In Episode 100, 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 mother of five, a…
In Episode 99, Quinn & Brian, with help from Inverse.com, ask: how are YOU feeling? Our guest is: Ali Pattillo, a health and science reporter at Inverse.com (https://www.inverse.com/profile/ali-pattillo-19621088) and co-producer of The Abstract (https://pod.link/1512027319) podcast. Supplements, metabolism boosters, miracle cures: Ali covers just about anything that can be put on…
In Episode 98, Quinn & Brian discuss: common sense solutions to prevent gun deaths and destroy the gun lobby. Our guest is: Fred Guttenberg, a gun safety activist and political troublemaker. 14-year-old Jaime Guttenberg was killed in her high school on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, FL. We usually like…
In Episode #97, Quinn digs into how we can rebuild capitalism for the world, for your company, and for yourself. Our guest is: Rebecca Henderson, Harvard professor behind the wildly popular class Reimagining Capitalism. Rebecca's research explores the degree to which the private sector can play a major role in…
In Episode 96, Quinn & Brian ask: How do we orchestrate a just energy transition for frontline low- and middle-income communities — from the inside out? Our guest is: Daphany Rose Sanchez, Executive Director of Kinetic Communities Consulting and fourth generation Brooklynite. Daphany advocates for energy equity and efficiency access…
In Episode 95, Quinn & Brian ask: how can we upgrade our microbiome (also, what’s a microbiome (also, why does it need upgrading))? Our guest is: Raja Dhir, Co-Founder of Seed Health a microbiome company pioneering the application of bacteria for both human and planetary health. He leverages years of…
In Episode 94, Quinn & Brian discuss: the most comfortable and sustainable shoes on the planet. Our guest is: Hana Kajimura, who leads the development and execution of the Allbirds sustainability program and strategy and is on a personal mission to make climate science fashionable. Allbrids was founded as a…
In Episode 93, Quinn & Brian ask: What can we do about all of this not-water in our water? Our guest is: Imari Walker, who is quite possibly the world’s preeminent Microplastics Bae. Imari is an Environmental Engineer, a Microplastics Researcher, a SciComm YouTuber, a Duke PhD candidate, and a…
In Episode 92, we're headed off to climate school! Our guest is Anshuman Bapna, the creator (and headmaster) of Terra.do (http://terra.do), which is like Hogwarts but for fixing the broken Earth. Of course, unlike Dumbledore, you can trust this headmaster won’t abandon you in your time of need. It seems…
We’re back! In Episode 91, Quinn & Brian ask: Why is drinking water so unaffordable, or unavailable, or just filthy for so many people? Our guests are: Nina Lakhani & Mary Grant. Nina is environmental justice reporter for The Guardian US and Mary Grant is the Public Water for All…
Back in Episode 51, Quinn & Brian asked: Are we thinking about CRISPR all wrong (and what the hell is it)? This is one of our most popular episodes, probably because it features one of our coolest guests: C. Brandon Ogbunu, an evolutionary systems biologist with a unique perspective on…
We published our company statement on the Black Lives Matter protests on June 8th. This is an audio version of that statement, titled "A Letter to My Fellow White Men." You can read the original at https://www.importantnotimportant.com/blog/a-letter-to-my-fellow-white-men. Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Media (http://crate.media/)
Please enjoy this preview of our weekly premium audio newsletter. Find out more at https://important.supportingcast.fm. This week: Racism is distracting us from the climate fight; if you’re black, you probably live near a coal plant; protests will worsen the coronavirus but we don’t really have a choice; COVID tracking apps…
Back in Episode 42, Quinn & Brian asked: What happens when you’re almost an astronaut... and what comes next? Our guest is Dr. Sian Proctor, an explorer, scientist, full-time professor, STEM communicator, and almost an astronaut. She joins the show to tell us how we can all help get more…
In Episode 44, Quinn & Brian discussed: Why food waste is the stupidest thing we do and how can we cut it in half. Our guest was Dr. James Rogers, founder and CEO of Apeel Sciences and one of our most mind-blowing guests yet. You may think you know about…
To continue our Good News series, we’re looking back to Episode 78, when Quinn & Brian discussed: Planning for chaos. (Cheery, right?) For real, though. This episode offers an actionable, helpful, revealing, and — dare we say it? — PLEASURABLE way of looking at the world. And that perspective comes…
In Episode 75, Quinn & Brian discussed: Beating the crap out of childhood cancer with science and... zebrafish? Our guests are Dr. Jaclyn Taroni and Dr. Genevieve Kendall. Dr. Kendall is a Postdoctoral scholar at UT Southwestern Medical Center who utilizes zebrafish genetic models to understand how pediatric muscle cancers…
If you haven’t already heard, we received a Webby nomination for Best Podcast Episode in the Science & Education category. We’re really proud to be nominated again… but, we also really want to win. So, today, we’re re-airing the episode that received a nomination and asking you to help us…
That's right, we are now a four-time Webby-nominated podcast! But what we really want is to be a Webby-winning podcast. So, please, go vote! It's free and you can stick it to the AARP. Vote for Important, Not Important for Best episode (Science & Education): https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2020/podcasts/individual-episodes-mini-series-specials/science-education Vote for Important, Not…
In Episode 73, Quinn & Brian asked: Did A.I. take our jobs? Of course, we aren’t talking about our jobs. If A.I. took our jobs, the show would have won that goddamn Webby. No, no — we’re talking about really, really important jobs – the jobs being done by people…
Our “Good News” series of replays begins today with Episode 66, when Quinn & Brian hosted a delightfully important discussion: Why, apparently, we shouldn’t just blow up asteroids. Our guest is: Professor K.T. Ramesh, who is an absolute delight and may have the coolest job in the world. He is…
In Episode 90, Quinn & Brian discuss: What it’s like to be a COVID-19 Lab Rat. Our guest is: Allie Broas, an almost-MBA and one of Quinn’s many, many cousins. We weren’t exactly planning to do more of these episodes right now — most of the people who are trying…
Cast your mind back to Episode 79, when Quinn & Brian discussed: Optimism in the air (can it be?). Our guest is: Beth Gardiner, an environmental journalist and the author of Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution (https://www.amazon.com/Choked-Life-Breath-Age-Pollution/dp/022649585X). The Guardian writes, “You couldn't ask for a…
Way back in Episode 65, Quinn asked: Was Chernobyl a preventable and rare accident from the past, or a vivid picture of what happens when the government abandons its citizens during a crisis? FUN STORY: turns out, it’s B! We’re replaying one of our most listened to episodes ever, because,…