's an expert on solutions that address climate change while…

View more
Oct. 26, 2024

From Poverty to Advocacy

View more
Oct. 23, 2024

The Shameful Reality of Food Insecurity in the Richest Nation

View more
Oct. 21, 2024

Tackling Hunger & Poverty: Insights on SNAP and Food Security in America

How do we make it easier for more Americans to reliably put food (in particular, hot food) on the table? That's today’s big question, and my guest is Salaam Bhatti. Salaam is the SNAP Director at the Food Research and Action Center, a 501c3 that uses advocacy and strategic partnerships…

View more
Sept. 27, 2024

Essay: Why We Made An App

This week: You’d think that -- considering we just spent two years building our new What Can I Do? (https://www.whatcanido.earth/?utm_source=ini&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=why-we-made-an-app) app -- that I’d have a really good answer for why we were doing it in the first place. But I didn’t. Not until about a week ago. I knew,…

View more
Sept. 24, 2024

What Can I Do?

It’s another big day in a very big month for us. Our extremely tiny team has been busting our asses for almost two years to bring you something fucking extraordinary, something I’m just so proud of, and now it's here: Our new app: "What Can I Do?" A one stop…

View more
Sept. 16, 2024

Finding Joy In Climate Solutions

What if we get it right? That's today's big question, and my returning guest is Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson. Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist. She is a policy expert, a writer, and a teacher working to help create the best possible climate future. She co-founded and leads…

View more
Sept. 9, 2024

Best of: A Conversation With A Future President of the United States

In this throwback episode from October 2020, Quinn & Brian discuss: Why state elections matter not just for your state but for the future of our planet. Our guests are: Aimy Steele & Amanda Litman. Aimy is a candidate for the North Carolina House of Representatives in District 82, a…

View more
Aug. 26, 2024

Essay: How to Eat More Plants (And Less Beef)

This week: Next up in our series of “How to Eat More Plants”. Today’s topic? Beef! Here's What You Can Do: • Read the essay and get the links online here (https://www.importantnotimportant.com/p/eat-plants-less-beef) • Donate to the Humane Farming Association (http://www.hfa.org) to support their work against factory farming. • Volunteer with…

View more