Entanglements, by Undark

How to Cover Science Under Trump

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 03:01:00 -0400

In the Season 2 finale, our hosts talk to Tom Zeller Jr., Undark’s editor-in-chief, about covering science under the Trump administration. While the podcast's topics are always politically charged, they have become even more so in the current political climate.

Do We Know Enough to Use Psychedelics As Medicine?

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 03:01:00 -0400

This week on Entanglements: Do we have enough scientific evidence to approve psychedelics as medicine? Our hosts unpack the data with Albert Garcia-Romeu, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Bertha Madras, a professor of psychobiology at Harvard Medical School.

What Should We Risk to Settle Space?

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 03:01:00 -0400

This week on Entanglements: Should we live on Mars, and beyond? Our hosts talk to Tiffany Vora, a biologist and space advocate who has done three analog Mars simulations, and Kelly Weinersmith, a biologist and the co-author of the book “A City on Mars."

Should Companies Decide Our Tech Future?

Wed, 17 Sep 2025 03:01:00 -0400

This week on Entanglements: Should tech companies — and the billionaires that often run them — decide for the rest of us how artificial intelligence is deployed? Our hosts dig into the topic with two book authors who have covered AI from essentially opposing perspectives: Greg Beato and Adam Becker.

Should We Revamp Our Voting System?

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:01:00 -0400

This week on Entanglements: Should we switch all U.S. elections to ranked choice voting? Our hosts discuss the pros and cons with Deb Otis, director of research and policy for Fair Vote, a non-profit that works on election reform, and David McCune, a professor of mathematics at William Jewell College in Missouri.

Should We Change Our Planet's Climate...On Purpose?

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 03:01:00 -0400

This week on Entanglements: Should we run outdoor geoengineering experiments? Our hosts dive into this fiercely debated topic with an atmospheric chemist from Harvard University and a planetary physicist from Oxford University.

Should We Try to Prevent Autism?

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 03:01:00 -0400

This week on Entanglements: Should we try to prevent autism? Our hosts speak with Jill Escher, a philanthropist, president of the National Council on Severe Autism, and parent of two young adults with severe nonverbal autism, and Eric García, the Washington bureau chief at The Independent, who himself is autistic.

Kicking Off Season 2: Should We Make Viruses More Dangerous – For Science?

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 03:01:00 -0400

We're back! This week on Entanglements: Should we make viruses more dangerous? Our hosts discuss this question, and its contentious history, with a microbiologist from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a virologist from the Pasteur Institute in Paris.

Wrapping Up Season 1

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 03:05:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements: What did we learn from our first season? What’s on deck for the future? Our hosts explore these questions and more in conversations with a special guest.

Is Fluoride Toxic at Low Levels?

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 03:05:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements: Is fluoride toxic at low levels? Our hosts explore this question in conversations with a professor from the University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry and a neuropsychologist and professor at York University.

Should We Unleash GMO Mosquitoes?

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 03:05:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements: Should we unleash GMO mosquitoes? Our hosts explore this question in conversations with a molecular biologist from the University of California, San Diego, and a social scientist from North Carolina State University.

Is the Misinformation Crisis Overblown?

Mon, 09 Dec 2024 03:05:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements: Is the misinformation crisis overblown? Our hosts explore this question in conversations with a social psychologist from the University of Cambridge and a cognitive scientist from the Intstitut Jean Nicod.

Cannabis and Severe Mental Health Disorders

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 03:01:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements: Is cannabis safe for people with severe mental health disorders? Our hosts explore this question in conversations with a psychiatrist from Yale School of Medicine and a neuroscientist from the University of Calgary.

Is It Likely that Covid-19 Came From a Lab?

Mon, 25 Nov 2024 03:01:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements: Could the Covid-19 pandemic have been sparked by a lab leak? Our hosts explore this hot-button question in conversations with a Weill Cornell microbiologist and a Broad Institute scientist who is an avid lab-leak proponent.

Risky Science and Public Consent

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 03:01:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements: Should citizens decide on risky science? Our hosts talk to an Oxford political scientist and a former law and ethics professor about how democracy should play a role in high-stakes decisions.

Will Artificial Intelligence Kill Us All?

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 03:01:00 -0500

This week on Entanglements, hosts Brooke Borel and Anna Rothschild talk to a former OpenAI employee and a Princeton professor about AI and doom. Could AI really become an existential threat to humanity? Or is the possibility — highlighted by some 300 AI experts in an open letter last year — overhyped?

The Undark Podcast Returns — as "Entanglements"

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:06:33 -0400

The Undark podcast is back with a new format and a new name: Entanglements. Tune in as our hosts explore some of the most contentious topics in science today. Our first 8-episode season will launch November 11, with new episodes dropping every Monday through the end of the year.

Ep. 63: For Deep Ocean Mining, Questions Abound

Wed, 03 Aug 2022 12:34:04 -0400

This month: Some regions of the deep ocean contain vast amounts of key minerals, like cobalt and nickel, that are needed to power clean energy technologies. But some scientists warn that mining them could have tremendous consequences, not just for underwater ecosystems, but for the planet as a whole.

Ep. 62: Restoring Landscapes and Livelihoods in Western Bosnia

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 00:45:00 -0400

This month: Twenty-six years after the end of the Bosnian War, farmers in Livno are once again making cheese the traditional way, grazing herds of sheep on the wide-open plains. The animals' return is restoring natural wetlands, leading to cascading impacts on the environment and the economy.

Ep. 61: When Accents Speak Louder Than Words

Tue, 31 May 2022 10:55:18 -0400

For scientists who come from abroad to live and work in America, accents can be personal. It's discouraging to be misunderstood, even when they think they’re speaking clearly. Sometimes, it could even be a career liability. Is the problem the accent, or those on the receiving end?

Ep. 60: Cascading Effects of Pollution in Lebanon’s Litani River

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 03:00:00 -0400

Residents of Lebanon's Beqaa Valley say pollution in the Litani River is responsible for a host of chronic health problems. While a causal link is hard to prove, cleanup efforts are precarious amid the country's economic crisis and shifting blame between refugees and government inaction.

Ep. 59: Water Cremation Ignites Debate Over Dignified Death

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 03:30:00 -0400

Alkaline hydrolysis is an end-of-life option that’s gaining popularity in Canada and the U.S. It’s marketed as a greener form of cremation — a way to still end up with ashes, but without sending harmful emissions into the air. But getting the technology approved by lawmakers has proven difficult.

Ep. 58: When an Intellectual Disability Means Life or Death

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 03:30:00 -0500

When Pervis Payne was sentenced to death more than three decades ago, it was permissible to execute someone with an intellectual disability. A Supreme Court decision changed that in 2002, but Payne's disability was acknowledged only last year. Why did it take so long to remove him from The Row?

Ep. 57: In Lagos, Vulnerable Communities Buried by Urbanization

Mon, 06 Dec 2021 03:05:00 -0500

Urbanization in Lagos, Nigeria, is moving at a rapid clip — burying mangrove forests and wetlands under mounds of sand to make way for wealthy subdivisions. Without strong regulations around how that sand is harvested, the social, economic, and environmental consequences are vast.

Ep. 56: Understanding a Terrorist's Brain

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 03:30:00 -0400

Scientists and counterterrorism experts believe understanding the underlying motivations of radical extremists will help them deradicalize people. Now, one group has studied the brain activity of active extremists after asking them to contemplate the values they are willing to fight and die for.

Ep. 55: In Pursuit of Climate-Friendly Refrigerants

Mon, 31 May 2021 03:30:00 -0400

In December of last year, Congress passed legislation that gives the Environmental Protection Agency authority to phase out most hydrofluorocarbons — potent greenhouse gases that keep refrigerators cool — over the next 15 years. But there's no perfect alternative to replace them.

Ep. 54: Translating Portugal’s Approach to Drugs and Addiction

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 03:01:00 -0400

Twenty years ago Portugal decriminalized all drugs as part of a bigger national strategy to fight addiction. Last month Oregon became the first U.S. state to do the same, in a policy modeled off Portugal’s approach — but many questions about how success may translate remain unanswered.

Ep. 53: ‘Mainstreaming’ Psychedelic Drugs to Treat Mental Health

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 03:01:00 -0500

Amid a worldwide mental health emergency, the discovery of new pharmaceuticals to treat conditions like depression has stalled. But researchers and therapists are showing that when paired with therapy, psychedelic drugs like LSD and magic mushrooms are a new class of promising treatments.

Ep. 52: In India, Mismanaging the Monkey Menace

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 03:01:00 -0500

In India, macaque monkeys are a menace — attacking people for food, breaking into offices, and in one state, damaging at least 54 million dollars worth of crops. A sterilization program aimed to curb the population, but some experts and locals question if it’s working or even the right approach.

Ep. 51: A Scramble to Define ‘Habitat’ — and the Future of Conservation

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 03:01:00 -0500

A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision on the dusky gopher frog now has conservationists and developers squaring off over the legal definition of the term ‘habitat.’ The accepted meaning will guide American lawmakers in designating protected areas for endangered species across the country.

Ep. 50: Studying and Surviving the Pandemic's Collective Trauma

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 02:00:00 -0500

In South Africa, trauma researchers are studying — and working to ease — the psychological toll of Covid-19, while trying to endure the pandemic themselves. They warn the widespread and long-lasting impacts of this collective trauma could span generations and cross national borders.

Ep. 49: When Wildfires and a Pandemic Collide

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 01:00:00 -0400

As smoky summers resulting from wildfires have become the new normal across much of the West Coast, communities have tried to put better systems in place protect their most vulnerable residents. But this year, they didn’t plan on dealing with a smoke wave in the middle of a pandemic. How are they coping?

Ep. 48: Capturing the Songs of a Changing Climate

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 03:00:00 -0400

This month: Acoustic ecologists are racing to record Earth’s shifting soundscapes before they disappear. Some researchers are using their recordings to answer questions about how the environment and its inhabitants are changing, while others are sounding the alarm on pressing conservation issues.

Ep. 47: The Toll of the Culture of Silence in Animal Research

Sat, 30 May 2020 17:18:29 -0400

This month: Communicating about animal research with the public can open early career scientists up to social stigma and even campaigns that threaten careers. But working with animals can be an emotionally taxing job — and the silence could isolate scientists further and strengthen public misconceptions.

Ep. 46: A Debate on the Dregs of Asbestos Mining

Wed, 06 May 2020 14:18:47 -0400

This month: Ground-up waste leftover from asbestos mining still lines the landscape of Quebec. Now, a number of companies are eager to transform that waste into profitable product — but health officials worry this new industry might reawaken an old problem the province finally seemed to be moving away from.

Ep. 45: Making Precision Medicine a Reality

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 08:00:00 -0400

This month: Tailoring medicine to each individual patient could make health care more affordable and effective. But that reality won’t come to fruition unless researchers, industry, the government, and the public reach a consensus on issues like patient privacy, data bias, and sharing of medical records.

Ep. 44: Confronting Knowledge Gaps in Intersex Health Care

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 07:38:19 -0500

This month: The impulse to “fix” intersex infants with invasive surgeries is facing increased and, some would argue, long overdue scrutiny. As doctors, parents, and intersex people face decisions that may affect their long-term health, researchers grapple with defining and measuring outcomes.

Ep. 43: A Reality Check on Regenerative Agriculture

Fri, 31 Jan 2020 10:49:38 -0500

This month: A new farming method has been touted as better for the earth and for struggling farmers. Some are putting these claims to the test.

Ep. 42: Screening Illicit Drugs to Prevent Fentanyl Deaths

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 09:27:35 -0500

This month: Harm reduction organizations take a controversial step in checking illicit drugs for fentanyl.

Ep. 41: India's Battle to Control Forest Fires

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 08:00:44 -0500

This month: The story of a devastating wildfire in India reveals how a complex tangle of law, policy, and science are hindering the country's efforts to contain and prevent forest fires.

Ep. 40: The Struggle to Change an HIV Narrative

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 09:28:45 -0400

This month: The history of a destigmatizing message about HIV transmission and how it finally made it to the public.

Ep. 39: Solving the Deadly Transplantable Organ Shortage

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 09:37:38 -0400

This month: A penetrating look at the trials of patients with kidney failure, and the doctors working to make more lifesaving transplants possible.

Ep. 36: Fighting the Flu, Green Burials, and Teen Vaccinations

Wed, 01 May 2019 17:11:26 -0400

This month: the quest for a universal flu shot, the trend of low-carbon burials, and understanding medical consent laws for minors.

Ep 37: Crisis Mapping, Tracking Citations, and Sexual Harassment in Science

Wed, 01 May 2019 17:01:36 -0400

This month: using social media in search and rescue, developing a more accurate way to track citations, and tackling sexual harassment in science.

Ep. 38: Mosquito Music, Wildlife Poaching, and Imaging a Black Hole

Wed, 01 May 2019 16:52:38 -0400

This month: testing the effect of Skrillex on mosquitos, addressing poaching in Uganda, and public response to the first image of a black hole.

Ep. 35: Listening to Glaciers, Overcoming Addiction, and Saving a ‘Marine Serengeti’

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 20:37:12 -0500

This month: using audio data to track sea ice loss, the efficacy of medication-assisted treatment, and fighting for a national underwater monument.

Ep. 34: The Tree of Life, Science in the White House, and the Year at Undark

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 08:29:24 -0500

Ep. 33: Fecal Transplants, Encounters With Cadavers, and Ordinary People Shaping Science

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 08:25:58 -0500

Ep. 32: Decentralized Internet, a Trip into Space, and a Roiling Debate Among Science Writers

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 19:00:00 -0400

Ep. 32: Decentralized Internet, a Trip into Space, and a Roiling Debate Among Science Writers by

Ep. 31: Urban Heat Islands, Hardwired Trees, and America's Disjointed System of Medical Records

Fri, 05 Oct 2018 11:53:19 -0400

Ep. 31: Urban Heat Islands, Hardwired Trees, and America's Disjointed System of Medical Records

Thu, 04 Oct 2018 21:16:00 -0400

This month: building a heat map with the help of citizen scientists, monitoring an Estonian forest, and the heartbreaking cost of fragmented care.

Ep. 30: Wildfires, Snake Rescues, and the Devastating Effects of Air Pollution

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 22:17:00 -0400

This month: the toll of human-caused wildfires, rescuing snakes to prevent human-animal conflict, and capturing the impacts of an ambient killer. Transcript and individual segments available at https://undark.org/article/podcast-30-wildfires-snakes-air-pollution Update: An earlier version of this podcast and transcript provided an incorrect description of PM2.5, a scientific and regulatory term referring to fine particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter. Although particulate pollution larger than 2.5 micrometers is generally considered less hazardous, it is still a public health concern. There is also no meaningful lower threshold for particulate pollution below 2.5 micrometers that can be considered safe.

Ep. 29: CBD for Dogs, Plastic Pollution, and the History of Heredity

Tue, 31 Jul 2018 02:42:00 -0400

Join former NYT Science Times editor David Corcoran for a discussion with popular science writer and prolific book author Carl Zimmer about the history of heredity, and why you can’t boil down something as complex as intelligence to a couple of genes. Also, podcast host Kasha Patel talks with Undark’s Matters of Fact and Tracker columnist Michael Schulson about the safety of CBD, or cannabidiol, for dogs; and science journalist Anja Krieger takes listeners to the small German town of Schleswig, where a major leak has sparked a big debate.

Ep. 28: Capturing Carbon Dioxide, Chasing Tornadoes, and Communicating Climate Impacts

Wed, 27 Jun 2018 18:14:00 -0400

David Corcoran talks with former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy about bridging the gap between science and the public. Also: an airplane ride-along with a group of tornado chasers from the NOAA, a closer look a carbon dioxide study with big implications, and game of Two Truths and Lie.

Ep. 27: The Bees of Bandelier, Snail Memories, Is Science Really Broken?

Wed, 30 May 2018 21:16:00 -0400

Our latest podcast looks at the resilience of bees; a study in memory transfer; and an attack on science.

Ep. 26 The Fate of the Delta Smelt

Mon, 30 Apr 2018 16:07:00 -0400

A tiny fish is fast disappearing from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Many ecologists consider it a sign that both the local ecosystem and the nation’s approach to conservation are in crisis.

Ep. 25 Lead and Kids

Fri, 30 Mar 2018 15:46:00 -0400

In this episode of the Undark podcast, we talk with reporter Charles Schmidt about his article on a misguided U.S. crackdown on lead poisoning. Also, Vanessa Schipani on media violence and Garrett Tiedemann on the personal toll of a genetic disorder.

Ep. 24 Finding Nubia

Wed, 28 Feb 2018 15:42:00 -0500

Our latest Undark podcast looks at an ancient civilization, rediscovered but threatened; science and the media; and the world's strangest flower.

Ep. 23 Food Fight

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 17:13:00 -0500

Join Undark podcast host and former NYT editor David Corcoran as he talks with Kerstin Hoppenhaus and Sibylle Grunze about their Undark documentary on stem rust. Also: commentator Seth Mnookin on how people get their science news; and reporter Kate Morgan visits a fossil park in New Jersey where dinosaurs met their fate.

Ep. 22 The Poisoning of Michigan

Fri, 29 Dec 2017 20:58:00 -0500

Join our podcast host and former NYT editor David Corcoran as he talks with Carrie Arnold about her Undark Case Study on the he toxic legacy of a 1973 chemical accident. Also: commentator Seth Mnookin on the biggest science stories of 2017, and Randy Scott Carroll on what it means to be alive.

Ep. 21 Dangerous Dams

Thu, 30 Nov 2017 19:33:00 -0500

The environmental price of clean energy in the Balkan states and the rise of predatory journals. Plus, Part 1 of a two part series on what it means to be "alive."

Ep. 20 The War on Polio

Thu, 02 Nov 2017 21:39:00 -0400

A campaign to wipe out polio in a corner of Nigeria where it stubbornly hangs on, issues in science journalism, and growing your own produce at home.

Ep. 19 National Parks

Fri, 29 Sep 2017 20:27:00 -0400

Threats to the national parks, a controversial editorial in Nature, and a rare genetic disorder afflicting descendants of New Mexico’s Spanish settlers.

Ep. 18 Atomic Bill

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 20:17:00 -0400

The ethical debate surrounding a New York Times reporter hired by the Manhattan Project to be its chronicler and cheerleader, as well as an effort to increase science communication in the public sphere.

Ep. 17 Shades of REDD

Thu, 27 Jul 2017 20:40:00 -0400

A program to stop deforestation and protect wildlife in Kenya, a controversial literature review on gender identity, and whirling disease in Banff National Park.

Ep. 16 North Korea

Fri, 30 Jun 2017 18:01:00 -0400

An effort to monitor public health in North Korea by studying refugees who defected to the South, media coverage of health care and addiction, and the effects on your body from being buried at sea.

Ep. 15 The Virus Hunters

Tue, 30 May 2017 15:05:00 -0400

A visit with the virus hunters of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the state of long form science journalism, and a tool for treating obsessive hair-pulling.

Ep. 14 Broken Prairie

Thu, 27 Apr 2017 17:11:00 -0400

The future of the Great Plains ecosystem, the downside of conservation in East Africa, and a recap of the March for Science.

Ep. 13 The Great Black Swamp

Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:22:00 -0400

The toxic legacy and uncertain future of Ohio's former Great Black Swamp, why you should be skeptical of scientific studies you read about, and the fight to restore some of North America’s greatest rapids.

Ep. 12 Wear & Tear

Tue, 28 Feb 2017 23:55:00 -0500

The movement and evolution of the global leather tanning and textile trades, science journalism in the Trump era, and improving hospital food.

Ep. 11 Bullet Proof

Mon, 30 Jan 2017 15:02:00 -0500

The risks of lead ammunition, how to cover science deniers, and confessions of a standardized patients.

Ep. 10 Old Friends

Fri, 30 Dec 2016 19:22:00 -0500

Helminth hacking, the rise of fake news, and uncovering the mystery behind ASMR.

Ep. 9 For All They Know

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 20:08:00 -0500

The aftermath of a water crisis in Flint, the impact of a political election on science, and the psychology of GMOs.

Ep. 8 Worse Than The Disease

Sat, 29 Oct 2016 16:02:00 -0400

A controversial treatment for a mysterious disease, a vote for equality among the ranks of science writers, and flesh eating beetles. Happy Halloween!

Ep. 7 Bombturbation

Wed, 05 Oct 2016 15:10:00 -0400

The unintended consequences of war, recalling science's most famous patient, and a trip to the rainforest with the author of "Stellaluna."

Ep. 6 The Criminalization of HIV

Tue, 30 Aug 2016 22:23:00 -0400

HIV and the criminal justice system, covering harassment in academic research, and the science behind near death experiences.

Ep. 5 Endangered: A Bird and a Tribe

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 18:46:00 -0400

The search for a rare bird and the murky world of fair use.

Ep. 4 Spilled Milk

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 14:47:00 -0400

Controversial goats and a study exploring cell phone radiation

Ep. 3 The Death of a Study

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 18:10:00 -0400

A research study turned train wreck, two science media controversies, and a plan to save the New England rattlesnake.

Ep. 2 Scientist Pot Farmer

Tue, 26 Apr 2016 23:02:00 -0400

The Wild West of pesticides and marijuana agriculture, comedians as science journalists, and a new way to think about global warming.

Ep. 1 Life in the Undark

Wed, 30 Mar 2016 04:08:00 -0400

A new science magazine, a trip to the bayou, and the case of the rogue press officers.

This is Undark

Mon, 07 Mar 2016 15:43:00 -0500

This is Undark. We’re a science magazine, published by the Knight Science Journalism program at M.I.T. And we’re a podcast, based on the content of the magazine, featuring interviews with some of the world’s top science journalists, media criticism, and more. Hosted by David Corcoran.