PBS News Hour - Science

PBS News Hour - Science

Listen to PBS News Hour science reporting published every Wednesday by 9 p.m. Featuring reports from Miles O'Brien, Nsikan Akpan and the rest of our science crew, we take on topics ranging from the future of 3-D printing to power of placebo drugs. Is this not what you're looking for? Don't miss our other podcasts for our full shows, individual segments, Brooks and Capehart, Brief but Spectacular, Politics Monday and more. Find them in iTunes or in your favorite podcasting app. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Episodes

December 12, 2025 7 mins
President Trump has signed an executive order that would block states from enforcing laws they pass to regulate A.I., or artificial intelligence.The directive marks a big win for tech giants but will likely be challenged in the courts. Jacob Ward, founder of The Rip Current, joins Geoff Bennett to help break down the concerns and the arguments around all of this. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders...
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Hundreds of miles from the U.N. conference on climate change that wrapped this weekend in Belém, Brazil, scientists are conducting a first-of-its-kind experiment that could help future policymakers address the issue. John Yang reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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Sometimes, the right learning environment can change everything. For Courtney Irwin, that place was a youth development center in Salinas, California. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on how cooking and community helped her find her way. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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This weekend is the halfway point for the 30th U.N. climate summit known as COP30. In a report issued days before the meeting began, the World Meteorological Organization said 2025 is “on track to be among the three warmest years on record.” New York Times international climate reporter Somini Sengupta, who just returned from COP30, joins John Yang to discuss. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/abou...
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So-called forever chemicals are both harmful to our health and are everywhere. Studies have found them in women's breast milk and even in rain falling in Tibet. A new book tells the story of how these extremely durable chemicals became so ubiquitous through the eyes of a small community that decided to fight for some measure of justice. William Brangham reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders....
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A poll from the journal Nature found that 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country. That includes a man who’s been dubbed the "Mozart of Math." Stephanie Sy examines what’s behind a potential scientific brain drain. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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The latest Consumer Price Index shows that the average electric bill went up more than 5% from September 2024 to September 2025. That's faster than the inflation rate for the same period. Conventional wisdom blames the demand for power on the explosive growth of data centers, but a new analysis concludes that it’s not that simple. John Yang reports on the other factors behind the rising costs. PBS News is supported by - https...
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Salt marshes exist on every coast of the U.S., but these important wetlands are succumbing quickly to the effects of sea level rise caused by climate change. Grace Go of our journalism training program, PBS News Student Reporting Labs, has the story of how one young photographer from Massachusetts is fighting to protect these places. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...
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In the Arctic tundra of Alaska, climate change is forcing an Alaska Native village to relocate. Rising temperatures are melting the underground permafrost. The melted ice then mixes with the soil, creating unstable land the Yupʼik people call Alaskan quicksand. Amalia Huot-Marchand and a team from the Medill School of Journalism report. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See...
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This week, countries may approve a carbon tax on the global shipping industry. The International Maritime Organization is poised to approve new levies on ships for their emissions, but the Trump administration argues it's a harmful tax. William Brangham has a profile of Andrew Forrest, a key business player who's attracting attention for his efforts to make industry greener. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/a...
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An unlikely partnership between a utility company and climate activists managed to convert a community to geothermal heating and cooling. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports on this project for our energy and climate series, Tipping Point. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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From its embrace of dubious research about autism, its skepticism over vaccines and its wholesale rejection of the consensus about climate change, the Trump administration has set off alarm bells within the scientific community. William Brangham spoke with two prominent researchers about "Science Under Siege," their new book chronicling what they argue is a concerted war on science. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/ne...
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Many people leave electronic devices plugged in when they’re not in use without a second thought. But everyday items that drain energy even when they’re turned off, like coffee machines, video game consoles and laptop chargers, account for 5 to 10% of nationwide home energy use. Stephanie Sy speaks with Alexis Abramson, dean of the Climate School at Columbia University, to learn more. PBS News is supported by - https://...
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One of the world’s most beloved and influential primatologists and conservationists has died. Jane Goodall spent more than half a century studying chimpanzees and advocating for animal rights and environmental protection. As Jeffrey Brown reports, Goodall helped change the way we look at animals and their behavior. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
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According to a new study, the planet is drying at an unprecedented pace, presenting a critical threat to humanity. Researchers found that “continental drying is having profound global impacts” that “threaten water availability” across the globe. To learn more, Ali Rogin speaks with ProPublica climate investigations editor Abrahm Lustgarten for our series, Tipping Point. PBS News is supported by - https://www...
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Last month, the Trump administration abruptly halted construction on a nearly completed $6 billion, 65-turbine wind farm off the coast of New England, known as Revolution Wind. The holdup has put thousands out of work and raises big questions about not just the future of this project, but similar efforts across the eastern seaboard. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports from Connecticut. PBS News is supported by - https...
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation is perhaps best known for its work helping America’s youth. Lisa Lawson, the president and CEO, has done extensive research into the development of teenagers. She joined Geoff Bennett to discuss her new book, "Thrive: How the Science of the Adolescent Brain Helps Us Imagine a Better Future for All Children." PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast....
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Atlantic puffins face an increasingly precarious foothold due in part to a loss of habitat and to troubles tied to warming ocean waters and climate change. But an effort off the coast of Maine continues to provide a crucial nesting habitat for these seabirds and a place for them to thrive. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien traveled to the colony for our series, Tipping Point. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshou...
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In our news wrap Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated Harvard's research grants, Florida is moving to become the first state to eliminate all vaccine mandates for children to attend school and President Trump is defending a military strike on a boat in the Caribbean, saying it will prevent further attempts to bring drugs into the country. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org...
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Few countries in the world are considered more vulnerable to the impact of rising sea levels and climate change than Bangladesh, a nation of 175 million people squeezed into a landmass the size of Iowa. In partnership with the Pulitzer Center, Fred de Sam Lazaro traveled to Bangladesh to look at efforts to build resilience in the face of the escalating consequences. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/fund...
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