Important, Not Important

Jafar Tabebordbar was in his early 30’s, living and working as an accountant in Shiraz, Iran, when he became a father.It was 1986, nearly a decade after the 1979 revolution, and Jafar’s muscles were already beginning to whither.As his sons grew, and watched, their father Jafar lost his balance, his ability to walk, to drive, and eventually, the reliable use of his hands. There were no answers, and no treatments to be found.Two questions haunted his sons as they grew: What was causing their father’s suffering? And would they get it next?Quinn's guest today, 30 years later, is Dr. Sharif Tabebordbar, Jafar’s oldest son, and the man closest to a cure.Sharif received his bachelors and masters degrees in biotechnology from University of Tehran and a Ph.D. in Developmental and Regenerative Biology from Harvard University.He is the recipient of Distinction in Teaching Award from Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard, the Albert J. Ryan Foundation Award for Outstanding Graduate Students in Biomed

This week: Gas: the forever bridge fuelBoosters, boostedMegadrought self-awarenessMaternal deaths on the riseYour location data, for saleGet more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpGet fun merch at importantnotimportant.com/storeTake a nap you deserve it

In 2019, Quinn interviewed his good friend Craig Mazin, writer, producer, and creator of the hit HBO miniseries, Chernobyl, to learn what happened there, and what it means for our energy future.This week, Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine, directing the Russian military to take Ukraine's bases, cities, people, and strategic assets.Today, they took Chernobyl.We're re-running this invaluable conversation because misinformation is rampant, and it's never been more important to understand the cost of lies.-----------Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comNew here? Get started with our fan favorite episodes at podcast.importantnotimportant.com.-----------INI Book Club:Find all of our guest recommendations at the INI Book Club: https://bookshop.org/lists/important-not-important-book-clubLinks:Watch Chernobyl on HBOFollow Craig on TwitterScriptnotes podcastFollow us:Subscribe to our newsletter at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter: twi

This week: America will see an average of 12 inches of sea level rise by 20501 million COVID deaths$1 billion for cover cropsAntimicrobial resistance got nextClearview's next steps (to harvest your data)Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpGet fun merch at importantnotimportant.com/storeTake a nap you deserve it

This week: Carbon markets are magic and demand to be taken seriously, MichaelMask mandates are endingFood prices up the riseBiden's cancer moonshotIRS FaceTime cancelledGet more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpTake a nap you deserve it

This week: Will the EPA's powers be gutted?Don't forget your vaccines for everything elsePFAS can't get regulated soon enoughEverywhere needs more nursesThe database with virtually everyone's most private health info just sold (again)Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpTake a nap you deserve it

It's been 26 months since so many of us took our kids out of schools, downloaded an app called Zoom, and started videoconferencing our work from our kitchens and sweatpants. For many others, especially the marginalized and those working in the service industry, working from home was never an option.It's been 12 months since groundbreaking vaccines began to roll out across the world. You've probably got at least two, maybe three.And yet today, 39% of humans across the globe haven't received a single shot, and just 10% across low-income countries have received a single dose.Over 3 billion humans remain not only susceptible to sickness and death, but also a vector for transmission and mutations that could affect us all.The only way any of us is truly done with this is if we vaccinate the world. So why aren't we doing it?Quinn's guest this week is Dr. Madhukar Pai. Dr. Pai is not only an outspoken advocate for vaccine equity, but also the Canada Research Chair of Epidemiology and Global Health at McGill Universit

This week: Gas stoves can GTFOOmicron means we still need masks at schoolsThe future of "organic" foodThrowing cash at bigger baby brainsPregnancy apps are a data nightmare which is so so greatGet more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpTake a nap you deserve it

This week: How to market climate change to the peopleHere come the masks - are they enough? What's "enough"?Kids EBT food on the waneExpanding the blood donor poolThe IRS wants your selfie (or do they?)Get more:Get more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp

This week: Moving on from Machin; What "mild" COVID really means; How China's going plant-based; How exercise defeats anxiety; This is what happens when old senators misunderstand new techGet more news, analysis, and Action Steps at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimp

In Episode 129, Quinn tries to better understand data privacy, data stewardship, and what it means for Indigenous cultures in the future of biotech, how we design equity into genetic research, and who gets to make those decisions.His guest is Krystal Tsosie, a geneticist, bioethicist, and—first and foremost to her—a person Indigenous to the southwestern United States, specifically the Navajo nation. She is the co-founder and Ethics and Policy Director at the Native BioData Consortium, the first Indigenous-led biological data repository for tribes in the US.“Representation” is just the first step (and so much more than who shows up on screen in the latest Disney movie (though even things there are still embarrassingly bland). Next up is inclusivity: It’s about who’s in the room writing and building the future of technology, it’s about asking who makes the rules, and who benefits from them? But the real goal is equity, and benefit. And biotech in particular is one sector that could get out of hand rea

This week: Biden's executive orders; What Omicron means for you; The future of coffee farmer migration; Telehealth lobbying on the rise; China's queer internet is being erasedFind links and Action Steps from this newsletter and more at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

Yes, we all know that the 1998 Michael Bay flick Armageddon is a masterpiece of cinema, but two years ago we asked ourselves this question: How much does it actually hold up as a blueprint for preventing planetary destruction? Let’s say it doesn’t: What can we do to keep from going the way of the dinosaurs? Nobody was better suited to answer our many questions than Professor K.T. Ramesh. He told us about a future test mission called DART. Armed with a spacecraft the size of a golf cart, it could have potential to save humanity. Two years later, DART has launched, and we thought it was a hell of a time to revisit this Best of the Best episode.In Episode 66, Quinn & Brian discuss: Why, apparently, we shouldn’t just blow up asteroids.Our guest is Professor K.T. Ramesh, who is a professor of mechanical engineering at John Hopkins, founding director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), and our new hero. You can think of HEMI as a real-life Avengers (no, we’re not just stuck on Endg

This week: McDonald’s isn’t trying; Biden’s test plan had to be better; Plant-based meat math is obvious; We need more biotech data scientists; We need less crime prediction softwareFind links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 128, Quinn unpacks the most delicious olive oil in the world, how it came to be, and what it means to start a food business in the age of climate change.Our guest is Aishwarya Iyer, dreamer, doer, and eternal optimist. Ash is the founder and CEO of Brightland, the new gold standard in pantry essentials. They are proponents and advocates for authenticity and transparency in the food industry, starting with olive oil.There are something like six bajillion bottles of olive oil at your local supermarket, and that’s just the extra virgin stuff. And yet, despite the options (organic, cold-pressed, etc) you’d be hard-pressed (sorry) to find pure, quality oils – ones that aren’t blended, rancid, or worse. Thankfully, you don’t have to cross the Atlantic (and the Mediterranean) in order to find the good stuff. It’s available right here in California.Ash has been hard at work extending olive branches (you’re welcome) to local family farms, getting them to buy into the mission and the message. Brightland

This Week: Is there a green bubble?; Can you get a booster?; Where to find clean water; Why health workers are quitting; Amazon’s privacy nightmareFind links from this newsletter and more at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 127, Quinn wants to know just how the hell “innovation” actually works.His guest is Christopher Mims, a journalist for the Wall Street Journal, who’s spent a career asking big questions about the most pressing technological and societal issues we face, from robot trains to the future of batteries, brain implants, and whatever happens to land in-between.The thesis: every little bit counts, and it’s more predictable than you think. Or is it?Together, Quinn and Chris explore the team dynamics of innovation, the “great man” question, the invisible force behind Moore’s Law, and more. The bad news: Nobody gets to save the world. The good news: Everyone gets to save the world, a little bit.Today’s episode is brought to you by Avocado Green Brands, where sustainability comes first. They craft their GOTS certified organic mattresses, pillows, and bedding with natural materials sourced from their organic farms in India, in their own clean-energy powered facility in Los Angeles, where their team shares a

In Episode 126, Quinn meets his newsletter heroes: Kim Zou & Sophie Purdom, co-founders of the independent media outlet Climate Tech VC.Kim works with Energy Impact Partners, a venture capital firm investing in climate technology. Sophie works as an investor in early stage climate technology businesses. Together they write Climate Tech VC, the data-obsessed, essential take on the opportunities, deals, and news in the flourishing climate tech scene.There is a massive cost that comes with transitioning every single existing building and vehicle, not to mention all of our power and infrastructure to green tech. While it’s arguably the biggest challenge of our time, it is also quite possibly the biggest market opportunity ever. Kim and Sophie discuss the sustainability of volunteer advocacy for these important endeavors, and managing the currency of free time as this work becomes people’s second jobs--without the pay. They also outline the action steps you can take, whether an investor, journal

This Week: China takes on methane; Moderna's downturn; Inflated food costs; Measles on the rebound; Google's new drug companyFind links from this newsletter and more at newsletter.importantnotimportant.comGot feedback? Email us at questions@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 125, Quinn asks: How can venture capital offer solutions to two of the biggest problems of our time?His guests are Vida Asiegbu and Anthony Oni, two incredible climate venture capitalists with Elevate Future Fund.Vida Asiegbu is a Principal within the Elevate Future Fund, working to make sure that the companies and organizations that they represent within their portfolio meet all of their goals and values.Anthony Oni is the Managing Partner of the Elevate Future Fund, part of Energy Impact Partners, focused on creating a transition into clean energy through investments – while also building a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable future.Together, Vida and Anthony ask (and answer): How do we build new systems that help and support all people, as we face this incredible crisis (and opportunity)? How do we approach the obligation we have to help others? How do we address the very personal – and very local – effects of climate change? And how the hell do we find and invest in companies that