The Hydra is a tiny, impassive creature. Cut it in half, and you have two whole Hydra with the same genetic material. Chop off its head, and it simply regrows one.

It’s an ability that hasn’t caught the attention of the powerful elite – yet. But if it did, it could show them the futility of a project they’re currently embroiled in. The longtermist project.

In this episode, we have Daniel Martinez, who studies hydra, and Emile P. Torres, who studies long termism, who show us how to think about our future – by simply looking into the undying present of the Hydra.

In ‘The Missing Link,’ The Swaddle’s science podcast, we take a look at humanity’s most urgent questions – and the answers that might be lurking in unexpected science.

Credits:

Hosts: Rohitha Narharisetty and Ananya Singh
Writing and Production: Rohitha Narharisetty and Ananya Singh
Sound Design, Associate Producer: Vibhav Saraf
Marketing Collateral Design: Hitesh Sonar
Art Director: Neha Shekhawat
Executive Producer: Karla Bookman