Media Coverage
13 March 2021
Snowflakes as You’ve Never Seen Them Before
This story for the NYT's Science Times describes Nathan's innovative snowflake microscopy along with other impressive work by Caltech physicist Ken Libbrecht and Canadian photographer Don Komarechka.
01 February 2021
Nathan Myhrvold on NASA’s lies, Theories of Everything, working with Hawking, and COVID lockdowns
In this 2-1/2 hour-long interview, Nathan discusses Stephen Hawking and the quest to unify general relativity with quantum mechanics, string and supersymmetry theories, and the unreasonable effectiveness of mathematics in physics. Plus what's happening with COVID-19 evolution, herd immunity, and vaccinations. And lighter topics like: myths about nutrition, whether a fast-changing climate might make geoengineering necessary, and ways to judge the trustworthiness of new science. Also available in video form on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YUXHLTlx9DA
27 January 2021
These Are the Highest Resolution Photos Ever Taken of Snowflakes
Photographer and scientist Nathan Myhrvold has developed a camera that captures snowflakes at a microscopic level never seen before
01 November 2020
I’m Interested in Lots of Things, and That’s Actually a Bad Strategy
University of Chicago economist and Freakonomics author Steven Levitt interviewed Nathan for the podcast People I (Mostly) Admire. Among the topics they discussed in their wide-ranging conversation: how Nathan met Bill Gates and eventually became Microsoft's first chief technology officer despite never having taken a computer science class, what it was like working with Stephen Hawking and his contributions to physics, the strategies and frustrations of being a prolific inventor, the crucial role that advanced fission power can play in combatting climate change, education of highly gifted children, and Nathan's forthcoming three-volume book on pizza.
12 August 2020
The OTHER Microsoft Guy Who Wants to Save the World
Bill Nye The Science Guy and Corey Powell interviewed Nathan in a wide-ranging conversation for the podcast Science Rules! They discussed: the asteroid that finished off the dinosaurs, Nathan's research into how some of the biggest dinos whipped their tails at supersonic speeds (probably to show off for the opposite sex), and Benjamin Franklin's seminal contribution to geoengineering. They also talked about what kind of changes we'd have to make to the U.S. electricity grid—both how it works and how it's regulated—to meet the goals goals that states have set to ramp up renewable power and to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Nathan revealed how early food critics in Italy panned pizza. And Bill asked Nathan what one subject he thinks everybody should understand a little better.
24 April 2020
How to barbecue perfectly according to a scientist (turned barbecue world champion)
Nathan Myhrvold is a barbecue world champion who studied physics under Stephen Hawking. In this exclusive extract from GQ’s book How To Win At Life, he explains why science is your secret ingredient...
07 November 2019
Nathan Myhrvold visits RIT; former Microsoft CTO is now an innovator of photography
Myhrvold has been able to combine two childhood passions
20 September 2019
How I Test Bold Ideas
Back in 2005, Nathan Myhrvold, a former Microsoft colleague, showed me a long scientific paper on an innovative nuclear reactor and introduced me to the lead author, an inventive physicist named Lowell Wood who would go on to beat Thomas Edison’s record for the most U.S. patents in history. Lowell claimed that this reactor could satisfy “much of humanity’s requirements for electricity in the 21st century.” I was skeptical, but also intrigued.
19 September 2019
Review: Netflix documentary on Bill Gates reveals chaos, determination and love ‘Inside Bill’s Brain’
“Nuclear reactors are not the thing you get into if you want to win popularity contests. Eliminating polio is a lot more popular.” — Nathan Myhrvold, co-founder of Intellectual Ventures Lab.
19 August 2019
Records shattered at 32nd Washington wines auction
Myhrvold's donation of a Modernist Cuisine dinner for 30 at his culinary lab raised $90,000 for Seattle Children's Hospital.