Moon Duchin is a math professor at the University of Chicago whose theoretical work has practical applications for voting and democracy. Why is striving for fair elections so difficult?

• SOURCES:
  • Moon Duchin, professor of mathematics at Cornell University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Gerrymandering: The Origin Story," by Neely Tucker (Timeless: Stories from the Library of Congress, 2024).
  • "Redistricting for Proportionality," by Gabe Schoenbach and Moon Duchin (The Forum, 2023).
  • "The Atlas Of Redistricting," by Aaron Bycoffe, Ella Koeze, David Wasserman, and Julia Wolfe (FiveThirtyEight, 2018).
  • "In a Comically Drawn Pennsylvania District, the Voters Are Not Amused," by Trip Gabriel (The New York Times, 2018).

• EXTRAS:
  • "State of Texas to begin calling witnesses in federal hearing over Trump-backed congressional map," by Blaise Gainey (KUT News, 2025).
  • "Utah's Redistricting Battle Explained," (PBS Utah, 2025).
  • "Is This the Future of High School?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).

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Frances Arnold pioneered the process of directed evolution — mimicking natural selection to create new enzymes that have changed everything from agriculture to laundry.

• SOURCES:
  • Frances Arnold, professor of chemistry at the California Institute of Technology.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Innovation by Evolution: Bringing New Chemistry to Life," by Frances Arnold (Nobel Lecture, 2018).
  • "Bacteria taught to bond carbon and silicon for the first time," by Aviva Rutkin (New Scientist, 2016).
  • "Directed evolution of cytochrome c for carbon–silicon bond formation: Bringing silicon to life," by S. B. Jennifer Kan, Russell D. Lewis, Kai Chen, and Frances H. Arnold (Science, 2016).
  • "The Director of Evolution," by Jennifer Ouellette (Slate, 2013).
  • "Engineered ketol-acid reductoisomerase and alcohol dehydrogenase enable anaerobic 2-methylpropan-1-ol production at theoretical yield in Escherichia coli," by Sabine Bastian, Xiang Liu, Joseph T. Meyerowitz, Christopher D. Snow, Mike M. Y. Chen, and Frances H. Arnold (Metabolic Engineering, 2011).
  • Gevo.
  • Provivi.

• EXTRAS:
  • "How to Help Kids Succeed," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025).
  • The Levitt Lab.

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Steven Pinker’s new book argues that all our relationships depend on shared assumptions and “recursive mentalizing” — our constant efforts to understand what other people are thinking. He and Steve talk about the psychology of eye contact, the particular value of Super Bowl ads, and what it’s like to get cancelled.

• SOURCES:
  • Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University.

• RESOURCES:
  • When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows, by Steven Pinker (2025).
  • "Why I Left Harvard," by Carole Hooven (The Free Press, 2024).
  • Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, by Steven Pinker (2021).
  • "Economics of Toilet Paper X Thread," by Justin Wolfers (2020).
  • "How a Famous Harvard Professor Became a Target Over His Tweets," by Michael Powell (New York Times, 2020).
  • "Police Killings of Blacks: Here Is What the Data Say," by Sendhil Mullainathan (2015).
  • SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (2011).
  • Rational Ritual: Culture, Coordination, and Common Knowledge, by Michael Suk-Young Chwe (2003).
  • "Open Letter to the LSA."

• EXTRAS:
  • "Steven Pinker: 'I Manage My Controversy Portfolio Carefully,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2020).

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