Centuries ago, explorers set sail across vast oceans. Today, scientists like Alexis Courbet are navigating uncharted waters at the nanoscale. As a researcher at the Institute for Protein Design, Alexis is building molecular machines unlike any seen before—creating nanoscale sensors and protein-based rotors that move with atomic precision. Whether designing molecules or mapping out his next mountaineering adventure with David Baker, he approaches every frontier with the same curiosity and drive to understand the unknown. // This podcast was produced at the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington School of Medicine by Ian Haydon, Roni Weissman, Enisha Sehgal, Nora McNamara-Bordewick, Riti Biswas, Joe Min, and Nathan Forest Greenwood. // Music by Kevin MacLeod.