When you think of startup companies advancing the state of technology, software is probably the first thing that comes to mind. But scientific breakthroughs are still coming in the world of atoms, and that's what venture capital firm Prime Movers Lab invests in. To give us a sense of their vision for the future, the VC firm put together a "Breakthrough Science Roadmap" to describe what a life of abundance in 2050 might be like. In this episode of "Political Economy" I'm joined by Ramez Naam and Christie Iacomini from Prime Movers Lab to discuss that uplifting vision of tomorrow and how startups are working to realize it.

Ramez is a computer scientist and Chief Futurist at Prime Movers Lab, while Christie is an aerospace engineer and Vice President of Engineering.

In the 2016 election, Donald Trump campaigned on a message of nationalism and economic populism. Since then, some Republicans have warmed to industrial policy, trade restrictions, and trust-busting. The dynamic, global economy, populists claim, has enriched coastal elites while leaving "real" America behind. In this episode of "Political Economy," I'm joined by Ryan Streeter to chat about the importance of a dynamic economy.

Ryan is a senior fellow and director of domestic policy studies here at AEI. Earlier this month, he published the essay "Dynamism as a Public Philosophy" in the winter 2022 issue of National Affairs.

Last summer, billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson competed to one-up each other's accomplishments in space flight while Elon Musk's SpaceX continued to make history with its reusable launches. But are all these efforts nothing more than wasteful vanity projects among the uberrich? I'm joined today by Robert Zubrin to talk about why the emergence of a private space economy and the prospects of colonizing the solar system should excite us.

Robert Zubrin is President of Pioneer Astronautics and the founder and President of the Mars Society, an international organization dedicated to furthering the exploration and settlement of Mars. An aerospace engineer and energy expert, Robert is the author of several books including "The Case for Mars" and "The Case for Space."

New discoveries, inventions, and innovations — ideas — are at the heart of scientific progress and economic growth. But that means a growing economy depends on an accelerating production of new ideas. In this week's episode of "Political Economy," I'm joined by Didier Sornette to talk about where these ideas come from, why they've been in decline, and what we can do to foster greater scientific knowledge and a growing economy.

Didier is Professor on the Chair of Entrepreneurial Risks in the Department of Management, Technology, and Economics at ETH Zurich. In 2020, he and Peter Cauwels authored "Are ‘Flow of Ideas’ and ‘Research Productivity’ in secular decline?"

While the scientific community has reached a broad consensus about climate change and the warming planet, just how well does the general public understand this consensus? In this week's episode of the podcast, Steven E. Koonin is here to discuss what we know about climate change, what we don't, and how we should respond to the warming planet.

Steve is a professor at New York University and a nonresident senior fellow here at the American Enterprise Institute. Previously, he served as the Under Secretary for Science at the US Department of Energy under Barack Obama from 2009 to 2011. This year, he published Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters.

When it comes to federal investment in research and development, failures like Solyndra are held up as evidence of wasteful government spending while success stories go largely unnoticed. But what kind of returns do we see on investments in scientific research by government? And should government funding emphasize basic or more practical, applied research? To answer those questions and more, I'm joined today by Benjamin F. Jones.

Ben is a professor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Northwestern University as well as the faculty director of the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative. This summer he authored "Science and Innovation: The Under-Fueled Engine of Prosperity."

NASA last launched astronauts into space with its final Space Shuttle mission in the summer of 2011. But, nine years later, a rocket built by SpaceX lifted off at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and carried two astronauts to the International Space Station. How did this private company, in less than 20 years, go from a fledgling startup to one of the biggest players in space? To answer that question, I've brought on Eric Berger.

Eric is the senior space editor at Ars Technica and the author of Liftoff: Elon Musk and the Desperate Early Days That Launched SpaceX.

When we think of infrastructure, roads and bridges are among the first things that come to mind. But over the past decade, massive investments in warehouse-scale data centers constitute a new kind of infrastructure build up. And that cloud computing infrastructure might be the beginning of a new economic revolution. My guest today is Mark Mills, and we'll be discussing the revolution in cloud computing and how it could lead to a New Roaring '20s.

Mark is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a faculty fellow at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. His latest book is The Cloud Revolution: How the Convergence of New Technologies Will Unleash the Next Economic Boom and A Roaring 2020s.

De-extincted woolly mammoths, genetically engineered livestock, and transgenic crops: Are biologists opening a Pandora's box that will lead to the further destruction of the natural world? In this episode of "Political Economy," Beth Shapiro joins the podcast to discuss that question, explain the latest discoveries in synthetic biology, and explore the possibility of bio-engineered conservation.

Beth is a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her latest book is Life as We Made It: How 50,000 Years of Human Innovation Refined—and Redefined—Nature.

On the heels of a summer of billionaire space flights and William Shatner's recent rocket trip, some Americans are echoing old arguments about the wastefulness of space exploration. Alongside this controversy, massive declines in launch costs and a burgeoning space economy have renewed interest in manned missions to the Moon and Mars. In today's episode of "Political Economy," John Logsdon discusses NASA's history since the Moon landing, billionaires in space, and the path forward for continued exploration.

John is the founder and Professor Emeritus of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He is the author of several books on the space program, including, most recently, Ronald Reagan and the Space Frontier.