Join Chad Stoloff as he delves into a captivating conversation with Alex Hutchinson, a renowned science journalist and author. Explore the essence of human curiosity and the drive to explore, as Alex shares insights from his latest book, "The Explorer's Gene." Discover how everyday adventures can reignite our innate desire to explore and learn, and why embracing challenges can bring meaning to our lives. Tune in for an inspiring discussion on curiosity, exploration, and the pursuit of growth.

About Alex Hutchinson:

I’m a science journalist based in Toronto, with a big-picture focus on human performance and particular interests in fitness, endurance sports, and the outdoors.

I’ve written Outside magazine’s Sweat Science column since 2017 (check out the latest columns here), and before that I wrote a similar column for Runner’s World. I also write regular columns for the Globe and Mail and Canadian Running. I’ve contributed over the years to a wide variety of publications including the New York Times (where I earned a Lowell Thomas Award for my adventure travel writing), the New Yorker, and Popular Mechanics (where I won a National Magazine Award for my energy reporting).

My latest book, published in March 2025, is an exploration of the science of exploring. It’s called The Explorer’s Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map; you can read more about it here. Before that, I wrote the New York Times bestseller Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, and two other books about, respectively, the science of fitness and the greatest inventions of the modern world.

I actually started out as a physicist, with a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge then a few years as a postdoctoral researcher with the U.S. National Security Agency, working on quantum computing and nanomechanics. During that time, I competed as a middle- and long-distance runner for the Canadian national team, mostly as a miler but also dabbling in cross-country and even a bit of mountain running, and maintained a side-hustle as an amateur jazz saxophonist. I still run most days, enjoy the rigors of hard training, and occasionally race. But I hate to think how I’d do on an undergraduate physics exam.

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Alex Hutchinson: Journalist, Author, Speaker

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