The phone in your hand is more powerful than all of the computers that put a man on the moon, combined. In the age of supercomputers, driverless cars, and mail-order DNA testing it’s easy to forget that the journey to these incredible innovations was a lot of surprising moments. We’re fascinated with the scientists, engineers and innovators who changed the world for the better… and sometimes worse. These are the leaps of mankind, as they happened.

We had the chance to talk to Steven Johnson, bestselling author of 11 books and the host of a new show that I think you'll like, American Innovations. Listen and subscribe to our first arc, The Dynamo of DNA, wherever you’re listening to this right now.