The Future of Everything – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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The Future of Everything

Stanford Engineering

Science

Technology

Health & Fitness

Frequency: 1 episode/9d. Total Eps: 387

Host Russ Altman, a professor of bioengineering, genetics, and medicine at Stanford, is your guide to the latest science and engineering breakthroughs. Join Russ and his guests as they explore cutting-edge advances that are shaping the future of everything from AI to health and renewable energy. Along the way, “The Future of Everything” delves into ethical implications to give listeners a well-rounded understanding of how new technologies and discoveries will impact society. Whether you’re a researcher, a student, or simply curious about what’s on the horizon, tune in to stay up-to-date on the latest developments that are transforming our world.

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇺🇸 USA - science
29/07/2026
#100
🇨🇦 Canada - science
02/07/2026
#78
🇨🇦 Canada - science
01/07/2026
#45
🇺🇸 USA - science
01/07/2026
#85
🇨🇦 Canada - science
30/06/2026
#72
🇬🇧 Great Britain - science
30/06/2026
#69
🇺🇸 USA - science
30/06/2026
#79
🇬🇧 Great Britain - science
29/06/2026
#57
🇬🇧 Great Britain - science
28/06/2026
#74
🇫🇷 France - science
20/05/2026
#90

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://engineering.stanford.edu/magazine/collection/future-everything-podcast
509 shares
https://www.threads.net/@russbaltman
502 shares
https://mastodon.social/@rbaltman
502 shares

https://twitter.com/stanfordENG
502 shares
https://twitter.com/rbaltman
54 shares

https://www.facebook.com/stanford.engineering/
502 shares

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 69%

Publication history

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Latest published episodes

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Best of: Better ways to build an airplane

Friday, August 30, 2024 • Duration 26:28

We want to wish our listeners in the states a happy Labor Day weekend. We hope, wherever you are, you’re taking some time to savor the last bit of summer. After a couple months full of travel and news about the airplane industry, we can’t help wondering — are there better ways to build airplanes? Our previous guest, Ilan Kroo, an expert in aeronautics, discusses how recent developments in fuels, engines, materials, and computer controls are leading to a new era of airplanes. We hope you’ll tune in and learn something new.

Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your quest. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu.

Episode Reference Links:

Stanford Profile: Ilan Kroo

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
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Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Host Russ Altman introduces guest Ilan Kroo, a professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Stanford University.

(00:01:33) The Future of Airplane Design

The technological advancements that are enabling new types of aircraft designs.

(00:03:52) Designing Airplanes with Active Control

Active control systems and their impact on airplane safety and efficiency.

(00:05:03) Personal Flying Vehicles

eVTOL vehicles as a promising future technology for personalized and commercial travel.

(00:06:54) Scaling eVTOL and Air Traffic Control

How companies and regulatory bodies are preparing for the rise of eVTOL vehicles.

(00:10:21) Sustainable Aviation

New engine concepts, composite materials, and sustainable fuels in commercial aviation.

(00:16:42) Hydrogen-Powered Aircraft

Hydrogen's potential as a sustainable fuel source and its impact on airplane design.

(00:19:44) Climate Modelling in Airplane Design

The intersection of climate science and airplane design for a more sustainable future.

(00:22:04) Unconventional Airplane Designs

New designs that may become the future of aviation, with benefits in sustainability and performance.

(00:25:55) Conclusion

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

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Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

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The future of Russia and Ukraine

Episode 257

Friday, August 23, 2024 • Duration 32:21

Political scientist Kathryn Stoner is the Director of the Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) at Stanford and an authority on Russian/Ukrainian politics. She says views on the current war depend on which side someone is on: Many Russians and their leader Vladimir Putin say Ukrainians are Russians and have been since the 10th century. Ukrainians strongly disagree, likening the two nations to the U.S. and Great Britain. How the present conflict is resolved has important implications for other former Soviet states and the future of the European Union, as Stoner tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

Episode Reference Links:

Stanford CDDRL Profile: Kathryn Stoner

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
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Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn /

Best of: The future of proteins

Friday, June 21, 2024 • Duration 31:17

We’re digging back into our archives with an episode with bioengineer Polly Fordyce. Polly studies the form and function of proteins. She refers to proteins as the “workhorses” that make things in the body happen, and her study of these molecules reveals a greater understanding of human life. We hope you’ll tune in to this conversation again, and enjoy.

Episode Reference Links:

Stanford Profile: Polly Fordyce
Polly’s Lab: The Fordyce Lab

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon
Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Host Russ Altman introduces guest Polly Fordyce, a professor of bioengineering and genetics at Stanford University.

(00:01:51) What are Proteins?

The basics of proteins and their crucial roles in the body.

(00:05:01) Protein Structure and Function

Computational modeling can help understand Alzheimer’s disease

Episode 184

Tuesday, June 14, 2022 • Duration 27:19

Physicians diagnose Alzheimer’s disease with tests that measure memory loss and behavioral change. But many years before these symptoms appear, the disease is changing the brain, leading to the buildup of misfolded proteins and brain shrinkage that cause cognitive decline. In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Stanford mechanical engineer Ellen Kuhl explains how she’s using databases of brain images of both Alzheimer’s patients and healthy individuals to create computational models that show how the disease spreads through distinct parts of the brain and gradually impacts different brain functions. Kuhl and host, Stanford bioengineer Russ Altman, explore how these models have generated new insights into how Alzheimer’s affects the brain, as well as its diagnosis and its potential treatment. Listen and subscribe here.

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Data is transforming our understanding of natural disasters

Episode 185

Tuesday, June 14, 2022 • Duration 27:20

Humans have been trying to predict when earthquakes will happen for centuries, with little success, by developing earthquake detectors and by wondering if unusual animal behavior could be a sign of an incoming temblor. In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Eric Dunham, a geophysicist at Stanford University, explains that while we’re still unable to predict when earthquakes will happen, advanced computers and new sensors on the seafloor are pushing the field of natural-hazard modelling forward and providing new information about the nature of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. Dunham and host, bioengineer Russ Altman, discuss how this modeling could help us understand where large earthquakes and tsunamis are likely to happen – and how it could help us prepare for these potentially devastating events. Listen and subscribe here.

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

How to develop ever better computer chips

Episode 183

Wednesday, May 25, 2022 • Duration 27:00

Computer chips are everywhere: your cellphone, your car, even your refrigerator. And they’re essential to enabling advances in artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and faster and better computers -- and to solving global challenges such as climate change. The omnipresence of this foundational technology has been growing for decades, but the pandemic accelerated the digital transformation of society, significantly increasing the demand for more and better chips.

In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Stanford electrical engineer Philip Wong and host, bioengineer Russ Altman, discuss why filling that need will require a greater emphasis on semiconductor research in universities, global cooperation, and increased investment in both research and development (R&D) and manufacturing. They also discuss the importance of shortening the distance between the kind of computer chip innovations happening in university labs and the fabrication of the next generation of chips, or what Wong calls “the lab-to-fab gap.” Listen and subscribe here.

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

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Training the next generation of entrepreneurs

Episode 182

Wednesday, May 25, 2022 • Duration 27:24

Search online and you’ll find lists of all the skills entrepreneurs should have - among them are imagination, creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship. But are entrepreneurs born with these relevant skills, or can they be taught?

In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Tina Seelig, professor of the practice in the Department of Management Science and Engineering at Stanford, explains the differences between imagination, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, and how all four can be taught and then applied to finding solutions to big challenges. Join Seelig and host, bioengineer Russ Altman, as they discuss how to train a generation of entrepreneurs who will make positive contributions to the world. Listen and subscribe here.

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

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Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

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How to Fight Climate Change

Episode 181

Tuesday, May 17, 2022 • Duration 27:32

The consequences of climate change have already been devastating: wildfires, drought, coastal flooding, and increased temperatures, among them. And there are massive economic, societal, and geopolitical and security costs as well. It's no wonder that many people may feel the situation at this point is hopeless. But in this episode of the Future of Everything, Stanford’s Chris Field tells host and bioengineer Russ Altman that the world has made more progress than we might have expected a decade ago, and that we can still pave a way to a sustainable future, both by reducing emissions and by adapting to the impact of increasing temperatures through such things as technological innovation and improved infrastructure and land and resource management. Listen and subscribe here.

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The physics of gel-like substances

Episode 180

Thursday, May 5, 2022 • Duration 27:34

The vast majority of substances are neither liquid, solid, nor gas – but an alternative form that shares characteristics of liquids and gases. Among them are gels, glasses, and colloidal suspensions, and they’re an essential part of everyday products like toothpaste, paint, hair products, and even windows. Stanford chemical engineer Roseanna Zia is an expert on the gel-like substance known as colloids.

In this episode of Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything, Zia joins host Russ Altman to talk about the physics of these substances, and how a greater understanding of colloids can improve our understanding of cells, biological processes, and human health and disease. Listen and subscribe here.

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

What makes a surgeon great?

Episode 178

Friday, April 15, 2022 • Duration 27:26

Conducting a surgery is one of the most complex tasks an individual can do — but how do you recognize the difference between the highly skilled surgeons performing at the top of their game and those still honing their techniques? With the help of wearable sensors, motion tracking and video, physicians can now watch surgeons in action, quantify their movements, and determine how highly skilled physicians accomplish the unique choreography of surgery.

In this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything, Carla Pugh, a professor of surgery at Stanford, discusses what we learn when we measure physicians’ movements, and how studying the movements of skilled surgeons can shorten the learning curve for their less experienced colleagues. Dr. Pugh joins bioengineer and host Russ Altman to explore the future of surgery. Listen and subscribe here.

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Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

The Future of Everything – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

The Future of Everything – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

Twitter2

Facebook1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Twitter2

Facebook1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify