WSJ’s The Future of Everything

In the future, the drugs helping you live healthier, happier and longer may have components manufactured in space. In this conversation with WSJ’s Danny Lewis from the Future of Everything Festival in May, Eric Lasker, an executive at Varda Space Industries, and Sita Sonty, former CEO of Space Tango, discuss the advantages and limitations of space manufacturing and how it can benefit pharmaceutical development. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: Is Space the Next Manufacturing Frontier?  Varda Hopes New Research Draws More Drugmakers to Space Factories  How Research in Space Helps Doctors Treat People on Earth  Space Manufacturing: Building an Economy Beyond Earth  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More and more people are living longer lives thanks to modern technology and medicine. But what does that mean for our mental health and making sure we’re living better as well as longer? Stanford University Center on Longevity founding director Laura Carstensen digs into how the milestones of life should be reworked, and tells WSJ’s Danny Lewis how society can adapt and plan for the 100-year lifespan to become common. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter . Further reading: The Keys to Aging at Home? Frank Conversations and Financial Planning  Outliving Your Peers Is Now a Competitive Sport  Star Scientist’s Claim of ‘Reverse Aging’ Draws Hail of Criticism  The Secret to Living to 100? It’s Not Good Habits  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes your house a home? For starters, it’s spending time there, relaxing, cooking and watching TV. These days, that means lots of subscriptions, which also means lots of money. In fact, Americans spend billions of dollars on subscriptions they’ve actually forgotten about. On the Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen looks at the booming subscription business and ways to help you get that spending in check. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading:  The Real Reason You’re Paying for So Many Subscriptions  Americans Are Canceling More of Their Streaming Services  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whether you’re sprucing up a kitchen or gutting a house, home renovations can be stressful, complicated and expensive. But new tools using artificial intelligence are trying to take some of the struggle out of the process by helping homeowners envision their dream home and communicate with architects and contractors. WSJ real estate, architecture and design reporter Nancy Keates joins host Danny Lewis to talk about how AI is making inroads into home renovations. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: Stressing Over Your Next Home Renovation Project? Let AI Handle It.  The Big Risk for the Market: Becoming an AI Echo Chamber  United Arab Emirates Fund in Talks to Invest in OpenAI  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you had a robot that could take care of your household chores, from doing laundry to making dinner? When the Roomba came out over 20 years ago, it seemed like other autonomous robots for the home were not far off. But no other home robot has yet become a household name. WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg speaks with Charlie Kemp, co-founder and chief technology officer of Hello Robot, about his company's dexterous robot called Stretch 3.They also talk about the technological hurdles we’ll have to overcome before truly helpful robots move into our homes. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading:  Elon Musk Says Tesla to Use Humanoid Robots Next Year  AI Startup Making Humanoid Robots Raises $675 Million With Bezos, Nvidia in Funding Round  Companies Brought in Robots. Now They Need Human ‘Robot Wranglers.’ Rise of the Restaurant Robots: Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Others Bet on Automation   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The amount of electricity generated by solar panels has surged over the last decade. But while rooftop solar panels are more common than ever, the balance of solar-power generation has shifted from power systems on individual homes to large-scale commercial arrays used by utilities. WSJ’s Danny Lewis sits down with energy and climate reporter Phred Dvorak and Pvilion CEO Colin Touhey to talk about the future of home solar, and the new role it might play in the power grid. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: The Home-Solar Boom Gets a ‘Gut Punch’ The Solar Breakthrough That Could Help the U.S. Compete With China  Why Californians Have Some of the Highest Power Bills in the U.S. Coming Soon for Homeowners: Solar Panels That Actually Look Attractive  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seaweed has lots of practical applications. We use it as fertilizer, incorporate it into face creams and packaging as a plastic alternative, and we eat it. Very little of the seaweed used worldwide is grown in the U.S., which some proponents and regulators are looking to change because seaweed has been shown to have some positive effects on ecosystems. Maine-based Atlantic Sea Farms is one company looking to increase the amount of seaweed grown in U.S. waters. WSJ’s Alex Ossola speaks with Atlantic Sea Farms CEO Briana Warner about how her company is making that happen, and what it will take for seaweed aquaculture to truly scale in the U.S. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading:  A Seaweed Crop Finds a Spot in Maine Waters  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It seems like every airline has a different way of boarding a plane. But which way works best? Astrophysicist Jason Steffen has spent his career trying to crack the deepest mysteries of the universe, and 15 years ago he discovered and published what he says is the optimal boarding strategy. So why aren’t all commercial airlines using it? On the Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen looks at what goes into planning the most efficient boarding process and what airlines are doing to help customers have a smooth entry to their flights.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: The Astrophysicist Who Has a Better Way to Board Airplanes  Southwest Airlines Is Ditching Open Seating on Flights  Southwest Fans Wonder if the Airline Has Changed Forever  It Can’t Be This Hard to Board a Plane  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Pokémon videogame series has always been about traveling the world. But eight years after the launch of the mobile-phone game Pokémon Go, some players are taking that to extremes by using the game as a tool to plan their real-life travels. Salvador Rodriguez joins host Danny Lewis to talk about the people circling the globe in order to catch and trade the digital monsters. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: The Adults Who Book Vacations Based on…. Pokémon?  Science of Success: The Mind at Work Behind an Iconic Song  How Pokémon Became a Monster Hit  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Concorde has long been retired, but future skies may be filled with aircraft that can go even faster, criss-crossing the world in a matter of hours. Hypersonic engines that are being developed for military and government applications, like defense, drones and missiles, could one day propel future planes much faster than conventional engines for less money. Host Danny Lewis looks at the technical and business obstacles, and finds out what it would take to make hypersonic air travel a reality.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading: Silicon Valley’s Next Mission: Help the U.S. Catch China and Russia in Hypersonic Weapons  How Hypersonic Flight Could Transform Transatlantic Flights  Hypersonic Missiles Are Game-Changers, and America Doesn’t Have Them  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From flights to hotels to entire itineraries, AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini Advanced can help you plan your next vacation. In fact, more than 30% of “active leisure travelers” have used artificial intelligence for travel planning, according to MMGY global, a travel marketing agency. But how soon might these bots go from travel planning tool to travel planning agent? WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg speaks with Google’s Amar Subramanya, vice president of engineering for Gemini experiences, about the future of using AI for travel planning. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading:  How Well Can AI Plan Your Next Trip? We Tested Gemini and ChatGPT  Don’t Trust an AI Chatbot With All Your Travel Plans Just Yet  AI Apps For Travel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes for a luxury strawberry? Is it the taste? Texture? Color? Around five years ago, berry company Driscoll’s released a new, premium line of berries with a higher price tag. Some consumers are shelling out almost 70% more to get their hands on this fancy fruit. But what are the qualities of a premium berry? On this Science of Success, we delve into the food science behind breeding and selling Driscoll’s Sweetest Batch, from creating more objective benchmarks for the highly subjective experience of taste to how the company works with supertasters and sensory analysts to create the best possible berry. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: Why America’s Berries Have Never Tasted So Good  How Designer Fruit Is Taking Over the Grocery Store  Trying to Breed Better Fruit  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restaurants are a tough business with tight margins, from the cost of food to paying for staff. Kernel, the new venture by Steve Ells, the founder and former CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill, is trying to fix that by introducing food-making robots and a "digital-first" approach to restaurants. In this conversation from the WSJ Global Food Forum in June, reporter Heather Haddon talks with Ells about his new bet on consumers’ desire to eat less meat, and on a business model that could solve some of the industry’s thorny challenges. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Further reading: Rise of the Restaurant Robots: Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Others Bet on Automation  How Chipotle’s Founder Is Moving Beyond Burritos  Chipotle’s Labor Costs Are Rising. Customers Will See It in Pricing.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To hear proponents talk about it, seaweed could solve a whole lot of problems. It could feed people, restore polluted habitats and be an economic boost for fishermen. Though seaweed aquaculture has grown in the U.S. in recent years, the country produced less than 1% of the global seaweed crop in 2019. Now, some companies are trying to get seaweed aquaculture to scale in the U.S. But there are regulatory hurdles to overcome, and researchers have questions about how a scaled industry would affect existing ecosystems. WSJ’s Alex Ossola looks at what it will take to make seaweed a bigger part of the American diet in the future.   What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter . Further reading: Inside the Quest for a Super Kelp That Can Survive Hotter Oceans  Cows Make Climate Change Worse. Could Seaweed Help?  A Sargassum Bloom Is Hitting Florida: What to Know About the Seaweed Mass  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No more mealy apples and flavorless oranges. There’s a growing category of produce available in your local grocery store: fruits and vegetables that have been carefully bred with flavor in mind. But these more delicious varieties tend to come in premium packaging—with a premium price to boot. WSJ contributor Elizabeth G. Dunn tells host Alex Ossola how this produce is bred and whether we can expect to see more of it in the future.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading: This Strawberry Will Blow Your Mind: Inside the Startlingly Delicious World of Designer Produce  The Race to Save Ketchup: Building a Tomato for a Hotter World  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They’re ugly. They’re clunky. They’re loud. And, worst of all, they spike your energy bills every summer. The window air conditioner is a dreaded summer staple in many homes. But one company is redefining how an AC functions by thinking outside the typical window box. For Science of Success, WSJ’s Ben Cohen tells the story of Midea’s U-shaped window AC that captured the collective consciousness for its noise reduction and energy efficiency. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: How Did the World’s Coolest Air Conditioner Get So Hot?  The Race to Build a Better Air Conditioner Does Turning Off Your A/C When You’re Not Home Actually Save Money?  My Love Affair With Air-Conditioning  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our climate is changing. In the last 100 years, the planet has warmed about 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to NASA. But how can we learn more about our planet’s climate and what we can do to slow the changes? Gavin A. Schmidt, a top NASA climate scientist and director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, spoke with WSJ reporter Emily Glazer at the Future of Everything Festival on May 22, 2024 about the future of climate science and the data NASA is collecting on the Earth by looking at it from space. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: 2023 Was the Hottest Year on Record  Extreme Heat, Floods, Fire: Was Summer 2023 the New Normal?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2023 was the world’s hottest year on record, and temperatures are expected to continue heating up. Cities, where more than half of the world lives, are contending with this extreme heat. But some places, such as Singapore, are looking for ways to modify aspects of their cities to make them more comfortable for people to live. The Cooling Singapore project is creating a hyper detailed digital twin of the city-state to be able to test the effectiveness of new methods the city would want to implement. WSJ’s Alex Ossola explains what they’ve learned, and how it can help us understand how more cities in the future might make changes to combat heat.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: The Cooling Singapore 2.0 project, funded by the Singapore Nat ional Research Foundation, is led by the Singapore ETH Centre in partnership with Cambridge CARES, the National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore Management University (SMU), the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), and TUMCREATE (established by the Technical University of Munich). 2023 Was the Hottest Year on Record  Earth Just Had Its Hottest Month Ever. How Six Cities Are Coping.  How Reflective Paint Brings Down Scorching City Temperatures  These Photos Show How Urban Growth Fuels Extreme Heat  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What good is a future without ketchup or pasta sauce? These are just two potential casualties of a changing climate, as tomato growers face shrinking harvests due to hotter and drier weather. WSJ reporter Patrick Thomas takes us behind the scenes of how seed breeders are trying to make a tomato that can thrive with less water, and how that highlights the efforts going into protecting crops against the effects of climate change. Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: The Race to Save Ketchup: Building a Tomato for a Hotter World  How to Eat Your Way to a Greener Planet  Sustainable Agriculture Gets a Push From Big Corporations  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did a sandal that originally entered the U.S. market as a health product become a fashion staple and the crowning shoe of a multibillion dollar company? Margot Fraser originally brought Birkenstocks to the U.S. thinking that the comfort of the German sandal would appeal to women. But she couldn’t get shoe stores to sell them. They finally made it into the U.S. market through health food stores. Now, the seductively ugly shoe is a cultural icon and was valued at about $8.6 billion when the company went public last year. WSJ’s Ben Cohen explores the history of Birkenstock and how it paved the way for the future of women’s feet. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Why Americans Are Obsessed With These Ugly Sandals  A Key to Birkenstock’s Billion Dollar Success? Its Frumpiest Shoe  A Visual History of Birkenstock’s Rise, From Insoles to IPO  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does your doctor know that a drug or procedure will work to treat a condition before they try it? Often, they don’t. Researchers are looking to create “digital twins,” digital versions of individual organs, to see how a patient will respond. Eventually there could be digital twins of entire bodies that are updated in real time with patient data. WSJ’s Alex Ossola speaks with WSJ senior special writer Stephanie Armour about how that might change the way we treat diseases in the future.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading: A ‘Digital Twin’ of Your Heart Lets Doctors Test Treatments Before Surgery   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ultrasound is known for its use in imaging during pregnancy. But new advancements in the technology suggest that in the future, ultrasound could be used to disrupt the blood-brain barrier. This would allow doctors to more easily diagnose and directly treat illnesses like brain cancer without major surgery. WSJ’s Danny Lewis and Charlotte Gartenberg examine the new ways that ultrasound could be used more specifically and subtly to deliver accurate diagnoses and precise treatments. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter . Further reading: New Ultrasound Therapy Could Help Treat Alzheimer’s, Cancer  Treatment Breakthrough for an Intractable Brain Cancer  The ‘Mini Brains’ solving medical mysteries and raising concerns We Can Now See the Brain Like Never Before  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A day when people can interact directly with computers using their thoughts could be on the horizon. Several companies, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink, have begun preliminary human trials of brain-computer interfaces - devices that decode the electrical signals in their brain and translate them into digital bits. Neurosurgeon Benjamin Rapoport is a co-founder and chief science officer of Precision Neuroscience, a company working on brain-computer interfaces. He spoke with WSJ’s Danny Lewis about how the technology works and how these implants could improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who could gain the ability to independently engage with the digital world. Correction: Dr. Benjamin Rapoport is the co-founder of Precision Neuroscience. An earlier version misspelled his name Rapaport. (Corrected on May 3) What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: Inside the Operating Room: Doctors Test a Revolutionary Brain-Computer Implant  Elon Musk’s Neuralink Wants to Make ‘The Matrix’ a Reality. It Has a Lot to Prove First.  She Didn’t Speak for 18 Years. A Computer Helped Find Her Voice.  The Devices That Will Read Your Brain—and Enhance It  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the brick and mortar bookstore of the future look like? For Barnes & Noble, it looks more like the indie bookstores they once threatened to put out of business 20 years ago. The company recently redesigned their national chain of over 500 bookstores, shedding the big box personality in favor of a look reminiscent of local bookshops. On this week’s Science of Success, WSJ columnist Ben Cohen speaks to Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt about the look, feel and idea behind Barnes & Noble’s new indie design. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Further reading: That Cool New Bookstore? It’s a Barnes & Noble. New CEO Wants to Make Barnes & Noble Your Local Bookstore Barnes & Noble’s New Boss Tries to Save the Chain—and Traditional Bookselling  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can technology help us design the perfect running shoe that’s stronger, faster and better for the environment? David Allemann, co-founder of On, thinks technology can get us part of the way there, but it’s not the whole story. The performance running shoe and sportswear company is experimenting with computer simulation and bio-based materials to design sneakers to advance both runners and sustainability goals. WSJ men’s fashion columnist Jacob Gallagher speaks with Allemann about the future of running shoe tech and how sneakers might redefine the design cannon.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  How On’s Running Sneakers Won Over Tech Bros and High Fashion Alike  Where Did All the Crazy Sneakers Go?  This Designer Knows What Sneakers You’ll Be Wearing Next Year  These Grandpa Sneakers Are Made in America. They’re a Hit Overseas.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3D printing isn’t just for hobbyists – it could be central to the future of manufacturing. Companies are turning to this technology to make everything from car and airplane parts to houses faster and cheaper than with traditional techniques. Now, as 3D printing – also known as additive manufacturing – is getting quicker, researchers are testing its limits. WSJ’s Alex Ossola and Danny Lewis take a look at how this tech is building the factory of the future. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Further reading: This 3-D Printed Icelandic Fish-Gutting Machine Contains the Secret of a Future, Less-Globalized Economy  Venture Investors Are Pumping Capital Into 3-D Printing Startups. Here’s Why.  Energy Companies Turn to 3-D Printing to Bypass Snarled Supply Chains  3-D Printed Houses Are Sprouting Near Austin as Demand for Homes Grows  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Tesla started developing the Cybertruck, CEO Elon Musk tasked the company's chief designer with creating a car that "feels like the future." But did it break the mold on what a pickup truck is? And how will it change truck design in the future? WSJ auto columnist Dan Neil test drove the Cybertruck. He spoke with WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg about his take on Tesla’s polarizing vehicle, and what it means for the future of EV design. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching t o a different podcast player. Further reading:  I Gave Tesla’s Cybertruck a 48-Hour Thrashing. It (Mostly) Survived.  Tesla Hopes the Cybertruck Design Gives It an Edge  Tesla Designer: Cybertruck’s Funky Design Gives It an Edge  How Tesla’s Cybertruck Compares with Other Pickups  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year, several high profile incidents have kept flying in the limelight. Yet air travel is currently safer than ever. The biggest U.S. commercial airlines have now gone 15 years without a fatal crash. So, how did hurtling through the sky in a giant metal tube become this safe? WSJ columnist Ben Cohen speaks with former FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization executive William Voss about the voluntary self-reporting programs that made flying the safest form of travel and asks if the airline industry’s safety measures could provide a blueprint for regulation in other fields. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player.  Further reading:  Flying in America Has Actually Never Been Safer  Boeing Tells Airlines to Check 787 Cockpit Seats After Mishap on Latam Flight  Behind the Alaska Blowout: a Manufacturing Habit Boeing Can’t Break  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of promises that driverless cars were just over the horizon, one of the industry's biggest players is headed for the freeway. Now, for the first time, Alphabet’s Waymo is allowing robotaxis to take its employees on high-speed roads in Phoenix, Arizona without a human driver. The move comes just as the industry is facing a harsh reality after high-profile crashes: GM’s Cruise had its permits to operate driverless robotaxis pulled by the California DMV, and Waymo issued its first-ever recall after two of its cars collided with a pickup truck being towed. WSJ reporter Meghan Bobrowsky discusses what this could mean for the future of self-driving cars and where the industry is heading. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Further reading: Self-Driving Cars Enter the Next Frontier: Freeways Self-Driving Car Company Waymo Issues First-Ever Recall After Two Phoenix Crashes  GM’s Cruise Says U.S. Is Investigating Driverless Car’s Collision With Pedestrian  ​​America’s Most Tech-Forward City Has Doubts About Self-Driving Cars  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine driving down a road that recharges your electric car as it moves. Companies around the world are experimenting with new technology that can wirelessly charge EVs while they drive, thanks to copper coils buried beneath the asphalt. It could mean less time spent plugging in at slow chargers, no need for heavy, expensive lithium-ion batteries and wave goodbye to range anxiety. WSJ’s Danny Lewis reports on what it would take for this tech to hit the road, and how it could change the way we refuel our vehicles. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: These Companies Want to Charge Your Electric Vehicle as You Drive  No More Charging Stops? We Take a Road Trip in an Ultralong-Range EV  The Big Year for EVs Gets Off to a Bumpy Start  Electric Cars and Driving Range: Here’s What to Know About EV Range  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent months, an Alaska Airlines jet lost a door plug mid-flight, and a Japan Airlines plane collided with another aircraft at an airport in Tokyo. Accidents like these are uncommon, but they could help engineers design safer airplanes. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University associate professor Anthony Brickhouse tells WSJ’s Danny Lewis how advanced materials and computer systems could bring flight into a safer future, while making sure human pilots are still part of the equation. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: How Safe Is Flying Today? Answering Your Questions  Boeing 737 MAX Missing Critical Bolts in Alaska Airlines Blowout, NTSB Says  Boeing Finds New Problem With 737 MAX Fuselages  Inside a Flaming Jet, 367 Passengers Had Minutes to Flee. Here’s How They Did It.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it an earworm or an icon? The Super Mario Bros. theme is the soundtrack to many childhoods and has remained resonant today. Recently inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, the song was not easy to write. Video game composer Koji Kondo faced musical and technical challenges in creating the song. Columnist Ben Cohen talks to New England Conservatory musicologist Andrew Schartmann about how Kondo created this lasting and genre-changing piece of music. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: The Mind Behind the Music You Can't Get Out of Your Head  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI has brought new challenges for corporate executives in managing their workforces and supply chains. Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi tells WSJ reporter Emily Glazer how she is adjusting to uncertainty and gives her outlook on the future of the workplace and manufacturing. This conversation was recorded at WSJ’s CEO Council Summit on December 12, 2023.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Further reading: Leading in Uncertain Times  Sam Altman Seeks Trillions of Dollars to Reshape Business of Chips and AI  Logistics-Tech Startups Face Uncertain Future as Freight Slump Continues  The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Generative AI in the Workplace  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Badge swipes and passwords are cornerstones of security in the modern workplace. But in a world where security is increasingly tied to biometrics and personal devices, your face or fingerprint may soon become the key to workplace security. While biometrics could provide better protection for sensitive information than an easily forgettable password, what are the privacy risks of biometric tech going mainstream? WSJ’s Danny Lewis explores the future of biometric security at work, and whether it could even go beyond face scans and fingerprints. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: Your Face Is Your Ticket: A Creepy Convenience  Apple Makes Security Changes to Protect Users From iPhone Thefts  Rite Aid Banned From Using AI Facial Recognition in FTC Settlement  What Is the Future of Identity Verification?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the human resources department be replaced by robots? Not quite, but the use of generative artificial intelligence in HR is on the rise. WSJ reporter Chip Cutter tells us how companies are incorporating AI tools internally and what might change in the future. Plus, we hear from Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First, who recently introduced paidleave.ai, a free AI-powered chatbot designed to help workers navigate paid family leave benefits. Saujani tells WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg about what she sees as the potential risks and benefits of AI in the workplace. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  New York City Passed an AI Hiring Law. So Far, Few Companies Are Following It.  How AI Will Change the Workplace  HR Departments Turn to AI-Enabled Recruiting in Race for Talent  The Do's and Don'ts of Using Generative AI in the Workplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia's Jensen Huang is Silicon Valley's longest tenured CEO, and his company recently joined the trillion dollar club. But if he knew at the start what he knows now, would he do it all again? WSJ Science of Success columnist Ben Cohen explains Huang’s approach to success and what that might mean for tomorrow's entrepreneurs. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or e mail us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  He Built a Trillion-Dollar Company. He Wouldn’t Do It Again.  Tech’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ Stocks Are Back on Top  Markets Analysis: Nvidia Stock Jumps to Record High  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fake images are already turning heads online, and Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, says we’re only going to see more of it. Farid specializes in image analysis and digital forensics. He tells WSJ’s Alex Ossola why it’s so easy to use generative AI to create convincing fake images, and why it could cause problems in the future. Plus, he discusses the potential tech solutions that will help us decipher whether an image or video we’re seeing online is too good to be true.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Real or AI? The Tech Giants Racing to Stop the Spread of Fake Images  Reality Is Broken. We Have AI Photos to Blame.  A New Way to​ Tell Deepfakes From Real Photos: Can It Work?  AI-Created Images Are So Good Even AI Has Trouble Spotting Some  Sharing Fake Nude Images Could Become a Federal Crime Under Proposed Law  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI voice assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa have become part of our everyday lives. But for people with atypical voices, including those with conditions like Parkinson’s disease and muscular dystrophy, these tools can be frustrating to use. Now a number of big tech companies including Amazon and Google, as well as research organizations are coming up with ways to make them more useful. What will it take to create voice assistants that work for everyone right out of the box?  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: Tech Firms Train Voice Assistants to Understand Atypical Speech  Amazon Makes Alexa Chattier and More Capable Using Generative AI   Alexa, Siri, Cortana: Why All Your Bots Are Female    Deep Speech: Scaling up end-to-end speech recognition (2014, arXiv)   Librispeech: An ASR corpus based on public domain audio books (2015, IEEE International Conference)   Speech Accessibility Project from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of AI’s biggest, unsolved problems is what the advanced algorithms should do when they confront a situation they don’t have an answer for. For programs like Chat GPT, that could mean providing a confidently wrong answer, what’s often called a “hallucination”; for others, as with self-driving cars, there could be much more serious consequences. But what if AIs could be taught to recognize what they don’t understand and adjust accordingly? Usama Fayyad, the executive director for the Institute for Experiential Artificial Intelligence at Northeastern University thinks this could be the algorithmic answer to making future AIs better at what they do, by doing something too few humans can: recognizing their own limits. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: How Did Companies Use Generative AI in 2023? Here’s a Look at Five Early Adopters.  Your Medical Devices Are Getting Smarter. Can the FDA Keep Them Safe?  Artificial: The OpenAI Story  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sail-powered cargo ships are making waves on the seas. High-tech versions of old tools are being installed on existing cargo ships in order to reduce fuel costs and help decarbonize the industry, which currently generates 3% of all human-created greenhouse gasses. Retrofitting cargo ships with sails could make maritime shipping greener and cheaper, and even change how the complicated shipping industry works. WSJ host Danny Lewis reports. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Further reading: Old-School Wind Power Is Back for Cargo Shipping  Shipping Regulator to Steer Clear of Stricter Rules on Carbon Emissions  Fertilizer Companies Are Betting on Ammonia as a Low-Carbon Fuel  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breast milk imparts a number of long-term health benefits to babies, including a lower risk of asthma, obesity, Type 1 diabetes and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But for a variety of reasons, many parents turn to formula. Now, several startups such as BIOMILQ and Helaina are working on new kinds of infant nutrition products that promise to better mimic parts of human breast milk—and may lead to advances in adult nutrition along the way. But to bring artificial breast milk to market, they’ll need to do some tough science and overcome regulatory and ethical hurdles.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  The ‘Arms Race’ to Build a Better Baby Formula  Baby-Formula Shortage Worsened by Drop in Breast-Feeding Rates  Baby-Formula Makers Face FTC Investigation for Collusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The next generation of nuclear power plants could be tiny, and that could mean big things for carbon-free electricity. Several companies including NuScale Power and Bill Gates’ TerraPower are developing small modular reactors that promise to be more adaptable than the towering conventional nuclear power plants. After years of development and growing investment, the first of these next-generation reactors could go online by 2030. But will their promises to provide safe and plentiful energy live up to the hype, and overcome the economic challenges of their predecessors? WSJ’s Danny Lewis looks at what small reactors could mean for the business of nuclear power and how you get your electricity.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  A Futuristic Plan to Make Steel With Nuclear Fusion  Nuclear Power Is Staging a Comeback, but Is It Affordable and Safe?  OpenAI’s Sam Altman Is Taking a Nuclear-Energy Startup Public  Nuclear Power Is Poised for a Comeback. The Problem Is Building the Reactors.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There may come a day when everyone will be wearing hearing aids. That’s because today’s hearing aids can do much more than clarify and amplify sound. Companies like Starkey are adding features like cognitive activity tracking and exercise monitoring. They’re developing tech that aims to warn users before they might fall and predict aspects of mental health too. If barriers like high cost and social stigma are addressed, hearing aids could become a vital accessory, whether or not you’re one of the 55 million Americans projected to have hearing loss by 2030. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Wait, Are Hearing Aids Cool Now? Ask Millennials  ​​Apple AirPods Could Help You Hear Better  Buying Help for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids—Whether You Spend $250 or $2,500  Cheaper Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Are Coming. Here’s How to Comparison Shop.   Cures for Hearing Loss May Be Found in New Drugs  Using Teeth to Help Restore Hearing Better Hearing Can Lead to Better Thinking Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if there were a way to generate clean solar electricity from space and send it directly to Earth? It sounds like science-fiction, but Caltech engineers are working on ways to collect solar energy on orbiting satellites and wirelessly beam that power back to stations on the ground. The results of their experiments suggest that space-based solar power may have a bright future. But while they’ve been able to show it’s possible on a demonstration satellite, getting power from orbit to Earth is a big challenge. WSJ’s Danny Lewis talks with science journalist Corey S. Powell about what it will take to wirelessly transmit solar energy and how it could transform the future of the grid. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Beaming Solar Energy From Space Gets a Step Closer  The Next Bets for Renewable Energy  Solar Boom Spreads to Timberlands and Self-Storage Rooftops  Investments in Solar Power Eclipse Oil for First Time  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to go electric? We might need to dig a little deeper… into the Earth’s crust. Researchers and startups are testing new technology and drilling techniques to harness geothermal energy – heat from the Earth that can be used to generate electricity. It’s a renewable energy source that has been billed as a way to boost energy independence while reducing carbon emissions. But because of technical limitations, geothermal made up just 0.4% of all electricity generated in the U.S last year. The Biden Administration and energy giants such as Chevron are investing in geothermal, with the aim that your lights, your cell phone and your electric car might be powered by geothermal in the future. WSJ’s Alex Ossola explores what it will take for geothermal energy to scale.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Can the Oil-and-Gas Industry Crack Geothermal Energy? ‘Deep Geothermal’ Promises to Let Drillers Go Deeper, Faster and Hotter  The Next Bets for Renewable Energy  Fracking for Geothermal Energy? Not So Fast  The Race to Drill America’s Longest Oil and Gas Wells  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is there life on planets other than Earth? For generations, scientists have puzzled over the question, searching for planets that might have the right conditions both inside and outside the Milky Way. There are thousands of exoplanets – those beyond our solar system – ranging from gas giants, to balls of rock, to possible ocean worlds and so-called “super Earths.” But even as new technology has given scientists a glimpse at these distant worlds, one lingering question is whether any of them can support life and what forms it might take. WSJ’s Danny Lewis speaks to University of Arizona astronomer Chris Impey about what makes a planet habitable and how learning about exoplanets can teach us more about our own world. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  ​​A Moon of Saturn Has All the Ingredients Needed for Life  Jupiter Mission Launches on Journey to Explore Icy Worlds  Astronomers Catch a Star Swallowing a Planet  These Scientists Want to Send Space Aliens a Cosmic Road Map to Earth Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI-generated or manipulated images are quickly becoming a lot more realistic. Soon, it may be impossible to tell the difference. That could create an opportunity for people to spread misinformation, and make it difficult to know what’s real. Tech companies like Adobe, Microsoft and Google, academics and government agencies are coming up with frameworks to verify images and, in some cases, show how they’ve been altered. But, these techniques may come with security risks of their own. WSJ’s Alex Ossola and Charlotte Gartenberg explore the new technology solutions that will identify fake images online and the potential issues getting them in front of users. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  AI-Created Images Are So Good Even AI Has Trouble Spotting Some  Ask an AI Art Generator for Any Image. The Results Are Amazing—and Terrifying  Paparazzi Photos Were the Scourge of Celebrities. Now, It’s AI  AI, Art and the Future of Looking at a Painting  Some of the Thorniest Questions About AI Will Be Answered in Court  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The great American road trip has long been powered by gasoline. Gas stations are everywhere, making it easy to fill-up when your gas tank nears empty. But what if you’re trying to travel long-distance in an electric car and can’t find a charger? WSJ’s Danny Lewis speaks to WSJ tech columnist Christopher Mims about his recent road trip in an ultralong-range Lucid Motors EV. The car aims to eliminate range anxiety by traveling an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated range of more than 500 miles without needing to recharge.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Ultralong-Range Electric Cars Are Arriving. Say Goodbye to Charging Stops  Why America Isn’t Ready for the EV Takeover The Key to Widespread Adoption of EVs: Less Range  Big Automakers Plan Thousands of EV Chargers in $1 Billion U.S. Push Ford Venture Gets Record $9.2 Billion Government Loan for EV Batteries Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think of a robot, what comes to mind? A big metal arm in a car factory? A shiny android like C3PO from “Star Wars”? What about a robot that’s soft, floppy and looks a little more like the hot dog fingers from “Everything Everywhere, All at Once”? Soft robots are engineered for more delicate tasks that used to require a human touch – like handling food or conducting tests inside our bodies. But for now, they’re isolated to specific fields, like manufacturing and medicine, and haven’t really made their way into the daily lives of most people. WSJ’s Alex Ossola looks into what it will take to bring soft robots out of the factory and hospital and into our homes.  Further reading:  Robots Are Learning to Handle With Care   Robots Are Looking to Bring a Human Touch to Warehouses  What Picking Up an Apple Tells You About the Future of Robotics   First Autonomous, Entirely Soft Robot Developed  Amid the Labor Shortage, Robots Step in to Make the French Fries  The Quest for a Robot With a Sense of Touch  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Farmers across the U.S. are facing challenges from extreme weather. From intense heat and drought roasting crops to rain-delayed harvests, many who grow the food we rely on are having to find new ways to adapt. For some, that means going high-tech, using sensors that can tell them when their plants need more water or fertilizer. WSJ’s Jala Everett looks into how modern sensors are changing the world of farming and how some sensors the size of “bandages” could deliver even more precise data from individual plants. Further reading:  Five Farming Technologies Tackle Climate Change Threats  Widespread Drought Creates Winners and Losers in U.S Agriculture  Harvesting Crews Hustle to Bring In Wheat Crop Hit by Drought, Late Rains  The Environmental Upside of Modern Farming  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices