Make People Better Podcast
Science fiction is becoming science fact. In 2018, the team behind this podcast uncovered that a Chinese scientist, Jiankui He (nicknamed “JK”), was creating the world’s first genetically enhanced babies. The experiment opened the door to what may become a commercial market for "designer babies" and for governments to enhance entire populations. In the controversy that followed, the Chinese government disappeared JK and later sentenced him to three years in prison. Dr. He is now out of prison and has started a new genetic engineering company. He sits down with us in our first episode to discuss his plans. But the story does not stop there. In recent years, gene editing has exploded into a technological revolution that is poised to transform society and redefine what it means to be human. In this 7-part podcast series, we investigate the race to unlock age reversal and immortality in humans, new tools that can re-engineer entire species of animals and plants in nature, the inevitability of bioterrorists creating synthetic viruses, an underground movement of do-it-yourself biohackers who are setting up labs in their garages, how pop culture has informed the genomic revolution, and much more. This podcast was funded by the RandomGood Foundation and was produced by Rhumbline Media, LLC.
Episodes
8 episodes
Science Fiction
As a filmmaker, Cody is acutely aware of how Hollywood films has shaped his perception of genetic engineering. Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, Blade Runner, was present for him during the entire process of making the documentary Make P...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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30:05
Valley of Shadow
The technology companies driving the genomic revolution are modeling themselves after their predecessors in Silicon Valley. Many bioethicists take note that the same value system, often a mix of new age spiritualism mixed with a tech ethic of “...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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1:01:33
Bioterror
The last 20 years of history have been bookended by two events. 9/11 and Covid-19. Many security experts believe that as cheap and easy-to-use gene editing tech proliferates, the occurrence of intentional release of publicly available viruses l...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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47:39
Code of the Wild
Mosquitoes, which have evolved on Earth for more than a hundred million years, could be extinguished by new genetic engineering tools in a matter of years in modern efforts to prevent malaria. The first of these immensely powerful technologies ...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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34:37
Hack Yourself
In the United States, many citizens place personal freedom above all other societal values. Combine that with a wave of new gene hacking technologies that are cheap and easy to use, and the biohacking movement is born. It’s fun, you can inject ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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44:38
Immortality
As far back as we have recorded history, from ancient cave paintings to the pyramids, humans have quested for immortality. It is the ultimate prize for a species that can imagine the future and their own eventual death. In recent years, science...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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39:29
Designer Babies
Let’s start our journey into the genomic revolution where the documentary film, Make People Better left off. First, we will speak with Dr. Jiankui He (nicknamed “JK”), the Chinese scientist who secretly created the first designer babies, named ...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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44:10
Introducing Make People Better Podcast
Science fiction is becoming science fact. In 2018, the team behind this podcast uncovered that a Chinese scientist, Jiankui He (nicknamed “JK”), was creating the world’s first genetically enhanced babies. The experiment opened the door to what ...
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Season 1
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1:44