Conspiracy Theories

Wrath, rivalry, or coverup? Despite over 2200 people dying in the Johnstown flood, no one has ever been held legally responsible for the neglected dam that caused it. Survivors were left to wonder: Was this an act of God, designed to punish them? Did a business rivalry between iron and steel magnates lead to this destruction? And did the dam’s owners know they were liable… and tried to cover it up? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After years of neglect, the decaying South Fork dam gave way in May 1889 — flooding a town of steelworkers, and killing thousands. In the aftermath, the surviving townspeople looked to the dam’s wealthy owners for answers. But they’d already fled. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An IRS agent uncovers embezzlement in an American soccer official’s transactions. FBI investigates bribery allegations in World Cup bidding. Massive corruption scandal explodes in the heart of soccer. Controversy surrounding Qatar's World Cup bid. Chuck Blaser becomes FBI informant in FIFA corruption investigation. Unethical practices and potential bribery in FIFA World Cup bidding process. Qatar's secret weapon Mohammed bin Hamam. FIFA's indictment, Qatar's alleged cheating, and schedule change.

Controversy surrounding Qatar's World Cup bid, FIFA's transformation into a global powerhouse, corruption and bribery scandal within FIFA, selection process for World Cup host nations, bidders for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, Qatar's challenges in hosting the World Cup, suspicions of corruption within FIFA

If NASA could hide an alliance with a government espionage office, what else could it be hiding? Today we examine the alleged evidence of a secret spacewalk, a martian city, and a remarkable sound from deep space.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

High-risk missions. International competition. And the keys to the cosmos. When you think of clandestine organizations, NASA might not top the list — and yet it has all the elements to be more shadowy than the dark side of the moon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a buzzy word meant to invoke a sense of immersion within a virtual world — where boundaries are obliterated, and possibilities are limitless. But what will the Metaverse actually feel like? From the holographic visions of tech companies, to the hardware required to make it happen, to the revolutionary potential of mind uploading and mixed reality, will a fully cyber society make life easier — or end life as we know it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They’re modern marvels, all around us — artificial products we can eat (lab-grown meat), transplant (bioprinted organs), and even inject into our bodies (synthetic vaccines). But not everyone’s convinced they’re miracles. Top of mind for critics? Are they safe, are they sustainable — and what does expanding the frontier of artificiality mean for our future? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Automation promises to make our lives radically more efficient, with the power to change everything from how countries develop weapons of warfare, to how patients are diagnosed, to how people who violate laws are sentenced. But experts are theorizing these changes won’t always be for the better. And at the heart of the conversation is a deceptively simple question: What will we lose when the algorithms become too convenient for our own good? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From brain implants and bionic limbs to gene editing and immortality — today’s technology has the potential to lead us down a path we couldn’t conceive of centuries, or even decades, ago. Question is: How far do we want it to take us — and will our destination be worth the cost to get there? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices