The Podcast That is Yet To Come
from The Unjournal“Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of the things that May be, only?”Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol (1843)
Fair question. This is the podcast we're hoping to make. If we make it, you'll find it here.
David Reinstein, co-director of The Unjournal. Captions available. Also on YouTube.
To hear when (if) it comes, subscribe to The Unjournal on YouTube. We'll probably put it on the usual podcast apps too.
What it's about
Some research shapes how billions of dollars are spent: on global health, climate, animal welfare, and reducing catastrophic risks. But "it was published in a good journal" doesn't tell you much about whether to believe it, or what it means for a decision.
We'd like to take one question or piece of research at a time and talk it through with the people who did the research, the people who evaluated it, and the people who'd actually use it. Open-minded but skeptical, constructive rather than point-scoring. When it gets technical, we'll say so, so you can skip ahead (or not).
It's connected to The Unjournal, which commissions public expert evaluations and ratings of research. But it's about the research and the questions, not about us.
Things we might cover
Nothing here is booked. These are the kinds of questions we'd like to dig into.
Where will forests grow back on their own?
A 2024 Nature paper used satellite data and machine learning (a "random forest," fittingly) to map about 215 million hectares of tropical land that could regrow naturally. Evaluators raised questions about how well that map predicts the future. What should restoration planners take from it?
Read the evaluations →Can cultivated meat get cheap enough to matter?
What would it cost at scale, would people buy it, and is it a good bet for animal welfare compared with the alternatives?
Explore our cost model →Can we compare bednets, cash, and therapy by asking people how satisfied they are with life?
Wellbeing surveys are increasingly used to compare very different programs. How far can we trust them for that?
Does irrigation make farming communities more resilient to climate shocks?
Long-run evidence from Mali, using satellites and surveys, and how far it might generalize.
What happens after a paper is published?
Usually, not much. What changes when someone looks again, carefully and in public?
Your question here
If there's research you rely on, or doubt, or a decision that depends on it, tell us.
Suggest something →Possible recurring bits: "Would you bet on it?" (how much would you bet that a finding holds up?) and "A result I no longer believe" (researchers on findings they've changed their minds about).
Get involved
Suggest a topic, a paper, or a question. Tell us if you'd like to join a conversation, on air or behind the scenes. Or send something you'd like us to use: a short clip or voice memo, a chart, your own take on a paper.
Prefer email? Write to contact@unjournal.org.