How Luck and Chance Shape Your Life & The Science of Slowing Aging – SYSK Choice

Something You Should Know

Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia

Education, Social Sciences, Science, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.5 • 4.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 April 2026

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

When you buy fruits and vegetables, how much pesticide residue is actually on them? Is it something you should worry about—or not? And does buying organic really make a meaningful difference? Recent findings offer some answers that may surprise you. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/produce-without-pesticides-a5260230325/ We tend to believe that hard work and good decisions determine how life turns out. But luck and random chance play a much bigger role than most people realize. From career paths to relationships to financial success, unexpected events often shape outcomes in powerful ways. Mark Robert Rank, professor at Washington University in St. Louis and author of The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us (https://amzn.to/3W1mDb4), explains how luck operates in everyday life—and how understanding it can help you better navigate uncertainty and make smarter choices. Every living thing ages—but not at the same rate. Some organisms live for just days, while others survive for centuries. What determines how quickly we age? And is it possible to slow the process in humans? Venki Ramakrishnan, Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist and author of Why We Die (https://amzn.to/49KII0z), explains what science has uncovered about aging, why it happens, and what current research suggests about extending healthy lifespan. You’ve heard the advice to stop and smell the roses—but there may be something else just as powerful you’re overlooking. Paying attention to certain everyday sounds could have a surprisingly positive effect on how you feel. https://www.treehugger.com/why-do-birds-sing-5179422 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS POCKET HOSE: For a limited time, when you purchase a new Pocket Hose Ballistic, you'll get a FREE 360 degree rotating pocket pivot and a FREE thumb drive nozzle! Just text SYSK to 64000 RULA: Thousands of people are already using Rula to get affordable, high-quality therapy that’s actually covered by insurance. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Rula.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get started. QUINCE: Refresh your wardrobe with Quince! Go to https://Quince.com/sysk for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too! SHOPIFY: See less carts go abandoned with Shopify and their Shop Pay button! Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Shopify.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ PLANET VISIONARIES : We love the Planet Visionaries podcast! In partnership with The Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative. Listen or watch on Apple, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you are listening to this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I know you like interesting and thought-provoking conversations and ideas because you listen to something you should know.
0:08.8	So let me recommend another podcast I know you will enjoy. It's the Jordan Harbinger Show.
0:15.2	Jordan has a real talent for getting his guests to share stories and offer thought-provoking insights.
0:21.5	Over the years, I've sent a lot of people to listen,
0:23.9	and I get feedback from people who are so glad I introduce them to the Jordan Harbinger Show.
0:29.7	Recently, he discussed Scientology and the children who are raised in that organization.
0:35.5	It's a fascinating conversation, and he talked with Dr. Rhonda Patrick
0:39.5	about how to protect your mind and body from the modern world. And it's tougher than you think.
0:46.1	I've gotten to know Jordan pretty well. We talk frequently, and I tell you, he is a very smart,
0:51.1	insightful guy who does a hell of a podcast. Check out the Jordan Harbinger Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
1:02.3	Today on something you should know, the pesticides used on produce.
1:07.8	Are they safe or are they not?
1:10.0	Then, how to create your own luck, because doing so is
1:14.3	absolutely necessary. There's been a lot of interesting research and what it shows is that people
1:20.1	that really hit it big in terms of wealth or in terms of fame, yes, they had the necessary
1:25.7	talent and skills, but they also had the big break
1:29.1	and they had luck go their way. And that's the other crucial ingredient. Also, why you really
1:35.4	need to stop and listen to the birds singing outside and the very latest developments on aging
1:41.8	and living longer. People who study the biology of aging have found it
1:46.7	striking that some of the age-old advice, exercise, eating moderately, and getting enough sleep,
1:53.9	affect many of the major pathways of aging. All this today on something you should know.
2:01.7	Hey, it's Hillary Frank from The Longest Shortest Time, an award-winning podcast about
	...

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