FULL EPISODE: The Knowledge Collapse - October 5, 2026

Infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine Dr. Isaac Bogoch reports on the researcher at a Russian plague laboratory who died of an 'unknown' infection and provides an overview and history of plague. Computer science professor Dustin Wright answers whether our reliance on AI could lead to a "knowledge collapse". Prompted by the alleged sexual assault at Cornell, psychology professor Catherine Sanderson describes the bystander effect and how to short-circuit it. (Find Catherine's book Why We Act: Turning Bystanders into Moral Rebels here.) Psychotherapist Nicholas Balaišis discusses when the need for change can become a trap. Leadership and workplace reporter Sarah E. Needleman covers reports of boomerang hiring: when a company lays someone off and then asks them to come back and how job applicants are hiding secret AI messages in their résumés. Finally, if you like sharks, you'll love how marine biology professor Stephen Kajiura reveals that blacktip sharks hear sound from more than 200 feet away. Protect your privacy. Sign up for Incogni at https://incogni.com/cooper and get 60% off your first year. Segments: (00:00) Introduction (01:10) Dr. Isaac Bogoch pt. 1 (10:00) Dr. Isaac Bogoch pt. 2 (20:00) Dustin Wright (30:00) Catherine Sanderson (39:50) Nicholas Balaišis (49:50) Sarah E. Needleman pt. 1 (59:50) Sarah E. Needleman pt. 2 (1:09:50) Stephen Kajiura (1:19:15) Sign-off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices