Important, Not Important

In brief: The most powerful Joe; when you’re really clear on COVID; Black maternal outcomes; how to understand the AI internal warFind 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 104, Quinn & Brian discuss: the future of data and medicine.Our guests are: Robel Kassa & Dr. Sam Scarpino, two of the brilliant minds behind Global.Health, which is setting a new standard for epidemiological data. Global.Health is the first of its kind: an easy-to-use global data repository and visualization platform that enables open access to real-time epidemiological anonymized line-list data, including a COVID-19 dataset that contains detailed information on over five million anonymized cases from over 100 countries.But this isn’t our first brush with Big Data, and we’ve seen how data can be used to cause material harm, both indirectly and directly. So, can we trust a platform that is trying to aggregate and anonymize all of the world’s health records around COVID? What are we sacrificing by allowing this data to be collected? And will creating such a platform help us predict or prevent another surprise pandemic in the future? We’re trying to wrap our heads around all of that and

In brief: Batteries are cheaper and increasingly everywhere; the best COVID treatments; a possible opioid alternative; cabbage is off the menuFind 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 103, Quinn & Brian ask: Why do so many more Black people die after heart transplants than everybody else?Our guests are: Dr. Hasina Maredia and Dr. Errol Bush, who recently published a paper in the American Heart Association’s journal, “Circulation: Heart Failure.” Their paper concludes that “young Black recipients have a high risk of mortality in the first year after heart transplant, which has been masked in decades of research looking at disparities in aggregate.”Sorry for the spoilers, but that’s really just the beginning. The decades of systemic failures that allowed this to happen — and, most importantly, the steps we can take right now to improve these wildly disparate healthcare outcomes for young Black people — are the real meat of this story, told by two incredibly inspiring people.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to questions@importantnotimportant.comImportant, Not Important Book Club:"Black Men In White Coats: 100 Rules for Success!" by Dr. Dale Okorodudu"The

This week: Miami kicks the can down the road, relief for farmworkers, poor Twitter, how not to waste food, how not to do ethical A.I.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

In Episode 102, Quinn & Brian discuss: How to invest in defeating climate change.Our guest is: Boris Khentov, SVP of Operations & Legal Counsel at Betterment. If you’ve been reading or listening to our newsletter, you’ve already heard of Betterment, a financial advisory company and investment platform that recently introduced their Climate Impact portfolio — and if you haven’t heard of Betterment yet, start listening to the bonus audio newsletter episodes we release every Friday!This is a really thoughtful conversation on what it means to participate in the climate fight in every area of your life, where investments are trending and where “greenwashing” is becoming an issue, and how you can position yourself for both relative safety and financial success. Plus, Boris shares a story about protesting with a past guest and personal hero of ours — Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson — and that’s pretty cool too.Have feedback or questions? Tweet us, or send a message to funtalk@importantnotimportant.comImport

This week: the price of climate change, how to re-open your office, a new wave of nurses, bailing out Black farmers.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

Synopsis: Where does America keep paying clean up costs, instead of doubling down on prevention?Do Better Better essays help you build mental models and ask questions about our changing world — for yourself, your family, and your business.These essays compliment the audio version of our weekly newsletter, and of course, our ground-breaking conversations with diverse, interdisciplinary humans working on the frontlines of the future.Get these essays, our newsletter, and more science that makes you feel good right in your inbox at importantnotimportant.comSend us feedback at questions@importantnotimportant.com — record a voice memo on your phone and send it in!Follow Quinn on Twitter: @quinnemmettFollow us on Twitter: @importantnotimpConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertkenLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro/outro by Tim

This week: How to help Texas. Air pollution and infertility. A drastic life expectancy gap. A big test for higher education. And AI rethinks pesticides.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: Your gas stove and water heater are hiding a dirty secret; where COVID goes from here; and all the good your poop can do.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: The economic choices that have led us to a climate breaking point (and why the last year has prepared us to do something about it better than before, if we take action); what it will take to live a sustainable AND actually enjoyable retirement; using 5calls.org to call your rep about supporting equitable new climate legislation and putting your money in Betterment’s Socially Responsible Investing; why the vaccine rollout is going so slow, why it needs to go significantly faster to effectively stop the spread of COVID-19, and how you can help even if you can’t get the vaccine yet; and learning more about the connection between our brain and out gut microbiome.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

Synopsis: If we're going to defeat the systemic issues of today, we need to Overwhelm The System. Here's how.Do Better Better essays help you build mental models and ask questions about our changing world — for yourself, your family, and your business.These essays compliment the audio version of our weekly newsletter, and of course, our ground-breaking conversations with diverse, interdisciplinary humans working on the frontlines of the future.Get these essays, our newsletter, and more science that makes you feel good right in your inbox at importantnotimportant.comSend us feedback at questions@importantnotimportant.com — record a voice memo on your phone and send it in!Follow Quinn on Twitter: @quinnemmettFollow us on Twitter: @importantnotimpConnect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/ImportantNotImpFollow Quinn: twitter.com/quinnemmettFollow Brian: twitter.com/briancolbertkenLike and share us on Facebook: facebook.com/ImportantNotImportantIntro

This week: Joe Biden has been president for about eight and a half days and the man’s not throwing away his shot when it comes to climate, environmental justice, COVID, or science in general; Santa’s packing EO’s and budget reconciliation; Biden’s seven-point COVID plan; we’re on the cusp of improved cancer treatments and diagnosis; and All We Can Save Circles are here and for you.Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for the first time. You’ll learn how to ask questions and think about our changing world, for yourself, your family, and your business.These essays compliment the audio version of our weekly newsletter, and of course, our ground-breaking conversations with diverse, interdisciplinary humans working on the frontlines of the future.We’re so grateful to have you as part of our community, working alongside us on the world’s biggest problems and opportunities.Two quick reminders:You can get these essays, our newsletter, and more right in your inbox at importantnotimportant.com
You can send us feedback at questions@importantnotimportant.com — feel free to record a voice memo on your phone and send that in. Ask a question or offer feedback, and we might use it in a future episode.Connect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Importan

This week: Giving it all we got; 25 doses; Tobacco is the new tobacco;Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This week: Why’s COVID so bad in Los Angeles?; How the next few months will go; Go deeper on clean tech; IVF might get a lot more effective thanks to AI; All the way down the food chain;Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for the first time. You’ll learn how to ask questions and think about our changing world, for yourself, your family, and your business.These essays compliment the audio version of our weekly newsletter, and of course, our ground-breaking conversations with diverse, interdisciplinary humans working on the frontlines of the future.We’re so grateful to have you as part of our community, working alongside us on the world’s biggest problems and opportunities.Two quick reminders:You can get these essays, our newsletter, and more right in your inbox at importantnotimportant.com
You can send us feedback at questions@importantnotimportant.com — feel free to record a voice memo on your phone and send that in. Ask a question or offer feedback, and we might use it in a future episode.Connect with us:Subscribe to our newsletter at ImportantNotImportant.com!Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Importan

This week: Context is everything; Back to your regularly scheduled pandemic; COVID has rightfully distracted a lot of science funding, but the train hasn’t stopped entirely; Beef: It’s what’s destroying the Amazon;Read: "The Plague Year" by Lawrence WrightRead: "Where Year Two of the Pandemic Will Take Us"Read: "2020 Was a Breakout Year for Crispr"Find links from this newsletter and more at importantnotimportant.com/newsletterGot feedback? Email us at funtalk@importantnotimportant.comFollow us on Twitter at @importantnotimpImportant, Not Important is produced by Crate Media

This episode was originally published in print on December 14, 2020.For more information on 20% For The Future or to get involved, email us a questions@importantnotimportant.com. This is an open-source community-driven effort, and we're excited to have your input and skills!Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for the first time. You’ll learn how to ask questions and think about our changing world, for yourself, your family, and your business.These essays compliment the audio version of our weekly newsletter, and of course, our ground-breaking conversations with diverse, interdisciplinary humans working on the frontlines of the future.We’re so grateful to have you as part of our community, working alongside us on the world’s biggest problems and opportunities.Two quick reminders:You can get these essays, our newsletter, and more right in your inbox at importantnotimportant.com
You can send us feedback at questions@importa

This episode was originally published in print on December 7, 2020.Originally published to our community through our newsletter and blog, the Do Better Better essays are now available in audio for the first time. You’ll learn how to ask questions and think about our changing world, for yourself, your family, and your business.These essays compliment the audio version of our weekly newsletter, and of course, our ground-breaking conversations with diverse, interdisciplinary humans working on the frontlines of the future.We’re so grateful to have you as part of our community, working alongside us on the world’s biggest problems and opportunities.Two quick reminders:You can get these essays, our newsletter, and more right in your inbox at importantnotimportant.com
You can send us feedback at questions@importantnotimportant.com — feel free to record a voice memo on your phone and send that in. Ask a question or offer feedback, and we might use it in a future episode.Important, Not Important is produced by Crate Me