The HumanWare Project

Méline Liu

Join host Méline Liu on The HumanWare Project, where transformative technology meets human potential.Through conversations with pioneering minds, longevity experts, and scientific innovators, we explore how emerging technologies can enhance our fundamental humanity. From cutting-edge neuroscience to wellness breakthroughs, discover pathways to human flourishing in our rapidly evolving world.A futurist with boundless curiosity, Méline guides you to the frontiers of human capability and our species' next evolutionary leap.

  1. 23 hr ago ·  Video

    A Nobel Prize Winner On Why We Age And How Long We Can Live

    As a young teenager, Randy Schekman cycled to his local police station and told the duty officer he was running away from home. His mother kept borrowing the money he was saving for a microscope. Half a century later, that same microscope sits in the Nobel Museum in Stockholm. Randy Schekman won the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering how cells package and ship their molecules. That work now underpins how a third of the world’s insulin is made. He is a professor of molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley, a former editor-in-chief of PNAS and the founding editor-in-chief of eLife. He has mentored two students who went on to win Nobel Prizes of their own. In this conversation with Méline Liu, he explains: ◼ The 1:20am phone call from Stockholm, and what his wife said before he’d even woken up ◼ Why he believes nature matters more than nurture in making a scientist ◼ The weekend he told his famously tough mentor, Arthur Kornberg, that he was going skiing ◼ How a discovery in yeast became a global supply of human insulin ◼ Why the popular idea of how exosomes work is wrong ◼ How stem cells could replace the brain cells lost in Parkinson’s disease ◼ Why we probably won’t live to 150, whatever billionaires spend ◼ The one trait that separates great scientists from merely smart ones 00:00 Intro 01:11 The night he won the Nobel Prize 04:43 “This is not a hoax” 07:30 Is the Nobel an artificial distinction? 08:37 Luck, mentors and being in the right place 09:33 How a science fair sparked a lifelong passion 13:03 Running away from home for a microscope 14:21 From the closet to the Nobel Museum 15:48 Nature vs nurture in curiosity 17:15 Learning from Arthur Kornberg 20:09 Why he never chased crowded fields 22:29 Do cells have a brain? 27:31 How yeast makes a third of the world’s insulin 28:42 Why understanding beats usefulness 30:03 The truth about exosomes 34:28 What stem cells really do 38:15 Stem cell treatments for Parkinson’s 39:01 How the brain works at a molecular level 41:01 Why Parkinson’s kills brain cells 43:14 Can we live to 150? 44:40 Where creativity in science comes from 46:37 Why most scientists aren’t creative 48:07 The trait all great students share 49:53 His advice for achieving at a high level 52:28 Outro More info on Randy here: https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/randy-schekman

  2. 6 Nov ·  Video

    Inside a Nobel Prize Winner’s Lab Where Microscopes Meet AI

    Most microscopes have a limit to what they can show us. Eric Betzig helped to break that limit, and won a Nobel Prize in the process. In this episode, Méline goes behind the scenes at Eric’s lab at UC Berkeley. Eric is a physicist and a winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He shows her a microscope built to look inside transparent zebrafish, where blood cells can be seen flowing through capillaries live. He explains why he believes most biology is done on the wrong cells. He also explains how his Cell Observatory initiative is using AI to understand life as a whole system rather than a collection of parts. Along the way, Méline sees the first microscope Eric designed for Eikon Therapeutics, and a view inside the eye of a living fish. He explains: ◼ Why studying cultured cells on glass can tell us little about what happens inside a living body ◼ Why zebrafish are used to understand human biology ◼ How the lab is pushing microscopes to capture data faster than ever before ◼ Why AI and computing power are the next bottleneck in biology ◼ Why he believes observation, not hallucination, is the way forward 0:00 Intro 0:31 Breaking the Limit of the Microscope 0:45 A Microscope Built to Look Inside Transparent Fish 1:31 Watching Blood Flow Through a Living Fish 1:49 Why Most Biology Studies the Wrong Cells 2:32 Why Zebrafish 2:48 Pushing the Speed Limits of Data 3:20 The Cell Observatory and AI 4:03 What Eric Needs From the AI World 5:04 The Microscope He Designed for Eikon 6:00 Inside the Eye of a Zebrafish 6:22 Observation, Not Hallucination ◼ Eric Betzig, UC Berkeley: https://physics.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/eric-betzig ◼ Eikon Therapeutics: https://www.eikontx.com

  3. 30 Oct ·  Video

    He Quit Science, Then Won a Nobel Prize With a Microscope Built on a Living Room Floor

    Eric Betzig once walked away from science altogether. Years later, he and his best friend put $25,000 each of their own money into building a microscope on a living room floor, and it won him the Nobel Prize. In this episode, Méline sits down with Eric in his office. Eric is a physicist, a winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, and a Professor at UC Berkeley. He talks about his years at Bell Labs, the frustration that led him to quit, and the glowing jellyfish protein that pulled him back. He tells the story of building PALM with Harald Hess, a microscope that can see beyond the limit of light. He also explains why he believes biology is stuck. Life, he argues, can only be understood by watching it live, and we now have more imaging data than any human can interpret. The next breakthrough will need AI that can think in five dimensions. This is a conversation about curiosity, hard work and failure, and the biggest mystery in nature. He explains: ◼ Why we understand neutron stars better than what is happening inside our own cells ◼ How a microscope built on a living room floor led to a Nobel Prize ◼ Why AI drug discovery based on protein sequences alone will get nowhere ◼ What 5D imaging means and why we need AI that can think in five dimensions ◼ What Bell Labs got right about small teams, hard work and limited resources ◼ Why he believes prizes are corrosive to science 0:00 Intro 1:25 How Apollo and Star Trek Led Him to Science 2:00 The Limit Every Microscope Has Faced for Centuries 4:05 Why He Quit Science 4:59 Inside Bell Labs, the Legendary Lab of the Last Century 7:29 Why Small Teams Beat Big Ones 10:12 Price’s Law and Who Really Does the Work 12:04 Why Prizes Are Corrosive to Science 13:22 Harald Hess and the 4am Race to the Car Park 16:00 What Harald Taught Him About Humility 19:37 Out of Work and Out of Science 22:42 The Glowing Jellyfish That Changed Everything 27:50 The Scientist Who Funded His Work by Selling Ties 29:41 The Idea Behind PALM 32:26 Building a Microscope on a Living Room Floor 33:06 2005, the Most Miraculous Year of His Life 35:44 What 3D, 4D and 5D Imaging Really Mean 36:44 Why Biology Is on the Wrong Foot 42:41 Why We Need AI That Can Think in 5D 45:27 Why AI Investors Are Not Listening 47:31 Why Physics Has Stalled and Biology Has Not 49:06 Advice for Young Scientists 49:37 Why Science Has Grown Too Big 53:29 How AI Will Accelerate Everything 54:51 The Biggest Mystery in Nature 55:27 The One Habit That Matters Most ◼ Eric Betzig, UC Berkeley: https://physics.berkeley.edu/people/faculty/eric-betzig

  4. 23 Oct ·  Video

    Trying Tropical Fruits in Hainan, China (Ranked Out of 10)

    What if some of the best health and longevity secrets are not found in laboratories or supplements, but growing on trees right in front of us? In this episode, Méline travels to Hainan, China’s tropical island, with her friend Dhinil to taste fruits rarely seen in London. They rate each one as they go. First, Méline meets Chen Ge, a farmer whose organic fruit and vegetables have built a loyal following. He shares what he believes separates naturally grown produce from what we buy in the shops. Chen Ge explains: ◼ Why a shiny surface on fruit can be a sign of wax or preservatives ◼ How bananas can be chemically ripened overnight ◼ How to tell organically grown vegetables from those grown with chemical fertiliser ◼ His simple advice for a healthy life: eat green, keep a good mindset and move occasionally On the tasting table: ◼ Rambutan and longan, close cousins of the lychee ◼ The canistel, also known as the egg fruit ◼ Star fruit, which tastes like a fruit and a vegetable at once ◼ A purple-fleshed surprise that won over both tasters 0:00 Intro 0:44 Meeting Chen Ge on His Farm 1:05 Why Shiny Fruit Can Be a Warning Sign 1:18 How to Tell Organic Vegetables From Chemically Grown Ones 1:47 Chen Ge’s Advice for a Healthy Life 2:32 Welcome to Hainan 3:24 Rambutan and Longan 4:38 A Fruit Like Dragon Fruit 5:07 The Purple Surprise 5:38 The Egg Fruit: Tasting Canistel 6:48 Star Fruit 7:37 Final Thoughts

  5. 16 Oct ·  Video

    Healthy Tomato Soup Recipe From a Top California Health Retreat

    At Golden Door, one of America’s best-known health retreats, guests are served a light tomato broth in the middle of the day, after a morning of hard work and before lunch at one o’clock. It looks simple, but there is a lot of thinking behind it. In this episode, Méline visits Golden Door in California and speaks to Executive Chef Greg Frey Jr about how the soup is made and why it works. The broth is built from filtered water and crushed tomatoes, then steeped for about an hour with the trimmings and peelings of the season’s vegetables. Each guest then finishes it their own way with chilli flake, ground oats, flaxseed and the kitchen’s golden powder. Back in London, Méline has a go at recreating Greg’s soup at home. Greg explains: ◼ Why vegetable trimmings and peelings are the secret to the broth ◼ How soluble and insoluble fibre help you feel satiated until lunch ◼ Why he says tomatoes are a better source of potassium than bananas or coconut water ◼ What the chilli, oats, flaxseed and golden powder each add ◼ Why the soup is kept as a light broth 0:00 Intro 0:20 Discovering the Soup at Golden Door 0:40 What Goes Into a Potassium Broth 0:55 Chilli, Oats, Flaxseed and Golden Powder 1:22 How the Broth Is Made 1:43 Why Tomato Soup in the Middle of the Day 2:02 The Real Secret: Soluble and Insoluble Fibre 2:24 Why a Broth and Not a Sauce 2:59 Recreating the Soup at Home in London 3:23 The Finished Soup ◼ Visit Golden Door: https://www.goldendoor.com ◼ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegoldendoor/?hl=en

  6. 16 Oct ·  Video

    Humanoid Robots Are Years Away. These Robots Are Ready Now

    Everyone is waiting for humanoid robots to walk into their homes and take over the chores. According to George Ekas, that moment is still a few years away. Meanwhile, the robots that will change how we work are already here, and they walk on four legs. George Ekas is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Toborlife AI, a Mountain View robotics company and North American distributor for Unitree Robotics. He leads the team building Toborlife’s teleoperation and training pipeline. It is designed so businesses can teach robots new tasks without needing to be robotics software engineers. In this conversation, filmed on our return visit to Toborlife AI four months after our first, George introduces the brand new Unitree A2 quadruped. He explains why most people misjudge how far along robots really are, and he sets out the three phases he believes will take us from research labs to robots in every home and factory. He explains: ◼ Why autonomous humanoid robots in the home are still a few years away ◼ What the Unitree A2 can already do, from security patrols to carrying loads across construction sites ◼ Why we build robots in the shape of dogs and in the shape of humans ◼ The two machine learning paradigms teaching robots to walk and to use their hands ◼ The three phases of the robot revolution and why we are now entering the second ◼ Why customers want robots to do jobs better, not just to make labour cheaper ◼ How an ageing population and his own grandparents inspire his work 0:00 Intro 0:45 Back at Toborlife AI Four Months Later 1:02 Meet the Unitree A2 Quadruped 1:29 Security, Inspection and Construction: What the A2 Is Built For 1:57 Sensors, Lidar, Battery Life and All-Weather Performance 2:47 The Robot That Does Backflips 2:56 George Introduces the A2 3:22 From the Go2 to the A2: Research Platform to Real-World Solution 3:54 The Biggest Misconception About What Robots Can Do Today 5:57 Why We Build Robots Shaped Like Dogs and Humans 6:59 How Robots Learn: Algorithms, Reinforcement Learning and Imitation Learning 8:30 The Three Phases of the Robot Revolution 10:05 Drones, Warehouse Robots and Self-Driving Cars Are All Robots 11:00 NEO, Boston Dynamics and Unitree: How the Big Players Compare 12:07 How Businesses Can Train Their Own Robots Through Teleoperation 13:37 Where Robotics Will Be in a Year or Two 14:34 Why People Really Want Robots: Better Work, Not Cheaper Labour 15:28 AI Needs a Body: Why Robots Give AI Real-World Power 16:27 The Childhood Promise That Made George Fall in Love With Robotics 17:20 What You Can Buy From Toborlife AI Today You can follow Toborlife AI here: ◼ Website: https://toborlife.ai

  7. 2 Oct ·  Video

    60 Seconds With a Longevity Doctor: The One Biomarker You Should Test and Habits That Matter Most

    Dr. Ángel Durántez Prados, is the Partner and Medical Director at Clinica Neleva in Madrid, one of Europe's leading longevity and preventive health clinics. In this 60 seconds, he shares the single most important treatment for your health, the one biomarker he would test first, and the two daily habits he never skips. He explains: ◼ Why the most powerful treatment for your health has nothing to do with medicine ◼ The lipid panel biomarker that gives you the clearest window into your cardiovascular health ◼ Why sleep and exercise are the two non-negotiables for longevity You can follow Clinica Neleva here: ◼ Website: https://clinicaneleva.com/ ◼ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clinicaneleva/?hl=en-gb

  8. 25 Sept ·  Video

    Paris Fashion Week and the Question Nobody in Fashion Asks: Does What You Wear Define Who You Are

    Méline heads to Paris Fashion Week to ask a question the fashion industry rarely stops to consider: does what you wear define who you are, or does who you are define what you wear? Joined by Alyne Hansen Damm, a fashion and luxury consultant with 27 years of experience working with some of the world's most prestigious brands, Méline attends four couture shows including George Hobeika, Rahul Mishra, Standing Ground and ArdAzAei Show, before sitting down with Alyne to explore the deeper connection between style, identity, confidence and wellbeing. Alyne also shares what 27 years at the highest level of luxury taught her about kindness, authenticity and why your reputation will always travel faster than your CV. She explains: ◼ Why dressing for the corporate world as a woman is still one of the hardest things to navigate ◼ How wellness and longevity are quietly reshaping the luxury fashion industry ◼ Why fashion is not about what you buy but the emotion it triggers in you ◼ What Elsa Schiaparelli's collaborations with Dalí and Picasso teach us about authentic creative relationships ◼ Why kindness is the most important quality you can bring to any industry ◼ How to build a wardrobe that empowers you rather than defines you ◼ Why reputation travels faster than your CV and what that means for your career 0:00 Intro 0:27 What Paris Fashion Week Reveals About How We See Ourselves 0:50 Meet Alyne Hansen Damm: 27 Years at the Top of Luxury Fashion 1:12 Why Women Still Feel Pressure to Mask Who They Are in the Workplace 1:38 Why You Should Only Buy Something That Triggers a Real Emotion 2:04 HumanWare's Corporate Chic Wardrobe: From Inner to Outer Beauty 2:24 Why Kindness Is the Most Important Value in Luxury 2:51 Inside the Four Shows: George Hobeika, Rahul Mishra, Standing Ground and Art Design 3:53 27 Years On: What Has Never Changed in Luxury Fashion 4:33 The Problem With How Luxury Brands Treat Their Clients 5:48 How Craftsmanship Changed and Why Hiding the Artisan Was Always Wrong 7:22 What Fashion and Medicine Have in Common: The Craft Behind the Scene 8:38 Why Fashion and Luxury Is Really About the People Who Create It 9:00 How Wellness Is Quietly Reshaping the World of Luxury 10:35 Why Authentic Human Relationships Cannot Be Replaced by AI 11:24 Elsa Schiaparelli and What Her Collaborations With Dalí and Picasso Teach Us 14:20 How to Dress for the Corporate World Without Losing Yourself 15:34 How Alyne Manages Her Energy After 27 Years in a Fast Paced Industry 17:00 How to Choose the Right Brands and People to Work With 18:24 One Piece of Advice for Anyone Who Wants to Work in Fashion 19:02 Why Reputation Travels Faster Than Your CV You can follow Alyne here: ◼ LinkedIn: https://www.ahd-consulting.co.uk/about

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About

Join host Méline Liu on The HumanWare Project, where transformative technology meets human potential.Through conversations with pioneering minds, longevity experts, and scientific innovators, we explore how emerging technologies can enhance our fundamental humanity. From cutting-edge neuroscience to wellness breakthroughs, discover pathways to human flourishing in our rapidly evolving world.A futurist with boundless curiosity, Méline guides you to the frontiers of human capability and our species' next evolutionary leap.

Information

  • Creator
    Méline Liu
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    92
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The HumanWare Project
  • Show Website
    The HumanWare Project