WSJ’s The Future of Everything

2023 was the world’s hottest year on record, and temperatures are expected to continue heating up. Cities, where more than half of the world lives, are contending with this extreme heat. But some places, such as Singapore, are looking for ways to modify aspects of their cities to make them more comfortable for people to live. The Cooling Singapore project is creating a hyper detailed digital twin of the city-state to be able to test the effectiveness of new methods the city would want to implement. WSJ’s Alex Ossola explains what they’ve learned, and how it can help us understand how more cities in the future might make changes to combat heat.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. Further reading: Cooing Singapore project  2023 Was the Hottest Year on Record  Earth Just Had Its Hottest Month Ever. How Six Cities Are Coping.  How Reflective Paint Brings Down Scorching City Temperatures  These Photos Show How Urban Growth Fuels Extreme Heat  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What good is a future without ketchup or pasta sauce? These are just two potential casualties of a changing climate, as tomato growers face shrinking harvests due to hotter and drier weather. WSJ reporter Patrick Thomas takes us behind the scenes of how seed breeders are trying to make a tomato that can thrive with less water, and how that highlights the efforts going into protecting crops against the effects of climate change. Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: The Race to Save Ketchup: Building a Tomato for a Hotter World  How to Eat Your Way to a Greener Planet  Sustainable Agriculture Gets a Push From Big Corporations  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did a sandal that originally entered the U.S. market as a health product become a fashion staple and the crowning shoe of a multibillion dollar company? Margot Fraser originally brought Birkenstocks to the U.S. thinking that the comfort of the German sandal would appeal to women. But she couldn’t get shoe stores to sell them. They finally made it into the U.S. market through health food stores. Now, the seductively ugly shoe is a cultural icon and was valued at about $8.6 billion when the company went public last year. WSJ’s Ben Cohen explores the history of Birkenstock and how it paved the way for the future of women’s feet. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Why Americans Are Obsessed With These Ugly Sandals  A Key to Birkenstock’s Billion Dollar Success? Its Frumpiest Shoe  A Visual History of Birkenstock’s Rise, From Insoles to IPO  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does your doctor know that a drug or procedure will work to treat a condition before they try it? Often, they don’t. Researchers are looking to create “digital twins,” digital versions of individual organs, to see how a patient will respond. Eventually there could be digital twins of entire bodies that are updated in real time with patient data. WSJ’s Alex Ossola speaks with WSJ senior special writer Stephanie Armour about how that might change the way we treat diseases in the future.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter.  Further reading: A ‘Digital Twin’ of Your Heart Lets Doctors Test Treatments Before Surgery   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ultrasound is known for its use in imaging during pregnancy. But new advancements in the technology suggest that in the future, ultrasound could be used to disrupt the blood-brain barrier. This would allow doctors to more easily diagnose and directly treat illnesses like brain cancer without major surgery. WSJ’s Danny Lewis and Charlotte Gartenberg examine the new ways that ultrasound could be used more specifically and subtly to deliver accurate diagnoses and precise treatments. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Sign up for the WSJ's free The Future of Everything newsletter . Further reading: New Ultrasound Therapy Could Help Treat Alzheimer’s, Cancer  Treatment Breakthrough for an Intractable Brain Cancer  The ‘Mini Brains’ solving medical mysteries and raising concerns We Can Now See the Brain Like Never Before  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A day when people can interact directly with computers using their thoughts could be on the horizon. Several companies, including Elon Musk’s Neuralink, have begun preliminary human trials of brain-computer interfaces - devices that decode the electrical signals in their brain and translate them into digital bits. Neurosurgeon Benjamin Rapoport is a co-founder and chief science officer of Precision Neuroscience, a company working on brain-computer interfaces. He spoke with WSJ’s Danny Lewis about how the technology works and how these implants could improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of people who could gain the ability to independently engage with the digital world. Correction: Dr. Benjamin Rapoport is the co-founder of Precision Neuroscience. An earlier version misspelled his name Rapaport. (Corrected on May 3) What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: Inside the Operating Room: Doctors Test a Revolutionary Brain-Computer Implant  Elon Musk’s Neuralink Wants to Make ‘The Matrix’ a Reality. It Has a Lot to Prove First.  She Didn’t Speak for 18 Years. A Computer Helped Find Her Voice.  The Devices That Will Read Your Brain—and Enhance It  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does the brick and mortar bookstore of the future look like? For Barnes & Noble, it looks more like the indie bookstores they once threatened to put out of business 20 years ago. The company recently redesigned their national chain of over 500 bookstores, shedding the big box personality in favor of a look reminiscent of local bookshops. On this week’s Science of Success, WSJ columnist Ben Cohen speaks to Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt about the look, feel and idea behind Barnes & Noble’s new indie design. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Further reading: That Cool New Bookstore? It’s a Barnes & Noble. New CEO Wants to Make Barnes & Noble Your Local Bookstore Barnes & Noble’s New Boss Tries to Save the Chain—and Traditional Bookselling  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can technology help us design the perfect running shoe that’s stronger, faster and better for the environment? David Allemann, co-founder of On, thinks technology can get us part of the way there, but it’s not the whole story. The performance running shoe and sportswear company is experimenting with computer simulation and bio-based materials to design sneakers to advance both runners and sustainability goals. WSJ men’s fashion columnist Jacob Gallagher speaks with Allemann about the future of running shoe tech and how sneakers might redefine the design cannon.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  How On’s Running Sneakers Won Over Tech Bros and High Fashion Alike  Where Did All the Crazy Sneakers Go?  This Designer Knows What Sneakers You’ll Be Wearing Next Year  These Grandpa Sneakers Are Made in America. They’re a Hit Overseas.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3D printing isn’t just for hobbyists – it could be central to the future of manufacturing. Companies are turning to this technology to make everything from car and airplane parts to houses faster and cheaper than with traditional techniques. Now, as 3D printing – also known as additive manufacturing – is getting quicker, researchers are testing its limits. WSJ’s Alex Ossola and Danny Lewis take a look at how this tech is building the factory of the future. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player. Further reading: This 3-D Printed Icelandic Fish-Gutting Machine Contains the Secret of a Future, Less-Globalized Economy  Venture Investors Are Pumping Capital Into 3-D Printing Startups. Here’s Why.  Energy Companies Turn to 3-D Printing to Bypass Snarled Supply Chains  3-D Printed Houses Are Sprouting Near Austin as Demand for Homes Grows  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Tesla started developing the Cybertruck, CEO Elon Musk tasked the company's chief designer with creating a car that "feels like the future." But did it break the mold on what a pickup truck is? And how will it change truck design in the future? WSJ auto columnist Dan Neil test drove the Cybertruck. He spoke with WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg about his take on Tesla’s polarizing vehicle, and what it means for the future of EV design. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify , or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching t o a different podcast player. Further reading:  I Gave Tesla’s Cybertruck a 48-Hour Thrashing. It (Mostly) Survived.  Tesla Hopes the Cybertruck Design Gives It an Edge  Tesla Designer: Cybertruck’s Funky Design Gives It an Edge  How Tesla’s Cybertruck Compares with Other Pickups  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year, several high profile incidents have kept flying in the limelight. Yet air travel is currently safer than ever. The biggest U.S. commercial airlines have now gone 15 years without a fatal crash. So, how did hurtling through the sky in a giant metal tube become this safe? WSJ columnist Ben Cohen speaks with former FAA and International Civil Aviation Organization executive William Voss about the voluntary self-reporting programs that made flying the safest form of travel and asks if the airline industry’s safety measures could provide a blueprint for regulation in other fields. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Listening on Google Podcasts? Here's our guide for switching to a different podcast player.  Further reading:  Flying in America Has Actually Never Been Safer  Boeing Tells Airlines to Check 787 Cockpit Seats After Mishap on Latam Flight  Behind the Alaska Blowout: a Manufacturing Habit Boeing Can’t Break  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After years of promises that driverless cars were just over the horizon, one of the industry's biggest players is headed for the freeway. Now, for the first time, Alphabet’s Waymo is allowing robotaxis to take its employees on high-speed roads in Phoenix, Arizona without a human driver. The move comes just as the industry is facing a harsh reality after high-profile crashes: GM’s Cruise had its permits to operate driverless robotaxis pulled by the California DMV, and Waymo issued its first-ever recall after two of its cars collided with a pickup truck being towed. WSJ reporter Meghan Bobrowsky discusses what this could mean for the future of self-driving cars and where the industry is heading. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Further reading: Self-Driving Cars Enter the Next Frontier: Freeways Self-Driving Car Company Waymo Issues First-Ever Recall After Two Phoenix Crashes  GM’s Cruise Says U.S. Is Investigating Driverless Car’s Collision With Pedestrian  ​​America’s Most Tech-Forward City Has Doubts About Self-Driving Cars  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine driving down a road that recharges your electric car as it moves. Companies around the world are experimenting with new technology that can wirelessly charge EVs while they drive, thanks to copper coils buried beneath the asphalt. It could mean less time spent plugging in at slow chargers, no need for heavy, expensive lithium-ion batteries and wave goodbye to range anxiety. WSJ’s Danny Lewis reports on what it would take for this tech to hit the road, and how it could change the way we refuel our vehicles. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: These Companies Want to Charge Your Electric Vehicle as You Drive  No More Charging Stops? We Take a Road Trip in an Ultralong-Range EV  The Big Year for EVs Gets Off to a Bumpy Start  Electric Cars and Driving Range: Here’s What to Know About EV Range  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent months, an Alaska Airlines jet lost a door plug mid-flight, and a Japan Airlines plane collided with another aircraft at an airport in Tokyo. Accidents like these are uncommon, but they could help engineers design safer airplanes. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University associate professor Anthony Brickhouse tells WSJ’s Danny Lewis how advanced materials and computer systems could bring flight into a safer future, while making sure human pilots are still part of the equation. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: How Safe Is Flying Today? Answering Your Questions  Boeing 737 MAX Missing Critical Bolts in Alaska Airlines Blowout, NTSB Says  Boeing Finds New Problem With 737 MAX Fuselages  Inside a Flaming Jet, 367 Passengers Had Minutes to Flee. Here’s How They Did It.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it an earworm or an icon? The Super Mario Bros. theme is the soundtrack to many childhoods and has remained resonant today. Recently inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry, the song was not easy to write. Video game composer Koji Kondo faced musical and technical challenges in creating the song. Columnist Ben Cohen talks to New England Conservatory musicologist Andrew Schartmann about how Kondo created this lasting and genre-changing piece of music. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: The Mind Behind the Music You Can't Get Out of Your Head  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

AI has brought new challenges for corporate executives in managing their workforces and supply chains. Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi tells WSJ reporter Emily Glazer how she is adjusting to uncertainty and gives her outlook on the future of the workplace and manufacturing. This conversation was recorded at WSJ’s CEO Council Summit on December 12, 2023.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com Further reading: Leading in Uncertain Times  Sam Altman Seeks Trillions of Dollars to Reshape Business of Chips and AI  Logistics-Tech Startups Face Uncertain Future as Freight Slump Continues  The Do’s and Don’ts of Using Generative AI in the Workplace  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Badge swipes and passwords are cornerstones of security in the modern workplace. But in a world where security is increasingly tied to biometrics and personal devices, your face or fingerprint may soon become the key to workplace security. While biometrics could provide better protection for sensitive information than an easily forgettable password, what are the privacy risks of biometric tech going mainstream? WSJ’s Danny Lewis explores the future of biometric security at work, and whether it could even go beyond face scans and fingerprints. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading: Your Face Is Your Ticket: A Creepy Convenience  Apple Makes Security Changes to Protect Users From iPhone Thefts  Rite Aid Banned From Using AI Facial Recognition in FTC Settlement  What Is the Future of Identity Verification?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will the human resources department be replaced by robots? Not quite, but the use of generative artificial intelligence in HR is on the rise. WSJ reporter Chip Cutter tells us how companies are incorporating AI tools internally and what might change in the future. Plus, we hear from Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First, who recently introduced paidleave.ai, a free AI-powered chatbot designed to help workers navigate paid family leave benefits. Saujani tells WSJ’s Charlotte Gartenberg about what she sees as the potential risks and benefits of AI in the workplace. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  New York City Passed an AI Hiring Law. So Far, Few Companies Are Following It.  How AI Will Change the Workplace  HR Departments Turn to AI-Enabled Recruiting in Race for Talent  The Do's and Don'ts of Using Generative AI in the Workplace Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nvidia's Jensen Huang is Silicon Valley's longest tenured CEO, and his company recently joined the trillion dollar club. But if he knew at the start what he knows now, would he do it all again? WSJ Science of Success columnist Ben Cohen explains Huang’s approach to success and what that might mean for tomorrow's entrepreneurs. What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or e mail us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  He Built a Trillion-Dollar Company. He Wouldn’t Do It Again.  Tech’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ Stocks Are Back on Top  Markets Analysis: Nvidia Stock Jumps to Record High  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fake images are already turning heads online, and Hany Farid, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley, says we’re only going to see more of it. Farid specializes in image analysis and digital forensics. He tells WSJ’s Alex Ossola why it’s so easy to use generative AI to create convincing fake images, and why it could cause problems in the future. Plus, he discusses the potential tech solutions that will help us decipher whether an image or video we’re seeing online is too good to be true.  What do you think about the show? Let us know on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or email us: FOEPodcast@wsj.com  Further reading:  Real or AI? The Tech Giants Racing to Stop the Spread of Fake Images  Reality Is Broken. We Have AI Photos to Blame.  A New Way to​ Tell Deepfakes From Real Photos: Can It Work?  AI-Created Images Are So Good Even AI Has Trouble Spotting Some  Sharing Fake Nude Images Could Become a Federal Crime Under Proposed Law  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices