Lee Billings

Lee Billings, senior space and physics editor who explains space policy and propulsion, breaks down NASA’s push for nuclear-powered Mars missions and the role of reactors for a long-term lunar base. He also covers how the Iran war’s strikes and reconstruction drive big carbon costs. Plus a look at promising phase‑three results from a new Lyme vaccine.

Lee Billings, a senior editor at Scientific American who covers space and physics, joins to discuss catastrophic proposed budget cuts to NASA’s science funding. He highlights how these cuts could cripple essential climate research and space exploration, drawing concern from former NASA leaders. With historical funding at risk, Billings emphasizes the urgency of restoring support for missions critical to scientific integrity and U.S. leadership. The conversation underscores the broad implications of NASA's work on everyday life and global competitiveness.

Lee Billings, science journalist and Senior Desk Editor for Physical Science at Scientific American, explains NASA’s Artemis II lunar flyby and its stakes. He describes what the mission will do in space and biomedical monitoring planned for crewed deep-space travel. The show also covers Revoice, an AI wearable aiming to restore speech after stroke, and the newly dated ancient cave art in Indonesia and its migration clues.

Lee Billings, science writer and senior space and physics editor, offers informed commentary on spaceflight milestones. He discusses Artemis II wet dress rehearsal and SLS rocket fixes. Conversation also covers an inhaled broad respiratory vaccine, the FDA’s surprise review of Moderna’s mRNA flu shot, air pollution linked to Alzheimer’s, and a newly discovered spinosaurid that upends habitat ideas.

Join Dan Vergano, Tanya Lewis, Andrea Thompson, and Lee Billings as they dissect the tumultuous shifts in science during 2025. Vergano reveals how political upheaval impacted trust in federal science policies. Lewis discusses alarming vaccine rollbacks, leading to potential measles outbreaks. Thompson critiques the rollback of climate policies, contrasting it with global trends. Meanwhile, Billings shares mind-blowing dark energy findings and upcoming space missions, suggesting a future filled with cosmic mysteries.