PBS News Hour - Science

Oct 27 2024 25 ep. 6 mins 4k
PBS News Hour - Science Podcast artwork

Listen to PBS News Hour science reporting published every Wednesday by 9 p.m. Featuring reports from Miles O'Brien, Nsikan Akpan and the rest of our science crew, we take on topics ranging from the future of 3-D printing to power of placebo drugs. Is this not what you're looking for? Don't miss our other podcasts for our full shows, individual segments, Brooks and Capehart, Brief but Spectacular, Politics Monday and more. Find them in iTunes or in your favorite podcasting app. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

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Scientists search for ways to battle deadly fungus devastating North America's bats

Oct 27 2024 5 mins  
The association between bats and Halloween dates back thousands of years, based on the superstition that the flying mammals are omens of death. But for nearly two decades, North American bats have been facing a deadly threat themselves: a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. Ali Rogin speaks with New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer for more. PBS News is supported by - https:

States work to track down and cap dangerous methane leaks from abandoned oil and gas wells

Oct 24 2024 8 mins  
Two major laws passed by Congress and signed by President Biden provide new money and new requirements for reducing potent methane emissions, including those coming from abandoned oil and gas wells. The federal government has started awarding some contracts for capping those wells, but the election could impact whether this work will continue. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien re

A Brief But Spectacular take on being a wildland firefighter amid climate change

Oct 17 2024 3 mins  
Sarah Jakober is a U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter who serves on the Grand Ronde Rappel Crew based in Grande, Oregon. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on being a wildland firefighter. Jakober provides a window into a day on the job as climate change lengthens wildfire seasons and intensifies their impact. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/abo

New book 'Threat Multiplier' details the fight for the Pentagon to adapt to climate change

Oct 13 2024 7 mins  
At a 2021 climate conference, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "No nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis." That sentiment reflects the Pentagon's three-decade evolution on climate change. Ali Rogin sat down with Sherri Goodman, a former Pentagon official who chronicles that transformation in her new book, "Threat Multiplier." PBS News is support

Winner of Nobel Prize in chemistry describes how his work could transform lives

Oct 10 2024 6 mins  
The Nobel Prize in chemistry went to three scientists for groundbreaking work using artificial intelligence to advance biomedical and protein research. AlphaFold uses databases of protein structures and sequences to predict and even design protein structures. It speeds up a months or years-long process to mere hours or minutes. Amna Nawaz discussed more with one of the winners, Dem

Hurricane Helene's reach shows why no place is immune from impacts of climate change

Oct 02 2024 6 mins  
Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida but towns hundreds of miles from the coast have seen some of the worst destruction. Communities once considered 'climate havens' are facing a harsh reality, there may be no such thing. William Brangham discussed the impacts of a warming world and what individuals and communities can do with Alex Steffen, writer of the newsletter, "The Snap

Papua New Guinea leaders struggle to monitor deep-sea mining activities off its coast

Sep 19 2024 11 mins  
The kind of deep-sea mining that we've examined this week is only legally permitted inside a country's territorial waters. The only country on earth to allow it so far is Papua New Guinea. Videographer Edward Kiernan and special correspondent Willem Marx report on how difficult it is for the impoverished Pacific nation to monitor deep-sea mining activities. PBS News is supported by

Papua New Guinea locals concerned over deep-sea mining's impact on culture and environment

Sep 18 2024 10 mins  
The companies that create technology used on a daily basis often run into traditional cultures and the environment that sustains them. In a previous report, videographer Edward Kiernan and special correspondent Willem Marx introduced us to the new and potentially lucrative industry of deep-sea mining. They return to Papua New Guinea and report on locals fighting to save a vanishing

Companies dig the deepest depths to mine valuable metals from the ocean floor

Sep 17 2024 9 mins  
Mankind has mined the earth's surface for thousands of years. Now there's a furious race to find even more metal that will enable the world's energy transition away from fossil fuels. In Papua New Guinea, one company is digging what may become the world's first operational deep-sea mining site. Videographer Edward Kiernan and special correspondent Willem Marx report. PBS News is su

Critical report warns NASA is underfunded and its future is at risk

Sep 10 2024 4 mins  
A four-person crew of civilians launched Tuesday morning on a private Space-X rocket for a five-day mission to include the first commercial spacewalk in history. NASA has big plans to send people to the Moon and Mars, but a sweeping new report from the National Academies of Sciences raises questions about the agency. Science Correspondent Miles O'Brien reports. PBS News is supporte