In this wide-ranging and personal conversation, physician, scientist, and bestselling author Siddhartha Mukherjee explores what genes, cells, and human societies reveal about our profound interdependence. Drawing from The Gene and The Song of the Cell, Mukherjee reframes biology not as a fixed blueprint, but as an improvisational system—shaped by horizontal gene transfer, environment, and the constant exchange of interdependent life forms. He weaves together Indian classical music, evolutionary science, and lived experience to argue that empathy and compassion are not optional virtues, but the foundation of truth, intelligence, and collective survival. The discussion extends to artificial intelligence, medicine, and the ethical challenge of building technologies with the capacity for empathy. 

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Produced by The Garrison Institute and The Podglomerate.