He Spent 3 Weeks Unplugged at the Bottom of the Grand Canyon — While Accidentally Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment

What happens when a curious biochemist follows his wife to California, falls in love with whitewater rafting — and accidentally makes one of the most important cancer discoveries of the 20th century?

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Tony Hunter, the 2025 St. Gyorgi Prize winner and Salk Institute legend, whose 1979 discovery of tyrosine phosphorylation laid the foundation for over 80 cancer drugs in use today. We talk about the moment the scientific world accepted his discovery, why America's cancer research dominance is now under serious threat, the "valley of death" killing promising treatments before they reach patients, and what AI can — and can't — do for the future of cancer medicine.

Equal parts science, adventure, and a warning the research world needs to hear.