In a wide-ranging conversation, Leo Laporte talks with Dr. George Church about the history and future of genome sequencing. Dr. Church explains why he is very excited about how they made an organism resistant to all viruses- both known and unknown.   They also talk about:  How Dr. Church made sequencing affordable (from $3BN to $600) Where are we on sequencing the entire human genome, and why would we even want to? How close are we to reversing aging? Should we use gene therapy to double the human lifespan? Why genetically engineering cold-resistant elephants could be important for climate change, and what about ultimately bringing back the Mammoth? He explains the difference between the hype and reality of CRISPR sequencing, synthesis, and delivery What are the privacy concerns about companies sharing your genome? They discuss the controversy and benefit of reconstructing old viruses like the 1918 flu and even inventing new viruses. Dr. Church is a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and a pioneer in personal genetics. He is credited with developing the first methods for sequencing the first genome and also the CRISPR technology. He created several companies, including Nebula Genomics and Veritas Genetics. Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Dr. George Church Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

New York Times bestselling author Daniel Suarez returns to talk with Leo Laporte about the second book in his 'Delta-v' novel series, 'Critical Mass,' where a group of pioneering astropreneurs must overcome never-before-attempted engineering challenges to rescue colleagues stranded at a distant asteroid—kicking off a new space race in which Earth's climate crisis could well hang in the balance.  Get 'Critical Mass': https://amzn.to/3Yjb9xu  Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Daniel Suarez Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Writer/activist Cory Doctorow and scholar Rebecca Giblin join Leo Laporte to talk about their latest book Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back. They argue that we're in a new era of "chokepoint capitalism," with exploitative businesses creating insurmountable barriers to competition that enable them to capture value that should rightfully go to others. Get "Chokepoint Capitalism": https://chokepointcapitalism.com Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Cory Doctorow and Rebecca Giblin Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Tripp Mickle joins Leo Laporte to discuss his new book, "After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion-Dollar Company and Lost Its Soul". They discuss the shift in Apple's dynamic and approach to products after the passing of Steve Jobs from a company of innovation with Jony Ive, to a company of efficiency under Tim Cook. Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Tripp Mickle Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Amy Webb joins Leo Laporte to discuss her new book, "The Genesis Machine." Webb explains synthetic biology, tells the story of golden rice, and shares a glimpse of the future and the changes we can expect. Get "The Genesis Machine": https://amzn.to/3BC7K2t Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Amy Webb Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Leo Laporte interviews Andy Weir, author of "The Martian," about his new book, "Project Hail Mary." The discussion starts out spoiler-free with a chat about making the book into a film, how Andy Weir approached writing this book, and the time he confused Ryan Reynolds and Ryan Gosling. After a loud and apparent spoiler warning (at 32:04), the two continue their chat by discussing "Project Hail Mary" in depth. Weir shares a bit about the science behind the book, the characters he's created, and other stories he's working on. Project Hail Mary: https://amzn.to/3hLcStp The Martian: https://amzn.to/3v9LUiU Artemis: https://amzn.to/3vahYDf Host: Leo Laporte Guest: Andy Weir Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Get insight into attack scenarios that are gaining in popularity and how you can protect your employees and your organization from falling victim. This Special TWiT Event will bring together top security experts and IT professionals to discuss cyber threats from two perspectives - Attackers and Defenders. Sponsored by LastPass and hosted by Leo Laporte, with panelists Bruce Schneier, Brian Chee, Gerry Beuchelt, and Robert Ballecer, SJ. Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Bruce Schneier, Gerald Beuchelt, Brian Chee, and Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Sponsor: LastPass.com/twit

A look at how business will change when the world gets back to normal. Customers will have formed new habits. New brands will rise; others will fall. The ways we work and play will be fundamentally different. This TWiT Event, sponsored by ITProTV and hosted by Leo Laporte, with panelists Amy Webb, Steve Gibson, and Don Pezet, will help listeners better understand what to expect and how to prepare for the new normal after COVID-19. Host: Leo Laporte Guests: Amy Webb, Don Pezet, and Steve Gibson Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Sponsor: itpro.tv/twit promo code TWIT30

New threat vectors, contact tracing, and digital identity. The new decade, along with Covid19, brings new risk in digital security. Digital identity is among the highest concerns for thought leaders in the cybersecurity world. On this special live event, our panelists dive deep into how these new risks will impact digital identity for businesses and individuals alike. They discuss new threat vectors and how to prevent them, how the role of remote work affects security, and what we can expect next. Host: Leo Laporte Co-Hosts: Steve Gibson, Gerald Beuchelt, and Andrew Keen Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Sponsor: LastPass.com/twit

Leo Laporte and three veterans in the tech industry take part in a panel discussion hosted by World Wide Technology. They discuss the future of the cloud and each panelist brings their own unique knowledge. This panel answers all your questions about data storage, streaming, and redundancy in the cloud. They dive deep discussing the difference between cloud solutions and answer how to build teams to support the evolution of the cloud as well as how to make sure that we make a positive global impact with the new cloud tech that is inevitable. Hosts: Leo Laporte, Mary Jo Foley, Alex Lindsay, and Mike Dorosh Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/twit-events. Sponsor: wwt.com/twit