From Princeton to the Nobel Prizes — How FFP Started + 2025 Nobel Recap
Date
Oct 15, 2025
After a wild week covering all three 2025 Nobel Prizes, Lester and Krishna look back on how From First Principles started — from their Princeton days to building an “ESPN for Science.” They revisit highlights from this year’s Medicine, Physics, and Chemistry Prizes and talk about why funding, immigration, and fundamental research matter for the future of American science. Quick note: this week’s episode is in vertical format because of a technical hiccup during recording — back to widescreen next week!
Summary
• Origin Story — How two friends from Princeton (physics + arts program) built FFP and why their immigrant families and science-driven upbringings shaped the show.
• The Mission — Building an “ESPN for Science” that treats scientists like athletes and research like sport.
• Nobel Recap — Quick follow-ups on Medicine (Tregs and non-immune roles), Physics (macroscopic quantum tunneling and the quantum supremacy debate), and Chemistry (MOFs and industrial scaling).
• Funding + Immigration Crisis — Why cutbacks to NSF and DOE grants threaten U.S. science leadership and how immigrant researchers have defined American innovation.
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