What's Your Problem? · Episode 151 · September 18, 2025 · 44 min
The Ordinary Stuff Behind Technological Breakthroughs
Ed Conway is an economics journalist and author of the book “Material World: The Six Raw Materials that Shape Modern Civilization.” On today’s show, Ed reveals how three of those often-overlooked materials—iron, copper, and sand—shaped human advancement from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution to the digital age. And he talks about what they mean for our future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.