December 2018

Science of 2018, most distant solar system object, declining antibiotic use in livestock: science roundup

12.20.18.

Traffic was light this morning, tumbleweeds are rolling through the hallways of WGBH, and there was no line to get a Santa Fe chicken wrap in the station café. Yes, it appears the winter holiday has already begun, but we are still hard at work here. Today, we’re focused on our upcoming NOVA entitled “Inside…
Read More
Want to learn about junk news? Here’s all our award-winning reporting.

12.20.18.

UPDATE 6/13/19: This series won a 2019 Mirror Award for Best Story on Social Media in the Crosshairs, tied with a BuzzFeed News series focusing on the same topic. After the 2016 U.S. presidential election, it became clear to a lot of people, including me, that the issue of fake news on the internet merited…
Read More
Genetics, climate change and space highlight the year in science

12.20.18.

The year has been a major one for scientific milestones and research. As it comes to a close, PBS NewsHour takes a look back at some of the biggest science stories, for our weekly series the Leading Edge. Miles O’Brien and William Brangham discuss developments in the genetic engineering of humans, the realization of climate…
Read More
The challenge of robots and artificial intelligence, a retrospective – with AI pioneer Marvin Minsky

12.17.18.

Help us improve this podcast: take our short survey. Marvin Minsky is often regarded as the father of modern AI, but when Miles visited him in 2010, Minsky wasn’t a proud father. In fact, Minsky was disappointed with the lack of progress in the field and had reservations about its future. Unfortunately, Minsky is no…
Read More
Climate denial at COP24, water found on Bennu, Virgin Galactic reaches space: science roundup

12.14.18.

From climate denial at COP24 meeting to water found on asteroid Bennu, here’s the best science news of the week.
Read More
Successful Mars landing, OSIRIS-Rex arrives at asteroid, gene editing scandal: science roundup

12.07.18.

Here’s a look at the most interesting happenings in science, with stories you don’t want to miss. Landing on the Red Planet to study marsquakes Mars is hard. The odds of a safe landing on the surface are less than 50-50. But last Monday, the team at NASA/CalTech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory once again made it…
Read More