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PODCAST

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.

science

All Episodes

8:20

The Physics of a Tesla Model X Pulling a Boeing 787

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/21

This is pretty cool—an electric car pulling a full size commercial aircraft, apparently for the first time ever. In particular, it is a Tesla Model X pulling a Quantas Boeing 787. There are a million reasons this is cool, but I think we should just jump to the coolest ones: the physics questions. Does the mass of the plane matter? The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has a maximum takeoff weight of 254,000 kg—but this one was empty and had a mass of 130,000 kg. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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7:02

The Fundamental Nihilism of Yanny vs. Laurel

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/18

Some people heard the word “laurel” in a short audio clip that became internet-famous this week, while others heard the not-word “yanny.” This proves that we will all die alone. Thanks to some sleuthing by my colleague Louise Matsakis, people interested in following up can learn that regardless of what they heard in the clip, the person speaking was, in fact, saying the word “laurel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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7:05

The Shape-Shifting Robot That Evolves by Falling Down

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/18

Don't even worry about Dyret the robot. At first glance, the scrawny quadruped looks pathetic, as it struggles to walk without collapsing. But keep watching, and you’ll see it start to improve—walking slowly, yet ever more proficiently. Dyret the robot is teaching itself to walk. Or even, according to a new class of robotics researchers, evolving. Machines like Cassie the biped or SpotMini the robot dog are quickly mastering locomotion, thanks to line after line of meticulous code. Learn more about

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17:28

The WIRED Guide to Robots

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/18

Modern robots are not unlike toddlers: It’s hilarious to watch them fall over, but deep down we know that if we laugh too hard, they might develop a complex and grow up to start World War III. None of humanity’s creations inspires such a confusing mix of awe, admiration, and fear: We want robots to make our lives easier and safer, yet we can’t quite bring ourselves to trust them. We’re crafting them in our own image, yet we are terrified they’ll supplant us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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6:01

Fun Ideas That Keep Kids Learning Even After School's...

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/17

For some people, summer means warmer weather and outdoor activities. But what about the kids that are out of school? What will they do all summer? For most parents, they just want their kids to do something other than video games or watching endless videos. So for you, I'm going to give a few suggestions for summer activities—some of my favorites. These are just suggestions, this is not a to-do list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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4:59

The Physics of NASA's New Mars Helicopter

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/17

Sending a rover to Mars is cool—but sending one to Mars along with a helicopter is even better. Yes, that is the plan for the next NASA Mars rover, scheduled for 2020. The idea is to have a driving rover that brings along a small coaxial helicopter. The helicopter will be self-powered and fly for a few minutes a day. The main advantage of the helicopter is that it can scout ahead of the rover and take pictures and stuff—maybe some epic rover selfies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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9:16

Hey Alexa, What Are You Doing to My Kid's Brain?

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/16

Among the more modern anxieties of parents today is how virtual assistants will train their children to act. The fear is that kids who habitually order Amazon's Alexa to read them a story or command Google's Assistant to tell them a joke are learning to communicate not as polite, considerate citizens, but as demanding little twerps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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5:56

How NASA Will Look for Geysers (and Life) on Europa

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/16

In recent years, scientists have suggested that images from the Hubble telescope show plumes of icy water spewing from the surface of Jupiter’s moon Europa. Others have doubted the claim—which is fair enough, because the images are kind of fuzzy and the satellite's instrument couldn’t always capture them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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5:30

This Insect-Sized Flying Robot Is Powered by Lasers

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/15

In 1989, two MIT artificial intelligence researchers made a terrifying prediction. “Within a few years,” wrote Rodney Brooks and Anita Flynn, “it will be possible at modest cost to invade a planet with millions of tiny robots.” Their paper “Fast, Cheap and out of Control: A Robot Invasion of the Solar System,”, argued that small, autonomous “gnat robots” would soon become cheap enough to solve problems en masse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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8:15

Darpa's Next Challenge? A Grueling Underground Journey

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/15

I can’t sit here and guarantee you a robot won’t take your job one day—capitalism kind of has a thing for automation. What I can tell you is that in the near future, robots will be doing jobs that no one wants to do. For instance, risking your life doing rescue operations after mining disasters. Which is why for its next robotics competition, Darpa is going underground, with the Darpa Subterranean Challenge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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13:09

The Race to Save Arctic Cities As Permafrost Melts

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/15

This storyoriginally appeared on CityLaband is part of theClimate Deskcollaboration. In Russia, buildings are sagging and crumbling. In Greenland, a wildfire broke out last year. And in Alaska, entire villages may be relocated because the land upon which they’re built is no long trustworthy. All across the North, the very ground is changing, and the buildings and roads built upon the thawing permafrost are shifting and cracking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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11:09

The Japanese Space Bots That Could Build ‘Moon Valley’

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/14

On March 11, 2011, Kazuya Yoshida’s lab at Tohoku University in Japan started shaking. Things fell from the ceiling. The bookshelves collapsed. Off the coast of the city of Sendai, the ocean floor had ruptured, triggering a magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami waves that inundated inland regions. Although it only lasted minutes, time seemed to dilate. When it was finally over, nearly 16,000 people were dead. For many of those left, there was no water, no power, no phone connection. Learn more about

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8:11

Something's Off With the Turbolaser Shots in The Last...

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/14

I have a problem: I can't stop analyzing Star Wars movies. On top of that, there is another issue. I've stated that the physics of a movie doesn't have to be absolutely correct—and I still believe that. And now, I am going to complain about some physics in Star Wars: The Last Jedi even though I said you shouldn't. But first, let me give you a couple of examples of bad physics that doesn't bother me. Consider an x-wing fighter flying near the Death Star. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit

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8:10

The Implacable Power of Volcanic Lava

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/11

In 1935, lava from an eruption of the volcano Mauna Loa, on the Big Island of Hawai’i, started oozing toward the Wailuku River, main source of water for the city of Hilo. This danger to the more than 15,000 residents of Hilo was exactly the opportunity that Thomas Jaggar, founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, had been waiting for: to blow up a volcano. This isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Actually, no, it was crazy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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7:20

Lots of Doctors Recommend Weed Without Understanding It

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/11

If you go to a doctor and ask them to recommend you medical marijuana, don’t expect them to fully understand how the drug works, both for you as an individual patient and in general as a therapy. Because no one really does. With more and more states legalizing marijuana for medical or recreational use, cannabis is shedding its stigma and entering the mainstream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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10:27

The Research Behind Google's New Tools for Digital...

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/10

Google wants to help its users take back their time. On Tuesday at its annual developers conference, the company announced several new features designed to help people monitor and manage the time they spend on their devices. The goal: Help users understand their habits, control the demands technology places on their attention, and focus on what matters. "Helping people with their digital well-being is more important to us than ever," said vice president of product management Sameer Samat. Learn more

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7:21

The Physics of Swinging a Mass on a String for Fun

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/10

Occasionally there are physics lab demonstrations that I think are pretty awesome but that my students just think are "meh." This is one of those cases. The basic idea in this demo, which I used in my class at Southeastern Louisiana University, is to swing a mass around in a horizontal circle. But wait! There's a cooler part: By running the string through a vertical tube and attaching it to another mass, we can control the tension in the string. It's loads of fun. Learn more about your ad choices

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21:27

Troubled Times for Alternatives to Einstein’s Theory...

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/09

Miguel Zumalacárregui knows what it feels like when theories die. In September 2017, he was at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Saclay, near Paris, to speak at a meeting about dark energy and modified gravity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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7:18

A Tornado's Secret Sounds Could Reveal Where It'll...

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/09

Along with the roar of a grizzly bear and a crack of lightning, the sound of a tornado is among the most terrifying natural sounds on Earth. Depending on the twister and where you’re standing, it can sound like a hiss, a buzz, a rumble, or even a freight train. It’s the auditory manifestation of trouble. But tornadoes also seem to emit low-frequency sound waves called infrasound that the human ear can’t hear. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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6:26

This Startup Wants to Be AirBnb for Gene Sequencers

Science, Spoken ·

2018/05/08

Last month, cancer researcher Amit Verma found himself in a bit of a bind. His lab at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York had just received feedback on a new paper about how genes get turned on and off when healthy pancreas cells develop into tumors. The journal’s reviewers asked his team to do some additional experiments, including a type of whole genome sequencing that reveals DNA modification patterns. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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2,360 results

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