Science, Spoken
WIRED
Get in-depth coverage of current and future trends in technology, and how they are shaping business, entertainment, communications, science, politics, and society.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 26, 2021 • 9min
Growing Crops Under Solar Panels? Now There’s a Bright Idea
In the new scientific (and literal) field of agrivoltaics, researchers are showing how panels can increase yields and reduce water use on a warming planet.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 25, 2021 • 8min
NASA Is Preparing for the Ravages of Climate Change
The agency knows it needs to adapt to climate-driven events that will increasingly threaten coastal launch sites and other key space infrastructure.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 22, 2021 • 13min
Another Global Pandemic Is Spreading—Among Pigs
African swine fever killed half the pigs in China. There is no vaccine and no treatment. Now it’s in the Caribbean and on the doorstep of the US.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 21, 2021 • 9min
Deadly Heat Is Baking Cities. Here’s How to Cool Them Down
Urban areas can be 20 degrees hotter than the surrounding country. But green spaces and reflective pavement can make city life more bearable.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 20, 2021 • 18min
A Huge Subterranean ‘Tree’ Is Moving Magma to Earth’s Surface
Deep in the mantle, a branching plume of intensely hot material appears to be the engine powering vast volcanic activity.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 19, 2021 • 9min
Astronomers Get Ready to Probe Europa’s Hidden Ocean for Life
Jupiter’s most enigmatic moon, one of a few ocean worlds in the solar system, will be the target of upcoming missions by NASA and the European Space Agency.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 18, 2021 • 10min
The Grid Isn’t Ready for the Renewable Revolution
The massive deployment of wind and solar will turn you, the humble homeowner, into a critical actor in the operation of the US power grid.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 15, 2021 • 12min
The Controversial Quest to Make Cow Burps Less Noxious
Their incessant belching loads the atmosphere with planet-warming methane. But it’s not so simple as just feeding them gas-busting seaweed.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 14, 2021 • 9min
How Healthy Is a Farm's Soil? Check How Active Its Microbes Are
Researchers developed a probe that could help farmers better understand their land by measuring the electric current from the tiny creatures in the dirt.
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Oct 13, 2021 • 11min
Pandemic Bird-Watching Created a Data Boom—and a Conundrum
Avid amateurs are generating a wealth of information on avian activity. But does that data reflect new trends in bird behavior, or in people’s?
Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
