Asbestos is no longer ubiquitous in building materials, and since it’s proven to cause cancer, many Americans likely assumed the substance had been banned entirely. But not only is asbestos a naturally occurring mineral, it is also still used to make some household products. PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports on “broken” U.S. regulation […]
The robots are coming. Will they work with us?
In the latest installment of our Future of Work series, PBS NewsHour science correspondent Miles O’Brien visits MIT’s Interactive Robotics Laboratory to understand the “new species” of robots scientists are designing to work alongside humans safely. Though the devices often excel at repetitive tasks, will they be able to function just as well in dynamic […]
Jet stream accounting, natural Martian batteries, paralyzed patients walk again: this week in science
Here’s a look back at this week in science, with stories you don’t want to miss. Current climate models struggle to capture effects of weak jet stream New research published this week is refocusing attention on the polar jet stream and its impact on climate change. Renowned climate scientist [and good friend] Michael Mann co-authored […]
Junk news series wrap, close asteroid flyby, microbiome connected to MS: this week in science
Here’s a look back at this week in science, with stories you don’t want to miss. Junk news series comes to a close This week, we aired the final installment of our four part series shedding light on the murky world of junk news for the PBS NewsHour. Producer Cameron Hickey and I began our […]