Introducing: The Ongoing Transformation

Introducing: The Ongoing Transformation

Author: The Progress Network with Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas May 28, 2025 Duration: 39:47
Today we’re sharing an episode of a podcast called The Ongoing Transformation. It’s a biweekly podcast featuring conversations about science, technology, policy, and society. They speak with interesting thinkers—leading researchers, artists, policymakers, social theorists, and other luminaries—about the ways new knowledge transforms the world. The word "bureaucracy" may evoke red tape and DMV lines, but many groundbreaking scientific and health innovations have come from government research institutes. In this episode, host Jason Lloyd talks with University of Virginia professor Natalie Aviles about her new book An Ungovernable Foe and how the National Cancer Institute’s unique mission and culture have empowered its scientist-bureaucrats to lead pioneering cancer research, including the development of the HPV vaccine. If you like it, you can listen to more episodes of The Ongoing Transformation wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s easy to feel that everything is falling apart, but what if the dominant narrative of decline is missing a crucial piece of the story? What Could Go Right? asks that question directly, offering a necessary counterpoint to the daily drumbeat of crises. Hosted by The Progress Network’s Zachary Karabell and Emma Varvaloucas, this podcast operates from a simple but radical premise: while the problems are real, so is the human capacity for ingenuity and constructive change. Each episode brings together a diverse group of thinkers, from scientists and activists to policymakers and cultural commentators, for conversations that go beyond diagnosing issues to exploring tangible solutions and underreported advances. You’ll hear nuanced discussions on everything from climate technology and economic innovation to the reshaping of governance and culture, all grounded in a realistic sense of possibility. This isn’t about blind optimism; it’s about engaged, evidence-based hope. Tuning in means joining a community that believes understanding what’s working is just as important as understanding what’s broken. If you’re weary of doomscrolling and looking for substantive dialogue that charts a path forward, this is the podcast for you.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What Could Go Right?
Podcast Episodes
Why AI and Drones Won’t Bring the Apocalypse | with Sarah Kreps [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:19
What does a future where autonomous weapons and artificial intelligence collide on the battlefield look like? Sarah Kreps, a Cornell University professor and former US Air Force officer, joins host Zachary Karabell to na…
The Surprising Ritual Renaissance | with Bruce Feiler [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:44
What happens when the traditional ways we gather and mourn start to disappear? Bestselling author Bruce Feiler joins host Zachary Karabell to discuss his latest book, A Time to Gather, and explore the modern celebration…
The Case for Not Knowing | with Simone Stolzoff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:32
What happens when our biological need for certainty clashes with an increasingly unpredictable world? Simone Stolzoff, author of How to Not Know, joins host Zachary Karabell to discuss why our modern intolerance for unce…
Why $6 Gas Isn't the End of the World | with Jason Bordoff [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:22
What happens when the global energy supply faces its greatest disruption since the 1970s? Jason Bordoff, a leading energy expert and former advisor in the Obama White House, joins host Zachary Karabell to navigate a worl…