Elizabeth Kolbert has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1999. Prior to that, she was a reporter for The New York Times. Her books include Field Notes from a Catastrophe (2006), The Sixth Extinction (2014), for which she won a Pulitzer Prize, and most recently, Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future (2021). She is a two-time National Magazine Award winner and has received a National Academies Communication Award. Kolbert is a visiting fellow at the Center for Environmental Studies at Williams College.

John Dahl is a Microbiology Professor at the University of Minnesota whose scientific work focuses on tuberculosis. John has received numerous teaching awards and is passionate about innovative educational and research approaches that encourage people to view the world through cross-desciplinary perspectives.  His knack for making interesting connections is showcased annually at his popular “zombie fest” symposiums where academics from many disciplines gather to discuss their fields through a unifying idea of zombies. This allows biologists, chemists, behavioral scientists, musicians, artists, writers, and many others to collaborate on something entirely novel. His 2019 book Darwin’s Second Voyage uses travel anecdotes and everyday experiences to help explain Charles Darwin’s life and amazing ideas. He is currently a visiting staff fellow for the US Food and Drug Administration.

Lawrence Krauss is an internationally known theoretical physicist and bestselling author. He is currently President of The Origins Project Foundation, and host of The Origins Podcast, His wide research interests have focused on the interface between elementary particle physics and cosmology, including the origin and evolution of the Universe and the fundamental structure of matter. Among his numerous important scientific contributions was the proposal, in 1995, that most of the energy of the Universe resided in empty space. Lawrence Krauss previously served as Director of Arizona State University’s Origins Project, and Foundation Professor for a decade from 2008-2018, and also as Chair of the Board of Sponsors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists from 2006-2018. During his career Prof. Krauss has held endowed professorships and distinguished research appointments at institutions including Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Boston University, University of Zurich, University of California at Santa Barbara, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), Case Western Reserve University, Australian National University, Arizona State University, and New College of Humanities. In 2008 Lawrence Krauss created and served for a decade as Inaugural Director of the Origins Project, a national center for research and outreach on origins issues, from the origins of the universe, to human origins, to the origins of the consciousness and culture. Much of that effort has been taken over in the new nonprofit Foundation, which sponsors public events, hosts the podcast, and organizes travel adventures, connecting the public with scientists and leading intellectuals to discuss the most important ideas humanity faces in the 21st century. He has written over 600 publications and 12 popular books, including the international best-sellers, The Physics of Star Trek and A Universe from Nothing. His latest book, The Edge of Knowledge, was released in May 2023. Krauss has written for magazines and newspapers including, to name just a few, The New York Times, The Wall St. Journal, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, and the New Yorker, and appears regularly on radio, television and most recently in several feature films. Among his numerous awards are included the three major awards from all 3 US physics societies and the 2012 Public Service Award from the National Science Board for his contributions to the public understanding of science.