What Science can Learn from Startups | Adam Marblestone on Focused Research Organizations
632nm7 Okt 2025

What Science can Learn from Startups | Adam Marblestone on Focused Research Organizations

Science has stalled. And Adam Marblestone thinks he knows why.

Check out the Research Gap Map here: https://www.gap-map.org/?sort=rank

In this episode, we sit down with Adam Marblestone, neuroscientist, nanotechnologist, and founder of Convergent Research, to explore how new “Focused Research Organizations” (FROs) could reignite scientific progress. From DNA “ticker-tape” neural recording to optical connectomics and Neuralink, Marblestone explains how emerging neurotechnologies reveal both the brilliance and the bottlenecks of today’s research system.

We discuss why traditional funding often fails to support ambitious, interdisciplinary projects, how FROs borrow the focus and speed of startups to build scientific infrastructure, and why projects like OpenAI, E11 Bio, and ultrasound-on-a-chip exemplify this new model. Marblestone breaks down his “Gap Map” of unsolved scientific challenges - from room-temperature superconductors to artificial ribosomes - and does the math on how tens of billions of dollars could close them.

Whether you’re fascinated by neuroscience, scientific innovation, or the future of research itself, this conversation offers a rare insider’s look at how new institutions could rebuild the engine of discovery—and why the next wave of breakthroughs might depend more on organization than on ideas.

Follow us for more technical interviews with the world’s greatest scientists:
Twitter: https://x.com/632nmPodcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/632nmpodcast?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/632nm/about/
Substack: https://632nmpodcast.substack.com/

Follow our hosts!
Michael Dubrovsky: https://x.com/MikeDubrovsky
Misha Shalaginov: https://x.com/MYShalaginov
Xinghui Yin: https://x.com/XinghuiYin

Subscribe:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/632nm/id1751170269
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aVH9vT5qp5UUUvQ6Uf6OR
Website: https://www.632nm.com

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:25 - Working with George Church
13:03 - Neuralink
22:23 - Gap Maps
31:47 - Artificial Ribosome
36:45 - What is Convergent Research?
40:03 - What are FROs?
44:16 - What Made OpenAI So Successful?
48:19 - Has AI Actually Impacted Science?
52:15 - Notable FROs
1:05:43 - Why Haven't There Been More Scientific Breakthroughs?
1:09:47 - Lithography and Chip Design
1:13:41 - We Can't Beat Insects
1:16:45 - What Separates Good FROs
1:18:40 - East vs West Coast Innovation
1:27:21 - Research into Longevity
1:33:27 - Advice for Grad Students
1:39:40 - How to Get Involved in FROs

#neuroscience #molecularbiology #quantumphysics #researchfunding #startups

Avsnitt(46)

Einstein Was Wrong: John Clauser on Bell's Theorem and the Nature of Reality

Einstein Was Wrong: John Clauser on Bell's Theorem and the Nature of Reality

In this episode, we sit down with Nobel laureate John Clauser to discuss his experiments from the early 1960’s, testing Bell's inequalities and quantum entanglement. Clauser shares the story of how, a...

25 Nov 20242h 9min

The Science of Drug Discovery: Insights from Artem Evdokimov

The Science of Drug Discovery: Insights from Artem Evdokimov

In this episode, drug discovery scientist Artem Evdokimov discusses the science of pharmaceutical development, from historical breakthroughs to the current landscape. He shares insights on antibiotics...

18 Nov 20242h 50min

Optical Metatronics: Nader Engheta on Electromagnetics and Scientific Curiosity

Optical Metatronics: Nader Engheta on Electromagnetics and Scientific Curiosity

In this episode of the 632nm podcast, Nader Engheta shares his journey and experiences within the field of electromagnetics, from his early days at the University of Tehran and Caltech, to his current...

11 Nov 20241h 54min

Quantum Computing: Peter Zoller and Ignacio Cirac on the Quantum Revolution

Quantum Computing: Peter Zoller and Ignacio Cirac on the Quantum Revolution

In this episode of the 632-nanometer podcast, we explore the evolution of quantum computing with theoretical physicists and experimentalists Peter Zoller and Ignacio Cirac, two pioneers in the field. ...

4 Nov 20241h 16min

Gravitational Waves: Rainer Weiss (Nobel Prize 2017) on Laser Interferometer Observation

Gravitational Waves: Rainer Weiss (Nobel Prize 2017) on Laser Interferometer Observation

In 1916, Einstein predicted the existence of gravitational waves, however, it took almost a century for researchers to detect them. In this episode of the 632-nanometer podcast, the team has a firesid...

28 Okt 20241h 21min

Synthetic Biology: George Church on Genome Sequencing and De-Extinction

Synthetic Biology: George Church on Genome Sequencing and De-Extinction

The great George Church takes us through the revolutionary journey of DNA sequencing from his early groundbreaking work to the latest advancements. He discusses the evolution of sequencing methods, in...

22 Okt 20241h 10min

Populärt inom Vetenskap

dumma-manniskor
p3-dystopia
svd-nyhetsartiklar
kapitalet-en-podd-om-ekonomi
allt-du-velat-veta
rss-ufo-bortom-rimligt-tvivel-2
rss-vetenskapsradion-2
rss-vetenskapsradion
det-morka-psyket
sexet
doden-hjarnan-kemisten
rss-spraket
rss-odla
paranormalt-med-caroline-giertz
dumforklarat
rss-experimentet
medicinvetarna
vetenskapsradion
rss-geopodden-2
bildningspodden