Entanglements, by Undark
Undark Magazine
After a two-year hiatus, the Undark podcast returns with a new format and a new name: Entanglements. Join science journalists Brooke Borel and Anna Rothschild as they invite guests with both expertise and divergent opinions on some of the most contentious and politicized areas of science today, from vaccines and GMOs to deep sea mining, AI, and the origins of Covid. Their goal: To see if they can break through the discord and find common ground. Far from an exercise in false balance, Entanglements, like Undark, seeks to bring civil discussion — and a bit of fun and wonder — back to the intersection of science and culture.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 8, 2025 • 17min
How to Cover Science Under Trump
In the Season 2 finale, our hosts talk to Tom Zeller Jr., Undark’s editor-in-chief, about covering science under the Trump administration. While the podcast's topics are always politically charged, they have become even more so in the current political climate.
Oct 1, 2025 • 32min
Do We Know Enough to Use Psychedelics As Medicine?
This week on Entanglements: Do we have enough scientific evidence to approve psychedelics as medicine? Our hosts unpack the data with Albert Garcia-Romeu, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Bertha Madras, a professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School.
Sep 24, 2025 • 36min
What Should We Risk to Settle Space?
This week on Entanglements: Should we live on Mars, and beyond? Our hosts talk to Tiffany Vora, a biologist and space advocate who has done three analog Mars simulations, and Kelly Weinersmith, a biologist and the co-author of the book “A City on Mars."
Sep 17, 2025 • 38min
Should Companies Decide Our Tech Future?
This week on Entanglements: Should tech companies — and the billionaires that often run them — decide for the rest of us how artificial intelligence is deployed? Our hosts dig into the topic with two book authors who have covered AI from essentially opposing perspectives: Greg Beato and Adam Becker.
Sep 10, 2025 • 32min
Should We Revamp Our Voting System?
This week on Entanglements: Should we switch all U.S. elections to ranked choice voting? Our hosts discuss the pros and cons with Deb Otis, director of research and policy for Fair Vote, a non-profit that works on election reform, and David McCune, a professor of mathematics at William Jewell College in Missouri.
Sep 3, 2025 • 25min
Should We Change Our Planet's Climate...On Purpose?
This week on Entanglements: Should we run outdoor geoengineering experiments? Our hosts dive into this fiercely debated topic with an atmospheric chemist from Harvard University and a planetary physicist from Oxford University.
Aug 27, 2025 • 36min
Should We Try to Prevent Autism?
This week on Entanglements: Should we try to prevent autism? Our hosts speak with Jill Escher, a philanthropist, president of the National Council on Severe Autism, and parent of two young adults with severe nonverbal autism, and Eric García, the Washington bureau chief at The Independent, who himself is autistic.
Aug 20, 2025 • 35min
Kicking Off Season 2: Should We Make Viruses More Dangerous – For Science?
We're back! This week on Entanglements: Should we make viruses more dangerous? Our hosts discuss this question, and its contentious history, with a microbiologist from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a virologist from the Pasteur Institute in Paris.
Dec 30, 2024 • 21min
Wrapping Up Season 1
This week on Entanglements: What did we learn from our first season? What’s on deck for the future? Our hosts explore these questions and more in conversations with a special guest.
Dec 23, 2024 • 50min
Is Fluoride Toxic at Low Levels?
This week on Entanglements: Is fluoride toxic at low levels? Our hosts explore this question in conversations with a professor from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry and a neuropsychologist and professor at York University.
