PBS News Hour - Science - TopPodcast.com

Astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore on their longer than expected stay in space Feb 25, 2025

For NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, the long wait to return to Earth is almost over. They went to the International Space Station last June in a Boeing Starliner spacecraft. They were supposed to return a week later, but because of problems with the Starliner, they’ve stayed at the station for over 250 days. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Williams, Wilmore and crewmate Nick Hague. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

How NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission may help us understand the origins of life on Earth Feb 08, 2025

The origins of life on our planet remains one of science’s great mysteries. Now, a NASA mission that brought a piece of an ancient asteroid back to Earth has revealed that the building blocks of life may have been scattered throughout the solar system billions of years ago. Ali Rogin reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Why engineers are turning to beavers for insights into managing water resources Feb 06, 2025

Beavers and the dams they build are not always embraced in the areas where they do their work. But there's a growing recognition that they also are building a kind of natural infrastructure that helps with water management and the climate. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien went to see the beavers at work during their busy season and has the story for our ongoing coverage of Tipping Points. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Study finds gender-affirming medical care for minors is very rare, refuting political narrative Jan 26, 2025

Trump and Republican candidates made rolling back federal protections for transgender people a big issue, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on TV ads, much of it focused on gender-affirming care for minors. Despite the attention, a new study finds that gender-affirming medications are very rarely prescribed to adolescents. John Yang speaks with KFF’s Lindsey Dawson to learn more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

How sail-powered cargo ships are charting a course to sustainability on the high seas Jan 26, 2025

Eighty percent of all global trade travels by sea, and the ships carrying those goods account for 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Now, some shipping companies are taking a new tack as they try to navigate the industry to sustainability on the high seas. John Yang reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Meet the small team behind the Watch Duty app giving life-saving wildfire updates Jan 23, 2025

Ever since the deadly wildfires began in Los Angeles two weeks ago, residents have largely turned to one app for the most up-to-date information. It’s called Watch Duty and Stephanie Sy spoke to two members of the small team that makes it possible. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

What an ancient ice core from Antarctica can tell us about our climate’s past and future Jan 12, 2025

Scientists say they have tapped into an extraordinary archive of the Earth’s climate in the ice deep beneath Antarctica. They hope it will help them understand both how the climate changed in the past, how it’s changing now and how it may change in the future. John Yang reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

How a newly discovered galaxy could offer clues on how our Milky Way Galaxy formed Dec 25, 2024

Scientists have found the beginnings of a young universe that may offer insights into the beginnings of our own Milky Way Galaxy. Geoff Bennett and Miles O'Brien discussed why scientists are excited by the discovery, one that has a little holiday sparkle of its own, so to speak. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Concerns swirl over impact of offshore wind farms on fishing industry Dec 24, 2024

With the growth of offshore wind farms there are many questions surrounding their impact. In the second of two stories about what researchers are finding, science correspondent Miles O'Brien takes us to New Bedford, Massachusetts, where local officials are trying to strike a balance between greener, renewable energy and a potential impact on the critical fishing industry in that region. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Researchers race to answer questions about the unintended consequences of wind energy Dec 23, 2024

The Biden administration just approved a wind farm project off the coast of Massachusetts. It's the eleventh commercial-scale wind project of its kind to get approval and comes at a key moment for the sector, as President-elect Trump, a frequent critic, prepares to take office. Miles O'Brien reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Conservation groups try to save tiny deer in the Florida Keys from a warming planet Dec 21, 2024

A type of white-tailed deer unique to the Florida Keys has been on the endangered species list for nearly 60 years. Only about 800 Key deer remain, and their habitat is under growing threat from rising sea levels. William Brangham reports for our series, “Saving Species.” PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

U.S. astronauts stranded in space face another delay before they can return to Earth Dec 18, 2024

A pair of NASA astronauts who have been stuck at the International Space Station since June will have to wait a little longer to come back to Earth. NASA says astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams won’t return now until late March or even April, which means they will have lived and worked in orbit for more than nine months. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Arizona farmers forced to adapt as main water source dries up Dec 16, 2024

Yuma County, Arizona, is known as the "Winter Salad Bowl Capital." From lettuce to cilantro to broccoli, the region produces almost all the leafy green vegetables consumed in the U.S. during winter months. Farmers there rely on the nearby Colorado River and as the West contends with drought and a changing climate, they've had to adapt. Stephanie Sy reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

How Climate Corps members are tackling the climate crisis in communities across the U.S. Dec 15, 2024

In another sign of the climate crisis, 2024 is on track to be the hottest year ever on record. Last year, the Biden administration established the American Climate Corps to train people for green jobs and empower Americans to help combat climate change. With thousands of Climate Corps members dispatched across the country, we hear from some of them about their experiences. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Indiana high school students offer up ideas to combat climate change Dec 15, 2024

In schools nationwide, educators are hoping to empower students with knowledge and inspire them to dream up ways to ensure a better climate future. At a high school in Bloomington, Indiana, students pitched their ideas to scientists this past spring. WFYI investigative education reporter Lee Gaines reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

New documentary details how governments use spyware to monitor citizens’ phones Dec 08, 2024

This past week, the White House detailed the scope of a massive Chinese hacking campaign that reaped information from American cell phone networks. But an HBO original documentary, “Surveilled,” says some governments use commercial spyware to monitor their own citizens. To learn more, John Yang speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow, who produced the documentary. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Scientists search for ways to battle deadly fungus devastating North America’s bats Oct 27, 2024

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://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

States work to track down and cap dangerous methane leaks from abandoned oil and gas wells Oct 24, 2024

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 reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

A Brief But Spectacular take on being a wildland firefighter amid climate change Oct 17, 2024

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/about/funders

New book ‘Threat Multiplier’ details the fight for the Pentagon to adapt to climate change Oct 13, 2024

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 supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Winner of Nobel Prize in chemistry describes how his work could transform lives Oct 10, 2024

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, Demis Hassabis. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Hurricane Helene’s reach shows why no place is immune from impacts of climate change Oct 02, 2024

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 Forward." PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Papua New Guinea leaders struggle to monitor deep-sea mining activities off its coast Sep 19, 2024

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 - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Papua New Guinea locals concerned over deep-sea mining’s impact on culture and environment Sep 18, 2024

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 way of life. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Companies dig the deepest depths to mine valuable metals from the ocean floor Sep 17, 2024

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 supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

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