Podcast Archives - Miles O'Brien

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…
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How and why we’re sampling asteroid Bennu – with NASA’s OSIRIS-REx team

12.05.18.

Help us improve this podcast: take our short survey. How did our early solar system form? What are the origins of life? How likely are we to get hit by a dangerous asteroid? A daring NASA mission called OSIRIS-REx hopes to find the answers to these big questions at an asteroid named Bennu. This week,…
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Why Europa is the most likely spot we’ll find aliens – with NASA’s Kevin Peter Hand

11.26.18.

Jupiter has many moons, but none are quite like Europa: it has a thick crust of ice and a huge amount of liquid saltwater underneath its surface. In fact, many believe it’s the best place in the Solar System that we could find other lifeforms. To dive deeper into the mysteries of this icy world–and…
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How Average Americans are Fighting Climate Change – with Clean Air Carolina’s June Blotnick

10.29.18.

Hurricane Florence was a perfect example of how climate change supercharges extreme weather events. But climate change also affects us in other more subtle, interconnected, and difficult to manage ways. Thankfully, people like June Blotnick, Executive Director of environmental advocacy group Clean Air Carolina, are working on the ground to help communities battle climate change.…
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Steve Squyres – On Exploring Mars, and Other Celestial Objects

10.23.18.

Steve Squyres is the principal investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover Program, which gave us the plucky and productive rovers Spirit and Opportunity. With the latter on life support and the former no longer with us, I spoke with him about his amazing run on Mars and what he’s working on now. It’s all out-of-this-world…
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The Murky World of Science Transparency – Hash it Out with NYU Professor George D. Thurston

07.26.18.

There are calls in the EPA and in Congress for the use of more transparent science. But what does that mean? Why do scientists seem united against these regulations? And what would it mean if they went into effect? In this special Hash it Out episode, Brian and Fedor talk to vocal opponent of science…
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