AJ Jacobs likes to experiment on himself and once he sets himself a challenge will do whatever it takes to meet it. He spent eight hours a day reading the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. He spent a year trying to be the healthiest man alive. And, most amazingly, he spent an entire year trying to fulfill every commandment of the bible. That’s not just the basic ten…he followed the rules about not sitting on a chair used by a menstruating woman, he stoned adulterers (in a way that he couldn’t get arrested for) and he found out the real secret behind Ezekiel bread.

In this interview, we talk about the many books that have come out of his self-experiments and what they have taught him. We also talk about his latest project to construct a family tree for the entire human family. So far, the largest family tree is 77 million people. AJ’s on it and you can be too by visiting globalfamilyreunion.com. He’s even hosting a reunion for the entire human family. You’re invited. So is his 17th cousin Gwyneth Paltrow and his 18th cousin Olivia Wilde. You’re his cousin too. AJ Jacobs is the author of The Year of Living Biblically, Know-it-All, My Life as an Experiment and Drop Dead Healthy. Visit him on the web at http://ajjacobs.com/, follow him on twitter @ajjacobs or like him on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ajjacobs. It’s the least you can do. He is your cousin after all.

Year Living Biblically J Jacobs

The Know It All Humble Become Smartest

My Life as Experiment Jacobs

Drop Dead Healthy Humble Perfection