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technologySep 18, 202544:03pending

The Ordinary Stuff Behind Technological Breakthroughs

About this episode

 Ed Conway is an economics journalist and author of the book “Material World: The Six Raw Materials that Shape Modern Civilization.”

On today’s show, Ed reveals how three of those often-overlooked materials—iron, copper, and sand—shaped human advancement from the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution to the digital age. And he talks about what they mean for our future.

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The Ordinary Stuff Behind Technological Breakthroughs

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