What's Your Problem?

Nir Barzilai is a physician and a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, where he runs the Institute for Geroscience. Nir’s problem is this: How can we use lifestyle changes and drugs to slow the process of aging?
In this episode, Nir explains:
The search for biological markers of aging
The existing drugs that might reduce the risk of diseases associated with aging
The four key lifestyle factors that every researcher in the field agrees on
What he learned by studying the genes of people who lived to 100
What “geroscience” means, and why it doesn’t have a Wikipedia page
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Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
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Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
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Helen Pearson is the author of the book “Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works.” Helen's problem is this: How do you get people to make important decisions based on high-quality evidence, instead of on hunches or habits?
In this episode, Helen explains:
How a doctor's fatal mistake sparked the evidence-based medicine movement
Why management is so resistant to evidence-based practices
How systematic reviews changed the way she works as a science journalist
Why global trust in science remains high – outside the US
What a randomized trial of pint glasses revealed about preventing violent injuries.
Check out Helen’s book here.
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Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
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Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2016, Geoffrey Hinton, one of the inventors of modern AI, predicted that AI would replace radiologists within years. Ten years later, we have a shortage of radiologists. AI has yet to revolutionize the field. What happened, and what does the story of AI and radiology tell us about AI and the future of work?
Saurabh Jha is a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania. He's written about how he uses AI in his practice, and why radiologists have been slow to adopt AI. Saurabh has also traveled to India and Nepal to understand the very different ways AI is being adopted for radiology in the developing world.
In this episode, Saurabh explains:
Why AI still hasn't made radiologists faster or more productive
The risks of novice radiologists using AI versus the benefits to experts
Why a successful AI model would need to be nearly perfect
How AI is being used to spot tuberculosis in India
Why diagnosing a normal scan is harder than diagnosing disease
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
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Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
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After spending decades as marginal players in the global auto industry, Chinese carmakers have become the world’s biggest exporters of cars. Chinese cars are some of the best cars on the planet, and they’re available almost everywhere – except in the US.
Michael Dunne is the CEO of Dunne Insights, a company that consults on the future of cars. Michael has been working with the Chinese auto industry since 1990. I talked with Michael about how China did it. The problem we discussed was: How can the United States catch up with the Chinese auto industry?
In this episode, Michael explains:
How China went from making terrible cars in 1990 to dominating global exports today
Why China bet big on electric vehicles when nobody wanted them
How Tesla's arrival in China revolutionized their EV industry
Why losing the car industry would be a national security problem for the US
Why the future of a successful American auto industry is on the West Coast
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
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Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Phages are viruses that attack bacteria. People have been using phages to treat infections for over a hundred years, but in most cases they just don't work as well as antibiotics.
Paul Garofolo is the co-founder and CEO of Locus Biosciences. His problem is this: How do you genetically engineer phages to be more effective at curing disease?
In this episode, Paul explains:
Why wild phages never completely wipe out a bacterial infection
How to engineer phages with CRISPR to kill bacteria more effectively
The clinical trial testing phage therapy for chronic, recurrent UTIs
Why persistent bacteria may contribute to autoimmune conditions like Crohn's disease
How to use robots and AI to create phage cocktails from wastewater
Connect with us:
Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn, X and Instagram
Email us at problem@pushkin.fm
Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History
To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.