Science, Spoken
Get in-depth coverage of current and future trends in technology, and how they are shaping business, entertainment, communications, science, politics, and society.
Latest episodes
Aug 31, 2023 • 8min
DART Showed How to Smash an Asteroid. So Where Did the Space Shrapnel Go?
Last year’s NASA mission proved it was possible to knock an incoming near-Earth object off course. But that creates debris—which might also be a threat.Read this story here.
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Aug 30, 2023 • 9min
The Massive Campaign to Air-Drop Tiny Rabies Vaccines to Raccoons
Raccoons are a main carrier of rabies in the US. A government effort distributes millions of tasty vaccines to protect both animals and people.Read this story here.
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Aug 29, 2023 • 9min
The Race to Save Yellowknife From Raging Wildfires
Some residents of Yellowknife are staying behind to fight back wildfires that could soon engulf the Canadian city. Others have shared harrowing stories as they race to escape the flames.Read this story here.
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Aug 28, 2023 • 12min
The Battle Against the Fungal Apocalypse Is Just Beginning
Fungal infections are rising worldwide and climate change may be to blame. Medicine isn’t ready.Read this story here.
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Aug 25, 2023 • 11min
India’s Lander Touches Down on the Moon. Russia’s Has Crashed
While India’s spacecraft landed on the lunar surface, the Russian one collided with it. The mixed record shows that developing a lunar economy won’t be easy.Read this story here.
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Aug 24, 2023 • 8min
The Winds That Doomed Lahaina
Gusts primed the Maui landscape to burn, then drove an out-of-control blaze. It’s a worst-case scenario that’s growing increasingly common around the world.Read this story here.
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Aug 23, 2023 • 6min
How Hilary Turned Into a Monster Storm
Mexico and the western US are reeling from record-shattering rainfall. Blame high ocean temperatures—and prepare for worse to come as the planet warms.Read this story here.
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Aug 22, 2023 • 6min
Montana Youth Win a Historic Climate Case
A victory for Montanans’ right to a clean, healthy environment could set a precedent for other climate lawsuits throughout the United States.Read this story here.
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Aug 21, 2023 • 9min
Russia and India Are Racing to Put Landers on the Moon
Robotic spacecraft from both countries are aiming to touch down on the moon’s southern hemisphere, as one’s space program waxes and the other wanes.Read this story here.
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Aug 18, 2023 • 9min
Use of AI Is Seeping Into Academic Journals—and It’s Proving Difficult to Detect
The podcast discusses the challenge of detecting AI in scientific writing, including one case where a peer-reviewed study included a sentence associated with a chatbot AI. It explores the challenges of detecting and disclosing AI use in academic journals, and the impact of AI on the quality and authenticity of scientific literature. A study that developed a tool to differentiate between human-written and AI-written science writing is also highlighted.
