Catalysts of Discovery: Powering Innovation in Biology and Medicine

In this episode, Nic speaks with Gianluca Pettiti, Executive Vice President at Thermo Fisher Scientific, about the company’s vision for the future of life sciences, diagnostics, and healthcare.

The conversation explores how Thermo Fisher positions itself as a value-added partner to the ecosystem, building seamless solutions that help customers achieve success. Gianluca shares perspectives on the company’s competitive advantage, the opportunities created as engineering and biology converge, and how integrated sciences and multi-omics are unlocking new dimensions of discovery—from gene-gene interactions to higher-order biological systems.

A deep look at how Thermo Fisher sees the field evolving, and how innovation at the intersection of disciplines may reshape science and health in the years ahead.

The Vanishing Herd: Survival and Innovation

Global fertility rates are falling, populations are aging, and the consequences are already reshaping economies and societies. In this episode, Nic speaks with Anu Madgavkar, partner at the McKinsey Global Institute, about what these demographic shifts mean for the innovation capacity and long-term vitality of nations and companies.

They explore how shrinking workforces, aging populations, and declining dynamism threaten growth — while also creating opportunities for new models of productivity, technology adoption, and global collaboration. As fertility and vitality decline, what might these trends mean for us — and for the societies awaiting future generations?

The War on Illness: Inside Sanofi’s Arsenal of Innovation

Recorded LIVE at the World Medical Innovation Forum and produced in partnership with MassGeneral Brigham, this episode of unNatural Selection features Nic in conversation with Michael Quigley, Chief Scientific Officer and Global Head of Research at Sanofi. Together, they explore Sanofi’s competitive edge in a rapidly changing pharmaceutical landscape, the company’s perspective on global demographic shifts, and the transformative potential of modern technologies like AI, genomics, and CRISPR. Michael also shares how Sanofi is willing to disrupt itself when saving lives is on the line—and what these bold choices could mean for the future of human health.

The Roots of Democracy Branch Toward Innovation

Governor Maura Healey joins unNatural Selection to discuss how Massachusetts is navigating federal headwinds to remain a global leader in innovation. We explore the state’s partnerships with industry, academia, and communities, the challenges of competition with other states and nations, and the unique role Massachusetts plays as both a modern innovation hub and the birthplace of American democracy.

Governor Healey shares how her administration is stepping in to fill gaps left by federal retrenchment — from weakened public health systems to declining research investment — and why bold investments in education, infrastructure, and policy innovation are critical for keeping Massachusetts competitive. In a time of disruption, she makes the case that states must innovate to evolve and lead.

Light Into Life: Philips’ Journey of Reinvention

Philips has been reinventing itself for more than 134 years — a rare feat in an age when most companies struggle just to survive. In this episode, we explore how a global giant stays competitive and vibrant through continuous innovation. Our conversation dives into the challenges and opportunities of innovating inside a large company with a long history, Philips’ internal accelerator program that empowers employees to turn ideas into initiatives, and the leadership skills required to build a culture of transparency and psychological safety where innovation can truly flourish.

Flock Survival: Innovation, Nutrition, and Building Resilient Communities

Childhood obesity is one of today’s most pressing health challenges, but the story is far more complex than “eat less, move more.” In this episode, Dr. Elsie Taveras discusses the latest research on childhood nutrition and obesity, the myths that have shaped what we eat, and how her team at the Kraft Center for Community Health is helping bring healthcare innovations to communities — moving solutions from early adopters to the late majority. A conversation at the intersection of science, strategy, and community health.

Rewriting the Blueprint: How CRISPR and AI Free Us from Inherited Destiny

Trevor Martin, CEO of Mammoth Biosciences, joins us to discuss how biology, AI, and engineering are converging to create a biotechnology operating system — a platform of reusable components that can be rapidly deployed to tackle new conditions. We explore the groundbreaking story of baby K.J., the first newborn to receive a personalized CRISPR therapy for a rare disease, and look ahead to a future where genome editing moves beyond rare disorders to common diseases like heart disease. At its core, this vision points to a profound shift: a world where humanity is no longer bound by inherited genetics, but empowered to lead healthy lives that were once unimaginable.

Harnessing Nature’s Defense: Antibody Breakthroughs in the War on Illness

The immune system is one of nature’s most powerful defense systems—and antibodies have become a cornerstone of modern medicine. In Episode 29, produced in partnership with Mass General Brigham for the upcoming World Medical Innovation Forum, Nic speaks with Dr. Richard Blumberg of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. A pioneer in the field, Dr. Blumberg shares how his research path led him unexpectedly to pivotal antibody breakthroughs, the innovation process behind groundbreaking discoveries, and how antibody therapeutics have grown from a research curiosity into a force reshaping cancer, autoimmune disease, and beyond.

Engineering Precision Care: Verily’s Strategy and Vision

In this episode of unNatural Selection, produced in partnership with Mass General Brigham for the World Medical Innovation Forum, we sit down with Andrew Trister to explore the evolution of Verily, Alphabet’s precision health company. We discuss Verily’s journey from its early days as an innovation lab to its transformation into a platform company, focused on delivering insights directly into clinical workflows. Andrew shares how Verily is shaping its innovation strategy, with a five-year horizon on the biggest opportunities in connecting health data and driving insights toward precision care. At the heart of this vision is Verily’s objective of building a true health decision platform—one that bridges technology and medicine to redefine how care is delivered.

Intelligence Eats Reality: One Neuron at a Time

In this episode of unNatural Selection, we’re joined by Dr. Anders Sandberg — a researcher at the Institute of Futures Studies and one of the world’s most provocative thinkers at the intersection of science, philosophy, and the far future. His work spans neurotechnology, human enhancement, AI, ethics, forecasting, and even the search for extraterrestrial life.

We explore how biology and technology are no longer separate spheres, but merging forces reshaping the trajectory of our species. As innovation begins to supplant natural selection, reality itself is becoming more fluid — and the boundaries between human and machine, mind and system, begin to blur.

We also delve into Dr. Sandberg’s imaginative approach to science communication, from dissolving the Fermi Paradox to reimagining planetary engineering in “Blueberry Earth,” and how these playful yet rigorous ideas help provoke public dialogue on our long-term future.

This conversation reflects the core premise of unNatural Selection: that innovation is becoming the dominant evolutionary force — not survival of the fittest, but survival of the most adaptable, the most imaginative. This is Evolution by Design.