What Would Happen if All the Antarctic Ice Melted?
It … let's just say it would not be good. Here, let's do the math. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 19, 2020•9 min
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.
Last refreshed: ⓘ
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more
Episodes
Meteorite Is a Love Letter to Space Rocks
For centuries, scientists thought meteorites were too fantastical to exist. A new book reveals that they hold even more mysteries. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 16, 2020•9 min
The Most Sway-Prone Buildings in LA Aren’t Where You Expect
Using a network of sensors, researchers found that the Los Angeles high-rises most likely to rock in a future quake aren’t downtown. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 15, 2020•8 min
New York Is Trying Targeted Lockdowns. Will It Stop a Second Wave?
Instead of shutting down all of New York City, this time officials are taking a block-by-block approach to home in on areas with increasing case numbers. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 14, 2020•11 min
A Global Data Effort Probes Whether Covid Causes Diabetes
Dozens of case reports have hinted that the coronavirus might trigger the onset of diabetes in people with no history of the disease. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 13, 2020•9 min
This Congresswoman Wants to Rev Up Covid Testing
Mikie Sherrill’s new bill would tie federal reimbursement to testing result times—and reward labs for extra quick turnarounds. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 12, 2020•7 min
The Wire Inspired a Fake Turtle Egg That Spies on Poachers
Scientists 3D-printed sea turtle eggs and stuffed transmitters inside. When poachers pulled them out of nests, the devices tracked their every move. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 09, 2020•9 min
Anthony Fauci Has Some Very Good Reasons to Be Optimistic
During Day 3 of WIRED25, the public health rock star emphasized the importance of masks, distancing, handwashing … and a positive outlook. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 08, 2020•6 min
Taiwan’s Digital Minister Knows How to Crush Covid-19: Trust
On Day 3 of WIRED25, Audrey Tang explains how the Asian nation used open data and transparent governance to empower its citizens to code their own way out of a pandemic. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 07, 2020•5 min
Why Is It So Hard to Study Covid-Related Smell Loss?
Patients have long reported the sudden inability to smell. But restrictions on in-person exams are complicating efforts to figure out what's going on. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 06, 2020•12 min
Meet Curly, the Curling Robot That Beats the Pros
Curling is one of the world's most precise sports. An ice-going, stone-throwing robot just mastered it. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 05, 2020•11 min
The Coronavirus Dashboard Creator Has a New Target: Elections
On Day 2 of WIRED25, coder Avi Schiffmann talks about his plans for a site that aggregates candidates' positions—in a way users can understand. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 02, 2020•5 min
Want to Save the Whales? Eavesdrop on Their Calls
A clever new system called Whale Safe listens for the cetacean chorus to alert vessels to slow down, potentially preventing deadly ship strikes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 01, 20200
Colds Nearly Vanished Under Lockdown. Now They’re Coming Back
The return of non-Covid respiratory illnesses is putting a new strain on testing supplies around the world—and is a preview of what’s in store for the US. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 30, 2020•11 min
The Cool Physics of a Supersonic Baseball
For one thing, let's build a model of air drag and how it affects the ball differently when it's traveling faster and slower than the speed of sound. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 29, 2020•11 min
What’s Causing the Mass Bird Die-Off in the Southwest?
Thousands of migrating birds have died, perhaps starved by drier conditions related to climate change or by having to fly inland to avoid wildfire smoke. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 28, 2020•5 min
How the Pandemic Transformed This Songbird’s Call
When the San Francisco Bay Area locked down, urban noise levels plummeted. In response, the white-crowned sparrow changed its tune. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 25, 2020•8 min
Is Lightning-Fast Plasma the Key to a Cleaner Car Engine?
Researchers have long experimented with “lean burn” engines, which boost efficiency and reduce the emissions from combustion. But getting them to ignite is tricky. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 24, 2020•12 min
If You've Just Had Covid, Exercise Might Not Be Good for You
A growing number of studies are raising concerns about the coronavirus’ long-term effects on the heart. Athletes especially need to heed the warnings. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 23, 2020•8 min
What’s in Wildfire Smoke, and How Dangerous Is It?
Blazes on the West Coast are spewing a haze clear across the country. Along the way, the complex chemistry of what we inhale gets even more complex. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 22, 2020•10 min
Blood Centers Are Barely Meeting Convalescent Plasma Demand
Despite a lack of scientific studies on its efficacy for Covid-19, interest in the treatment has surged alongside case numbers. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 21, 2020•9 min
These New Shape-Shifting Materials Get Super Cool, Super Fast
Shape memory alloys and a kind of plastic crystal chill quickly under force or pressure. They could lead to eco-friendly fridges and air conditioners. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 18, 2020•11 min
Your Beloved Blue Jeans Are Polluting the Ocean—Big Time
When you wash denim, tiny fibers shed and flow into the environment. Scientists just found that Arctic waters are now loaded with little bits of jeans. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 17, 2020•12 min
Those Orange Western Skies and the Science of Light
Sure, it was wildfire smoke that made parts of California and Oregon change hue. But inside that smoke was alchemy—the chemistry and physics of molecules and wavelengths. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 16, 2020•7 min
The Bay Area Just Turned Orange. All Eyes Are on PurpleAir
Catastrophic wildfires are spewing smoke all over the West Coast. This website lets you track the respiratory crisis in real time—with a few caveats. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 15, 2020•9 min
Mathematicians Report New Discovery About the Dodecahedron
Starting at a corner, could you walk around the surface of this Platonic solid without crossing other corners? To get the answer, you need an 81-holed doughnut. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 14, 2020•8 min
Flu Season and Covid-19 Are About to Collide. Now What?
Hospitals in the US are already stressed. Now, they must brace for a wave of flu patients needing more beds, lab tests, and ventilators. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 11, 2020•11 min
Could a Tree Help Find a Decaying Corpse Nearby?
On a “body farm,” researchers are exploring whether the nutrients from human cadavers can change the look of plants, which authorities might use to locate missing persons. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 10, 2020•9 min
Climate Change Drove the American Mastodon to Extinction
They migrated north to escape the heat but lost their genetic diversity, making them vulnerable to extinction. Today, some species face the same problem. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 09, 20200
Your Smartphone Can Tell If You’re Drunk-Walking
In a recent study, scientists could tell if people were intoxicated just by looking at their phones’ motion data. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sep 08, 2020•10 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android