I should quite.

You're listening to Radio Lab. The podcast from New York Public Radio, Public Radio, WNYC, and NPR.

Hi, I'm Robert Krollwich, JAD. I'm exactly sure where Jad is. I know he's at a meeting that I should be at too. So not being exactly

America's number one meeting person, I got out of it so that I could be here with you, for which

I thank you very, very much. So this podcast, today's podcast, is one of our in-between season

occasional where we share with you, our regular listeners, an idea, a compelling conversation, a thought.

In this case, what you're about to hear is a big thought for me anyway.

I put it together for the graduating class at Caltech.

I was invited to be the commencement speaker there this past June, and I wanted to make a case for talking about science to folks who may not be all that well-versed

or even all that interested in science-y things because talking about this stuff, I argued,

has very powerful consequences.

So take the listen.

Thank you, Kent Cressa, and thank you Jean Jean Luchampot, and thank you, Judy Campbell,

and thank you, Congressman Schiff, and thank you Mayor Baggart, Bogart, and especially thank you

to all 205 members of the Caltech class of 2008, plus the extra 14 who are getting pretty

close and allowed to sit here. Congratulations to all of you. It's a great, great honor to be here.

Normally, if you're a science reporter at NPR and ABC, a trip to Caltech means that you call ahead,

and you ask for a few precious moments with a world-class, intellectual, whatever,

and you're ushered in, and you furiously take notes all the time thinking,

do I have any idea what this man is saying?

This woman, I'm sure you know the feeling.

And when I got my invitation asking me to give you guys a lecture,

...