The Surprising Ritual Renaissance
Bestselling author Bruce Feiler joins Zachary Karabell on the *What Could Go Right?* podcast to discuss his new book *A Time to Gather* and the emerging “celebration recession.” Feiler argues that, despite fewer traditional ceremonies, a grassroots revival of rituals is flourishing, powered by digital platforms. He shares personal anecdotes about his father’s funeral and a family ritual after his sister‑in‑law’s death, illustrating how people are reinventing communal grief and joy. The conversation highlights social media’s dual role as both a connector and a catalyst for novel traditions.
American Dads Are Stepping Up
The pandemic sparked a quiet revolution: college‑educated American fathers reduced paid work hours by six per week between 2019 and 2024 and added more than four weekly hours of housework and childcare, reflecting a voluntary shift in gender norms. At...
Gene Therapy Is Giving Blind People Their Sight Back
Gene‑editing pioneers Katherine High, Jean Bennett and Albert Maguire won a Breakthrough Prize for Luxturna, the first FDA‑approved gene therapy that restores vision to people born with Leber congenital amaurosis. More than 100 blind Americans have already received the one‑time...
Why $6 Gas Isn't the End of the World
The Progress Network podcast hosts energy expert Jason Bordoff to dissect the implications of $6‑a‑gallon gasoline amid a possible closure of the Strait of Hormuz—the most severe supply shock since the 1970s. He contrasts the 1970s oil crisis with today’s...
Chernobyl's Unintended Nature Reserve
For the first time since 1919, solar power overtook coal as the world’s leading electricity source, delivering 2,778 TWh in 2025 and pushing coal below 33 % of global generation. Meanwhile, the Chernobyl exclusion zone, four decades after the disaster, has become...
Can We Achieve “Super Abundance” Without AI Doom?
In a new episode of *What Could Go Right?*, author Sebastian Mallaby sits down with host Zachary Karabell to dissect the mindset of DeepMind founder Demis Hassabis, the architect of today’s most powerful AI systems. The conversation explores Hassabis’s “Ender’s...
LLMs Are Antithetical to Writing and Humanity
The author argues that large language models (LLMs) undermine the core relationship between writing and human thought, eroding critical thinking and authentic expression. While acknowledging niche benefits for users with disabilities, the piece warns that most adopters use LLMs to...