The Secret History of the Future

Meat and Potatoes

What can the potato—the superfood of the past—teach us about new efforts to create the superfoods of tomorrow?

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About the Show

Journey into the past and you’ll discover the secret history of the future. From the world’s first cyberattack in 1834, to 19th-century virtual reality, the Economist’s Tom Standage and Slate’s Seth Stevenson examine the historical precedents that can transform our understanding of modern technology, predicting how it might evolve and highlighting pitfalls to avoid. Discovering how people reacted to past innovations can also teach us about ourselves.

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Episode Notes

Everyone’s talking about the new wave of high-tech veggie burgers. What can we learn from the potato, the superfood of the past?

Podcast production by Bart Warshaw and Kate Holland.