The Future of Everything

The future of gut health

11 sep. 2026 · 33:48

Microbiologist Justin Sonnenburg wants you to know that you – and all humans, really – are not alone. Inside each of us live uncountable bacteria without whom we could not survive. Nowhere is this symbiosis more vital, Sonnenburg says, than in the digestive tract – the gut – where trillions of bacterial collaborators help digest the foods that nourish us. Sonnenburg studies what makes this complex relationship work and how modern life is altering this important chemistry. He says the gut microbiome should be thought of as another organ. When it drifts out of balance, the effects ripple through our metabolism, our immune systems, and our nervous systems. Sonnenburg goes on to explain how dietary choices – like eating more fermented foods and fiber – can rebuild the microbiome, and why the f

Best of: The future of language learning

4 sep. 2026 · 31:20

How children learn language across cultures and contexts — and what the “data gap” between kids and AI reveals about human language acquisition.

The future of cities

28 aug. 2026 · 30:16

How urban research is revealing the forces reshaping American cities—and how better data can help create safer, more stable neighborhoods for all.

Best of: The future of addiction

21 aug. 2026 · 30:06

How addiction reshapes the brain’s reward system — and why understanding dopamine, vulnerability, and treatment can help address everything from digital habits to the opioid crisis.

The future of neuroimaging

14 aug. 2026 · 34:07

How neuroimaging is helping scientists understand individual differences in the brain, improve mental health research, and make brain imaging more reliable through reproducibility and open science.

The future of clinical bioethics

7 aug. 2026 · 36:43

How clinical bioethics is shaping the future of medical decision-making, patient care, and human dignity in healthcare.

Best of: The future of AI and the law

31 juli 2026 · 34:26

How AI could strengthen legal reform, government efficiency, and access to justice, even as it falls short of replacing lawyers with chatbots.

The future of menopause

24 juli 2026 · 33:39

How women’s health care in midlife is improving through clearer science, better treatment, and long-overdue clinical attention to menopause.

The future of Parkinson’s disease

17 juli 2026 · 32:34

How molecular discoveries are reshaping our understanding of Parkinson’s disease and opening new possibilities for earlier detection, and targeted treatment to slow disease progression.

The future of AI and the legal field

10 juli 2026 · 37:44

Law professor Julian Nyarko has drawn attention for his studies using large language models to investigate and improve legal education and explore AI’s biases. He hopes AI can become a reliable, always-on legal learning and assistance tool to lower costs and expand access to legal services. In one recent study, he asked a group of law professors to evaluate written answers to student questions. Three-quarters of the time, the professors preferred AI-generated answers to those of their human colleagues. “AI is good at law,” Nyarko says, the challenge now is to use it most effectively, he tells host Russ Altman in this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upco

Best of: The future of wildfire management

3 juli 2026 · 32:32

The potential of society-wide action to overcome the barriers to smarter, safer wildfire solutions.

The future of storytelling for health

26 juni 2026 · 30:40

How storytelling can change the way we talk about health.

Best of: The future of exercise

19 juni 2026 · 27:57

How exercise affects the body at a molecular level—and what that could mean for the future of weight loss, diabetes, and exercise-based medicine.

The Future of Retinal Implants

12 juni 2026 · 34:11

How retinal implants are helping restore vision by turning light into signals the brain can understand.

The future of ultrafast materials and devices

5 juni 2026 · 37:16

How materials move at the atomic scale—and what that reveals about the potential for faster, lower-energy technologies in the future.

Best of: The future of computer-aided education

29 maj 2026 · 32:19

A best-of conversation on how AI and human teachers can work together to make learning more creative, personal, and effective.

The future of farming

22 maj 2026 · 33:52

A research-driven look at the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of global agriculture.

The future of fungi

15 maj 2026 · 34:15

Bioengineering meets Michelin-star creativity to explore the possibilities for fungi as food, materials, and tools for sustainability.

The future of influencers

8 maj 2026 · 37:14

The impact of social media's engagement-based ecosystems on national dialogue.

Best of: The future of the universe

1 maj 2026 · 30:06

How new data and models are changing our understanding of the universe.

The future of cell-free biotechnology

24 apr. 2026 · 36:35

How cell-free biotechnology may redefine the production of medicines, materials, and biological systems.

The future of education

17 apr. 2026 · 33:45

How tutoring, research, and AI may help improve learning outcomes at scale.

The future of networking technology

10 apr. 2026 · 41:48

Why a lack of verifiable computation limits transparency, efficiency, and trust in modern cloud systems.

Best of: The future of plant chemistry

3 apr. 2026 · 29:40

How plants can positively impact environmental and human health.

The future of learning

27 mars 2026 · 36:16

How learning science can improve education through stronger feedback and more effective design.

The future of fashion and dress codes

20 mars 2026 · 31:00

The broader cultural, identity, and social dynamics of dress codes.

The future of vaccines

13 mars 2026 · 33:41

The history, science, and future of vaccines in modern medicine.

Best of: The future of sleep

6 mars 2026 · 37:02

Practical strategies for getting a better night’s rest.

The future of coronary heart disease

27 feb. 2026 · 36:26

Rethinking heart disease through earlier detection and intervention.

The future of eating disorders

20 feb. 2026 · 32:50

Why eating disorders are so difficult to treat and the potential new interventions that could help.

Best of: The future of allergies

13 feb. 2026 · 36:29

New strategies that could allow people worldwide to better manage their allergies.

The future of entrepreneurship

6 feb. 2026 · 41:46

How policy and market structure shape entrepreneurship and long-term innovation.

The future of substance abuse in youth

30 jan. 2026 · 34:23

Prevention efforts to help address adolescent substance use

Best of: The future of depression care

23 jan. 2026 · 30:17

New approaches that may enable more precise diagnosis of depression and improved treatments.

The future of ADHD

16 jan. 2026 · 32:58

How early diagnosis and treatment of ADHD can potentially shape lifelong outcomes.

The future of alcohol

9 jan. 2026 · 32:05

Why moderate alcohol consumption may carry greater health risks than previously believed.

Best of: The future of motivation

2 jan. 2026 · 31:28

How science is changing our understanding of goal-setting and achievement.

Happy New Year From The Future of Everything

31 dec. 2025 · 1:11

Hi everyone, it’s your host, Russ. As we celebrate another holiday season and round out the year, I want to take a moment to say thank you for listening. This show started out over 8 years ago as an experiment and has not only grown to become a passion project, but also an archive of the impactful work my colleagues across Stanford dedicate their lives to. In a time when the sheer volume of information available to us can make it hard to determine what’s accurate, I’m proud to be able to bring you information directly from expert scientists in the fields of physics, medicine, technology, computer science, law, and much more. The show, however, would not exist without you. So thank you for giving us your time and attention; it means a lot and also makes what we do possible. Happy holidays a

Best of: The future of AI coaching

26 dec. 2025 · 30:55

The potential for AI to serve as a coach or tutor.

The future of lipids in evolution

19 dec. 2025 · 32:30

How studying lipid membranes of ancient microbes may help to understand Earth's evolution and future.

The future of neurodegeneration

12 dec. 2025 · 34:41

How aging affects the creation and the quality of proteins in the brain.

The future of ribosomes

5 dec. 2025 · 34:40

Emerging research on ribosomes and their possible roles in health and disease.

Best of: How to take waste out of wastewater

28 nov. 2025 · 29:19

The potential of wastewater to become a source of valuable materials.

The future of digital markets

21 nov. 2025 · 31:32

The opportunities and challenges of leveraging AI to transform digital markets.

The future of immunotherapy

14 nov. 2025 · 33:52

How the human immune system might be harnessed to fight cancers.

The future of emerging technologies

7 nov. 2025 · 31:46

The impact advancing technologies are having on democracy and public policy.

The countdown to our 300th episode

5 nov. 2025 · 0:25

Tune in on Friday, November 7th to listen to our 300th episode with a very special guest. 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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Best of: The future of transparent tissue

31 okt. 2025 · 29:02

How light and simple dyes might improve visibility beneath the skin.

The future of wound healing

24 okt. 2025 · 33:50

Research on understanding the processes of healing to design better therapies.

The future of topical vaccines

17 okt. 2025 · 37:39

The emerging science behind cream-based approaches to immunization.

Best of: The future of extreme climate events

10 okt. 2025 · 32:46

Why extreme weather is accelerating—and what we can still do about it.

The future of the built environment

3 okt. 2025 · 33:40

New design approaches to infrastructure, sustainability, and community wellbeing.

The future of the innovation economy

26 sep. 2025 · 32:07

How artificial intelligence is reshaping our economy.

Best of: The future of ultrafast electronics

19 sep. 2025 · 36:11

How attosecond X-ray technology could reshape materials science, AI, and the future of computing.

The future of allergies

12 sep. 2025 · 37:56

New strategies that could allow millions worldwide to manage their allergies better.

The future of bone health

5 sep. 2025 · 33:28

Emerging science that may support bone repair and protection.

Best of: The future of reading

29 aug. 2025 · 29:25

The complex process of learning how to read.

The future of inequality

22 aug. 2025 · 34:36

How inequality interventions may be identified with new quasi-experimental methods.

The future of cancer neuroscience

15 aug. 2025 · 31:13

The emerging therapies targeting brain tumor–neural circuit interactions.

Best of: The future of coastal erosion

8 aug. 2025 · 29:34

Rising seas and shifting coastlines may quietly reshape landscapes, communities, and economies.

The future of plant chemistry

1 aug. 2025 · 31:21

How plant chemistry could help us better understand health and sustainability.

The future of parent-child bonding

25 juli 2025 · 33:55

The neuroscience behind the complex parenting of poisonous frogs.

Best of: How the grid is becoming more human-centric

18 juli 2025 · 29:07

Smarter energy use at home could support a more efficient and resilient power grid.

The future of AI and the law

11 juli 2025 · 35:43

Potential AI applications in legal research and reform efforts.

The future of hoarding disorder

4 juli 2025 · 29:36

The neuroscience, diagnosis, and emerging treatments for hoarding disorder.

Best of: The future of skin longevity

27 juni 2025 · 29:14

Healthy skin is about vitality, not vanity.

The future of food security

20 juni 2025 · 31:35

How access to nutritious food may support better health and reduce chronic disease.

The future of motivation

13 juni 2025 · 32:47

The science behind sustaining motivation through every stage of your goals.

Best of: Training the next generation of entrepreneurs

6 juni 2025 · 28:30

How we can teach skills including imagination, creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The future of learning to read

30 maj 2025 · 38:31

How neuroscience and technology are reshaping the way we understand—and teach—reading.

The future of sleep

23 maj 2025 · 38:13

Why worrying about your sleep might be the very thing keeping you awake.

The future of geriatric care

16 maj 2025 · 34:49

Why it’s time to rethink how we care for older adults.

Best of: The future of educational technology

9 maj 2025 · 29:44

AI’s potential to support teachers and enhance learning.

The future of children’s health

2 maj 2025 · 31:47

How pollution is taking an increasing toll on children’s health.

The future of wildfire management

25 apr. 2025 · 33:44

The potential of society-wide action to overcome the barriers to smarter, safer wildfire solutions.

The future of pediatric development and disability

18 apr. 2025 · 31:42

How our understanding of childhood disability care is changing.

Best of: The future of female athletic health

11 apr. 2025 · 30:25

The critical—and often overlooked—science behind female athletic health.

The future of legal representation

4 apr. 2025 · 36:44

The potential of AI and legal alternatives to address widespread lack of civil representation.

The future of hearing loss

28 mars 2025 · 34:05

New understandings and approaches have put hearing restoration within reach.

The future of live performance

21 mars 2025 · 36:13

How today’s technologies are reshaping what performers can do on stage.

Best of: The future of culture

14 mars 2025 · 31:53

How understanding the invisible forces of culture can help us better navigate the world.

The future of electronic materials

7 mars 2025 · 35:42

New materials may soon replace silicon and copper for faster, smaller, and more efficient electronics.

The future of liquid biopsy

28 feb. 2025 · 36:38

DNA from the bloodstream could make it possible to look for disease without surgery.

Best of: The future of bioprinting

21 feb. 2025 · 29:03

Motivated in part by the critical need for heart transplants, a Stanford research team is working to develop 3D printing methods for human tissues and organs.

Trailer: The Future of Everything

18 feb. 2025 · 1:18

Welcome to Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything, the podcast that delves into groundbreaking research and innovations that are shaping the world and inventing the future. The University has a long history of doing work to positively impact the world and it's a joy to share about the people who are doing this work, what motivates them, and how their work is creating a better future for everybody. Join us every Friday for new episodes featuring insightful conversations with Stanford faculty and to discover how Stanford's research is transforming tomorrow's world. Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Connect With Us

The future of coronary arteries

14 feb. 2025 · 32:37

The latest advances in research for the treatment of coronary blockages.

The future of transparent tissue

7 feb. 2025 · 30:03

A new age of medical imaging could allow doctors see deep into the body - without surgery.

Best of: The future of science education

31 jan. 2025 · 30:44

Tools for critically evaluating science news and information.

The future of seaweed

24 jan. 2025 · 32:40

Seaweed and kelp as potential tools to combat climate change.

The future of kidney dialysis

17 jan. 2025 · 33:43

Alternatives to dialysis that can help humans avoid kidney failure.

The future of robotic surgery

10 jan. 2025 · 33:32

Millimeter-scale soft robots that navigate the bloodstream.

Best of: The future of exercise

3 jan. 2025 · 27:43

The chemical connections between diet, exercise, and human health

Best of: The future of skin longevity

27 dec. 2024 · 29:21

Healthy skin is about vitality, not vanity.

The future of depression care

20 dec. 2024 · 30:47

Advancements in understanding depression’s mechanisms and treatments.

The future of Alzheimer’s treatment

13 dec. 2024 · 32:35

New approaches that target proteins associated with the disease.

The future of AI and democracy

6 dec. 2024 · 29:42

The intersection of artificial intelligence and democracy.

Best of: The future of underwater robotics

29 nov. 2024 · 30:15

Transforming the way humans interact with machines.

The future of AI coaching

22 nov. 2024 · 31:15

Optimizing technology for human and societal good.

The future of extreme climate events

15 nov. 2024 · 33:08

Understanding the effects of climate change.

The future of climate projection

8 nov. 2024 · 29:05

New data and techniques that are reshaping climate projection.