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What if it Works?

What if it works?

Energy powers our homes, our cars, and our lives. But the kinds of energy we use—and the ways we use it—are rapidly changing our climate. We need new and clean energy, now. MIT Energy Initiative hosts Rob Stoner and Kara Miller talk with energy experts about the science, technology, and policies that can transform our energy systems and give us a more sustainable future. Hear from those testing new ideas and working on breakthroughs in labs, industry, and government—the ones who aren’t afraid to ask, “What if it works?”

Latest Episode

Unraveling DNA to transform carbon with Ariel Furst

MIT professor and entrepreneur Ariel Furst is used to people underestimating what biology can do. But she is proving that DNA and microbes can help us decarbonize energy: DNA can be harnessed to transform carbon into useful products and in her words, “microbes are the coolest,”—they can be engineered for use in all kinds of recycling. Furst shares how sometimes the simple (and even microscopic) solutions can have big results.

June 4, 2025 - 30 min 44 sec

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Energy Reads

Energy Reads

The latest in energy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Listen to hand-picked articles from the MIT Energy Initiative covering the future of energy. Listen in your favorite podcast app:

Energy@MIT

Energy@MIT

The Energy@MIT podcast ran from 2018 to 2021, publishing 40 episodes on energy topics including nuclear, solar, storage, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity, with guests from academia, government, small startups, and large corporations. While the podcast is no longer being produced, the episode archive can be found below.