by Brittney Melton

July 27, 2025

Good morning. This week, Bryan Kohberger was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of four Idaho college students, Jazz flugelhorn player and composer Chuck Mangione died at age 84, and NPR's editor-in-chief, Edith Chapin, announced she is stepping down from the role.

Prophets of Technology

by Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR’s TED Radio Hour

My favorite part of my job is talking to the sharpest minds shaping our future and pressing them on an urgent question: How do we hold on to what makes us human as technology races ahead?

So, this summer, we launched a three-part series: “Prophets of Technology.” These conversations with inventors, scientists and ethicists reveal something bigger than any one episode. Together, they form a map of where we’ve been and where we’re headed. And let me tell you, the view ahead is wild.

Robotic hands on either side of a glowing ball. Inside the ball are the words “Prophets of Technology Part 1.”

Illustration by Luke Medina/NPR; Photo/GettyImages/Shutterstock

Neurosurgeon Tom Oxley is building brain implants that let people with paralysis send texts and emails with their thoughts alone. He told me the next 50 years will be critical — not just for decoding the brain, but for unlocking its deepest mysteries like consciousness. In this episode, Oxley shares more about this technology and whether he thinks it will eventually be widely used.

Then there’s Ray Kurzweil. The futurist who predicted AI and the personal computer decades before they arrived now believes medicine will soon slow — or even reverse — aging. At 77, he said to me, completely serious: “My goal is not to die at all.” Hear the steps he's taking to make that happen in this episode. Would you take 80 pills a day?

But not everyone shares that techno-optimism. MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle warns that AI chatbots — tools that perform empathy — could trick us into thinking we’ve found real connection. Her work reminds us: Friction and messiness aren’t bugs in human relationships. They are features. In this episode, Turkle shares ideas about how to talk to young people about the beautiful pain that comes with being human.

Here’s what I keep coming back to: The future isn’t inevitable. It’s built by people making choices. So let’s stay curious. Stay critical. And let's talk about it. Demand that our tools serve us — not the other way around.

Take a listen and let me know what you'd like to hear about next.

Check out TED Radio Hour’s three-part “Prophets of Technology” series to hear directly from the minds shaping and crafting our digital world… what they’ve gotten right — and wrong — and where they think we’re headed next. Start listening to part one here.

Check out more great reads from the NPR network you may have missed:

President Trump plans to impose a 50% tariff on all goods imported from Brazil, sparking concerns in the U.S. coffee industry. Around 30% of U.S. coffee imports come from Brazil. This tariff could lead to higher prices and coffee roasters looking to other coffee-producing countries.
The State Department recently fired its top South China Sea experts and closed the office focused on Indo-Pacific security. Former staff members expressed to NPR concerns that this move could undermine U.S. interests and give China the upper hand.
At the 65th annual Lumberjack World Championships, "lumberjills" are challenging stereotypes in timber sports. Nearly half of the competitors are women. Participants from around the world compete in various events, including axe throwing, log rolling, and chopping. Check out a video and photos from the event.
Scientists are working on developing artificial blood that can be stored as a powder and reconstituted by medics on the spot. The aim is to save the tens of thousands of people in the U.S. who die from excessive bleeding each year before they can reach a hospital, because emergency vehicles cannot routinely carry blood.

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Pod Club

Beachgoers roam around the shoreline of Moshup Beach. The sky is filled with clouds. On the right side of the photo is a large rocky hill.

Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images

Thanks for tuning in last week to the StoryCorps episode “Taste of Summer,” which delved into the powerful memories that different foods and flavors of summer bring. Clare Smith-Larson, an NPR listener, fondly recalls her extended family’s summer picnics at a local park. Her favorite memory was of her Uncle Jack’s watermelon. “He would also invite some of his friends, who would join in on the food, games, and general fun of the day. But the watermelon, big enough for everyone, was the hit of the picnic,” she said.

Today, we’re listening to Fresh Air. In the episode “Martha's Vineyard's Indigenous Past & Present,” Aquinnah Wampanoag writer Joseph Lee discusses his new book, Nothing More of This Land: Community, Power, and the Search for Indigenous Identity. Lee takes readers beyond the celebrity summer scene and into the heart of Noepe, the name his people have called the island for centuries. He also offers a personal exploration of indigenous life worldwide. You can also read Lee’s interview highlights here.

After listening, did Lee’s insight provide you with a different perspective on Martha’s Vineyard? Click here to let us know what you think, and your response could be featured in next week’s newsletter.

For more great podcast recommendations from the experts at NPR, subscribe to NPR's Pod Club newsletter.

In today’s episode of The Sunday Story from Up First, host Ayesha Rascoe talks to NPR’s Justice Department correspondent Ryan Lucas about the changing leadership of the DOJ and how it impacts the rule of law in America.

Kennections

The words "Sunday Puzzle" over a white background. The name "Will Shortz" is under the Sunday Puzzle title, etched into red dice.

NPR

It's time for the Sunday Puzzle! For today's on-air challenge, NPR Puzzlemaster Will Shortz presents a few games of Kennections, in the style of the ones in Jeopardy host Ken Jennings' new book. In each set, Shortz will ask five questions. The answers will all have something in common. Try to answer the questions, and then determine the common denominator. Test your skills here, and check back later to see the answers, or catch them live on Weekend Edition at 8:41 a.m.

It's week two of the online challenge mentioned last Sunday. Here's a refresher on the rules: Most people are familiar with palindromes, which read the same backward and forward. Two examples are “Madam, I'm Adam” and “Do geese see God?” Your task is to write a palindrome that contains the letter Q. Entries will be judged on sense, naturalness of syntax, and overall elegance. Submit your answer here. The person whose answer Shortz considers to be the best palindrome containing the letter Q will get to play the puzzle on the air with him next week.

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This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.

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