It’s a problem when you have so many worlds to explore at once. How long until we colonize Mars? Can we turn the Sahara Desert into a Garden of Eden oasis? How can humans live in a lava tube on the moon? Jim Green is the Chief Scientist at NASA and he's not only been pondering these questions, he's been working to make them happen. Jim likes to think big - about big ideas, big challenges, and bigger solutions! In this episode, Jim Green and Alan Alda talk about planetary exploration and how life itself survives and thrives in the strangest of places.

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Unconscious bias is a widely used term and, too often, not well understood. It can be devastating for those it impacts. And coming to grips with unconscious bias in our own thinking can be unsettling. Like many others, Alan Alda found it hard to believe that the unconscious bias test he took accurately reflected his own thinking. So, to find out more, Alan sat down with Dr. Kuheli Dutt, who is meticulous in her research into the hidden biases we all have. Dr. Dutt is the Diversity Officer at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University and has written about how these unconscious biases can distort judgments about who can be a scientist – to the detriment of science itself.

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Fareed Zakaria, the noted journalist, broadcaster, and author, talked with Alan Alda on this episode of Clear+Vivid back in February, before the coronavirus consumed not only our lives and livelihoods, but also any other topic of conversation. But what’s fascinating is how much Fareed's thoughts on the importance of a fulfilled life – an examined life – resonates with us now, when we are all trying to cope with a world in which everything is so uncertain.

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Your host, Alan Alda, has been friends with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks for over forty years. Carl and Mel have been friends with each other for seventy years. During that time, they’ve created, together or separately, some of the most memorable comedy in our lives -- from iconic movies and TV series to Broadway shows and books.Their sketches on the Sid Caesar show in the 1950s will still leave you gasping on the floor. And so will their recording of the “2000 Year Old Man” that began as improvised entertainment at parties and never stopped. Mel and Carl aren’t as old yet as Mel’s character of the 2,000 Year Old Man, but the two of them together in this life-affirming episode are just as wise and just as funny. Sit back, relax, and get ready to join Mel, Carl, and Alan together from Carl’s house in Beverly Hills.

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On this episode of Clear+Vivid, Alan Alda, welcomes his friend Ira Flatow to the show. Ira hosts the wildly popular Science Friday series for public radio (and it's also a podcast). What happens when you put these two passionate advocates for science communication together on one podcast? Well, you discover that they both enjoy infecting others with a passion for science — the one kind of infection we could really use right now.

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How do you interview an octopus for a podcast? We're pretty sure that Alan Alda's interview with Ruddy, a giant pacific octopus, who lives at the New England Aquarium is a first for a podcast. While Ruddy is a little shy and silent for our mics, Alan did find the naturalist and author, Sy Montgomery, much more communicative. Sy is the author of the New York Times bestseller, "The Soul of Octopus." She's an expert on creatures great and small and what we can learn about communication, observation, and humility from the other animals in the kingdom.

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She's a Golden Girl, a national treasure, and a true character of great character. The one and only Betty White joins Alan Alda this week as our special guest. At time when love and humor are needed most, we hope this heart-warming episode brings a smile to your face.

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Cleo Stiller had 75 interesting conversations with men about the #MeToo movement and she's written a book about what they had to say. Her book, "Modern Manhood," is now a national bestseller. Times are changing and people are learning to relate with each other in new ways. In this conversation, Alan Alda and Cleo discuss the inventive strategies that men and women are using as they explore the tumultuous world of professional and personal relationships in the modern world.

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In the five years it was on the air, his television show, "Bill Nye the Science Guy," won 18 Emmys and entertained and educated millions of young people, many of whom later went on to become scientists themselves. All his life, Bill’s been passionate about communicating science, so naturally, he was the perfect guest to pair with Alan Alda, who has shared the same, lifelong drive. In this episode, Alan and Bill have a lively conversation about scientific fact, fiction, literacy, and the beauty of uncertainty.

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In this special episode of Clear+Vivid, Dr. Anthony Fauci talks with Alan Alda from the campus of the National Institutes of Health. Recorded on March 5, 2020, Dr. Fauci explains your risk right now of getting infected from the Coronavirus. He explains how he balances providing correct information to the public with the need not to cause panic — especially as the data changes day by day. He reports that public health professionals and researchers are sharing data about the Coronavirus worldwide, and discusses the progress being made on both a vaccine and a treatment for the illness caused by the virus.

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