After the Fact

What Does a Barbie Pig Have to Do With Seabed Mining?

Meet the "barbie pig," "gummy squirrel," and "headless chicken monster": These fantastical-sounding nicknames belong to real creatures living in the deep sea—one of the most extreme environments on Earth. And taxonomists, the scientists who discover and name new species, are finding new life in the ocean with every expedition to its depths. In fact, the deep sea makes up 90% of the marine environment, yet recent science suggests we've seen less than 1% of it. But in the same place where a creatu...

When the Electric Grid Goes Down, One Campus Stays Powered

At Gallaudet University, one of the world's only universities designed to serve deaf and hard of hearing students, a groundbreaking project is underway: a campus-wide microgrid designed to power the entire school with sustainable energy. Gallaudet's microgrid can generate about 1.7 megawatts of electricity, putting its system on par with what it takes to power hundreds of homes in the United States. In this episode of "After the Fact," join us as we visit Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C....

You're Probably Wrong About Seagrass

One of the most powerful natural tools we have to protect our environment lives out of sight, just beneath the ocean surface: seagrass. It exists on every continent except Antarctica, serves as an essential habitat for fish, and defends coastlines from erosion while sequestering carbon that would otherwise contribute to a warming climate. In fact, scientists estimate that seagrass meadows are responsible for 10% of the carbon stored in the ocean each year. But nations can't benefit from this nat...

What Happens When You Invest Money in Nature

How much does it cost to protect a forest, an ocean, or an entire ecosystem? And where does that money come from? This special crossover episode between "After the Fact" and the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF's) "Nature Breaking" podcast dives into the topic of nature finance. And with an estimated $1.2 trillion needed annually by 2030 to halt biodiversity loss, this funding needs to be secured quickly and on a large scale. Experts from Pew and WWF share how this funding is raised to support innovat...

Message Received: A Solution for Missed Court Hearings

Text message reminders help many of us manage our busy, day-to-day lives—especially for important appointments. But what happens when that appointment is a court date? These systems are often not digital and not set up to help people who forget or are missing information about their hearing. And the consequences for people missing their court date, even by accident, can escalate quickly. Pew's Michelle Russell tells us about the research behind why there can be a lot of no-shows in court. She sh...

How Civil Discourse Can Help the U.S. Find Common Ground

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Americans are growing more concerned about the state of the nation's democracy. According to Pew Research Center, 80% of U.S. adults say that when it comes to major issues facing the country, Republican and Democratic voters don't just disagree on policies—they can't even agree on basic facts. So, what does it take to bridge divides during a time of deep polarization? In this special rebroadcast of The Pew Charitable Trusts and Disagree Bett...

How Parental Stress Fuels Doomscrolling

Getting a first smartphone has become a modern rite of passage for many children and teens. And with the rise of social media and the constant need to stay connected, today's kids are spending more time online than any other generation. But parents are often just as glued to screens as their children, and many are concerned that their own tech habits are straining family relationships and affecting their mental health. In fact, a 2024 report from the U.S. surgeon general found that 48% of parent...

From Lab to Life: Making Cancer Treatment Less Toxic

A cancer diagnosis can be devastating. And the chemotherapy that often follows can be particularly rigorous. The American Cancer Society projects that 2.1 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in 2026—but researchers are making major advances in cancer treatment and patient survival. Ziyang Zhang is a chemist and 2023 Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research who leads cutting-edge studies on reducing the negative effects of chemotherapy on cancer patients. In his lab a...

Do Fewer Homes Mean More Fire Risk?

Last year, a devastating and deadly fire in Milwaukee forced residents to confront a painful reality: The places where many people can afford to live are often the least safe. As the United States faces a shortage of millions of homes, new research shows that the path to safer, more affordable housing may lie in modern multifamily buildings that are constructed with fire-resistant materials like sprinkler systems and stronger building codes. In fact, the rate of fire death in modern apartments i...

What's the Deal With State Budgets This Year?

Each January brings legislators back to their statehouses, where budget decisions once again take center stage. In the past few years, state budgets have been bolstered by leftover pandemic-era federal aid. In fact, in 2023, federal dollars made up about 36% of state revenue. But in 2026, new federal policy changes are in play that will leave lawmakers with tough choices about how to balance their budgets and still fund the programs that serve their constituents. In this episode of "After the Fa...

The Treaty That Could Save the Ocean

For the first time in history, the world has formally agreed to protect nearly half the planet. In September 2025, the United Nations ratified the high seas treaty, officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement—a landmark global pact to safeguard the parts of the ocean that lie beyond any one country's national jurisdiction. These vast waters—the high seas— cover nearly half of Earth's surface and sustain much of the life on our planet. Yet until now, they've...

Protecting the Pantanal and Gran Chaco

In the heart of South America, the Chaco-Pantanal region holds the planet's largest tropical wetland. It's a place that's teeming with colorful birds, capybaras, anteaters, and even jaguars. Unlike the Amazon, this region has largely resisted deforestation, so conservation here is about preservation, not restoration. Take a trip with us in this episode of "After the Fact," in which Amelia Moura and Natalia Araujo, who work on Pew's conserving the Pantanal and Gran Chaco of South America project,...

In Conversation With Ken Burns: America's Story of Revolution, Liberty, and Democracy

As America approaches the 250th anniversary of its founding, Ken Burns offers the nation his latest documentary, "The American Revolution." In a conversation with "After the Fact," the acclaimed documentarian discusses the making of the six-part film, which premieres on PBS on Nov. 16. He explains that the Revolution required the bringing together of people of all stripes, from farmers and shopkeepers to wealthy landowners, who, in rebelling against the British crown, not only were seeking redre...

Gen Z Vibes on Retirement

Millions of Americans are behind on their retirement savings goals, and nearly 70% of those already retired wish they had started saving earlier. But Gen Z, the latest generation to enter the workforce, is an outlier, with the data showing that they are saving more than millennials and putting new emphasis on planning for the future. What gives? In this episode of "After the Fact," John Scott, who directs Pew's retirement savings project, explains new ways people can save more and earlier. And T...

America's Most Problematic Drug Is Alcohol

While opioid use disorder dominates headlines, alcohol quietly remains America's most problematic—and overlooked—drug. Nearly 30 million people are estimated to have alcohol use disorder. In this episode of "After the Fact," Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, an addiction medicine specialist, and Pew's Frances McGaffey discuss the latest trends related to alcohol use, its normalization in American culture, and the evolving science behind its risks....

From Lab to Life: How to Heat-Proof Coral Reefs

The ocean's coral reefs support an estimated 25% of all known marine life yet are threatened by rising ocean temperatures and bleaching. In this "After the Fact" episode from our recurring "From Lab to Life" series, we look at ways scientists are pioneering efforts to save corals. Phillip Cleves is a marine scientist who researches ways to restore and protect these important ecosystems. From his lab at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he describes ho...

The Case for Manufactured Housing

As home prices continue to climb, many Americans are seeking more affordable options. And manufactured homes could be the solution. A new manufactured home installed on a foundation costs 35% to 73% as much as a similar site-built home. In this episode, Rachel Siegel from Pew's housing policy initiative explains the advantages of buying a manufactured home and debunks old stereotypes that inform the outdated zoning and titling laws that limit access to these types of houses.

From Headlines to Hashtags: How Americans Are Consuming News Today

The way Americans consume information is evolving fast, and younger Americans are increasingly turning to nontraditional sources for their news. According to Pew Research Center, 39% of adults under 30 regularly get their news from influencers rather than traditional outlets. In this episode of "After the Fact," we explore what this shift means for trust in journalism, the role of social media in shaping public opinion, and how news organizations are responding to this changing landscape. Drawin...

The Grand Canyon National Park Turns 100

Take a road trip with us this summer as we revisit one of America's most iconic landscapes: the Grand Canyon. This episode originally aired in 2019 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Grand Canyon's designation as a national park. In this episode, host Dan LeDuc explores the beauty and geological history of this natural wonder with Wayne Ranney , a geologist who has spent his career studying the canyon.

Ken Burns: 'America's Storyteller' on His Creative Process

In this episode, acclaimed documentarian Ken Burns offers us a look into his dynamic creative process and shares what inspires him to create powerful, enduring narratives of iconic historical figures and periods. Since this episode originally aired in 2020, Burns has captivated audiences with documentaries on Ernest Hemingway, Muhammad Ali, Benjamin Franklin, the U.S. and the Holocaust, and the American buffalo as well as Burns' first non-American figure and topic: Leonardo da Vinci. This fall, ...

Scientists at Work: Why Do Mosquitoes Bite You?

This summer, we're taking another look at one of the peskiest and deadliest insects on the planet: the mosquito. Millions of people are infected each year by diseases transmitted through mosquito bites, such as dengue fever, yellow fever, and malaria. In this episode, which originally aired in 2019, mosquito expert Carolyn "Lindy" McBride, a 2015 Pew biomedical scholar , shares the science behind why you may be more susceptible than other people to their bites....

Keeping the Lights on in the Age of AI

As artificial intelligence grows in popularity, new data centers must accommodate the systems' enormous need for energy. At the same time, household energy usage is rising throughout the United States. These increasing demands for electricity are stressing our nation's aging electric grid. In this episode of "After the Fact," we travel to Houston—the epicenter of the U.S. power industry—to talk with experts, journalists, and electricity providers about why investments in modernizing the grid are...

Scientists at Work: The Wonder of Blue Whales

Because of their massive size, blue whales are known as the ocean's "gentle giants." They are vital to the ocean ecosystem, but their numbers are declining. In this episode, 2016 Pew marine fellow Dr. Asha de Vos unpacks the significance of blue whales to our ocean's health and how effects from human activity, such as increased shipping and the whale-watching industry, influence the blue whale's population and migratory pattern. Since this episode first aired in 2019, de Vos has continued conser...

From Lab to Life: We Need to Talk About Fish

Have you tried to figure out whether the fish you eat is sustainably sourced? At least 1 in 5 fish caught in the global ocean is a product of illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing—one of the main threats to the health of the ocean. In this episode, part of our "From Lab to Life" series, we hear from Grantly Galland, who supports The Pew Charitable Trusts' work on fisheries around the world. Grant tells us about his previous career as a fish biologist and researcher and how he traded in hi...

What Philadelphia Can Teach Us About Homeownership

Each year, The Pew Charitable Trusts releases the "State of the City" report, which offers a data-rich snapshot of Pew's hometown, Philadelphia. In this episode, Katie Martin, who leads Pew's Philadelphia research and policy initiative, breaks down the highlights from the 2025 edition. She discusses the city's successes, such as the decrease in poverty—at 20.3%, it's the lowest it's been in more than two decades—and its ongoing challenges, including the decline in homeownership, and how this tro...

Are the Kids All Right?

According to Pew Research Center, 55% of U.S. parents report being extremely or very concerned about the mental health of teens today. And several factors are driving that concern: increased influence of technology and social media, lingering effects of the pandemic, and social pressures like extracurricular activities and academic performance. Substance use is also linked with mental health and is occurring at younger ages with a rise in youth overdoses. Mental health wellness and prevention pr...

Why Didn't the Elk Cross the Road?

Can State Budgets Withstand Natural Disasters?

Story: Wildfires have once again made headlines, highlighting the growing intensity and frequency of natural disasters across the United States. And these disasters leave more than destruction in their wake; they have lasting effects on communities, including expensive recovery bills. In fact, 2024 was the fourth-costliest year on record with 27 natural disasters that resulted in at least $1 billion in damage each. In this episode of "After the Fact," we speak to Pew's Colin Foard and Caitlyn Wa...

From Lab to Life: The Forgotten Organ That Built You

Stat: 1/3: Placental-related disorders, such as miscarriage and pre-eclampsia, affect around a third of human pregnancies. Story: The placenta is a temporary yet vital organ that can have long-term effects on the lives of babies and mothers. But it's often discarded and remains an understudied part of pregnancy. In this episode of our "From Lab to Life" series, Geetu Tuteja describes how her lab at Iowa State University is working to better understand the placenta's functions and why placental d...

Turning Surplus Food into Millions of Meals

Stat: 40%: Up to 40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Story: When you see the perfect displays of produce in grocery stores, do you ever wonder whether it's all sold before it spoils? It isn't, and stores often pay to send unpurchased produce to landfills. In this episode of "After the Fact," Evan Ehlers, founder of Sharing Excess, shares how his organization is working to solve what he calls "the world's dumbest proble...