#193 – Rob Reid: The Existential Threat of Engineered Viruses and Lab Leaks

Rob Reid is an author and podcaster. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors: – Athletic Greens : https://athleticgreens.com/lex and use code LEX to get 1 month of fish oil – Belcampo : https://belcampo.com/lex and use code LEX to get 20% off first order – Fundrise : https://fundrise.com/lex – NetSuite : http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour EPISODE LINKS: Rob’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/rob_reid After On Podcast: https://after-on.com/ PODCAST INFO: Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips SUPPORT & CONNECT: – Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast – Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman – Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman – Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman – Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman OUTLINE: Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. (00:00) – Introduction (08:33) – The most entertaining outcome is the most likely (14:52) – Meme theory (18:12) – Writing process (24:59) – Engineered viruses as a threat to human civilization (32:45) – Gain-of-function research on viruses (44:54) – Did COVID leak from a lab? (52:15) – Virus detection (1:00:04) – Failure of institutions (1:07:48) – Using AI to engineer viruses (1:12:07) – Evil and competence (1:21:26) – Where are the aliens? (1:25:19) – Backing up human consciousness by colonizing space (1:34:48) – Superintelligence and consciousness (1:46:12) – Meditation (1:54:20) – Fasting (2:00:20) – Greatest song of all time (2:05:46) – Early days of music streaming (2:17:39) – Startup advice (2:30:50) – Podcasting (2:46:12) – Advice for young people (2:55:15) – Mortality (3:00:41) – Meaning of life