Flora Lichtman and SoundVision ProductionsSociety & Culture
Flora Lichtman and SoundVision ProductionsSociety & Culture
Flora Lichtman and SoundVision ProductionsSociety & Culture
Flora Lichtman and SoundVision ProductionsSociety & Culture

About

A podcast about life on Earth during a weird time: now. We visit people who are thinking about the future and figuring out how we will adapt to a changing planet. Hosted by Science Friday alum Flora Lichtman, produced by Freakonomics Radio/The Atlantic alum Katherine Wells.

  • Assisting Evolution
    Grist reporter Amelia Urry visits an Australian lab, where scientists are trying to grow coral that can survive in the future. And a farewell from Flora and Katherine.  
  • Imagine Earthships [video]
    Outside of Taos, NM, you'll find a community of people living in off-grid homes made of garbage. We visited them.
  • There's a Weird Vibe on the Bus
    Michael Reynolds builds off-grid homes out of garbage. Meet the Earthship.
  • REBROADCAST: Yak Life
    Wild yaks live on the roof of the world, a frosty high-elevation plateau north of the Himalayas. Conservation biologist Joel Berger, of the University of Montana and the Wildlife Conservation Society, wanted to find out how climate change might affect yaks, so he paid them a visit. 
  • He Bought the Water
    Reporter Ryan Bradley follows up on his quest to buy water.
  • Spore Power
    When you hear "renewable energy," you think solar and wind. But what about spores? Columbia University's Ozgur Sahin explains.
  • How We Measure the Earth Breathing
    What do Algerian monks have to do with 400 parts per million? Reporter Jeff Delviscio investigates how we measure CO2 in the atmosphere.
  • Dogs in the Forest
    Dogs evolved in response to environmental changes tens of millions of years ago. Can that tell us anything about how animals might adapt to climate change today?
  • Born in the Anthropocene
    Jeremy and Charlie, 11 year old students, are worried about climate change. They say it's because their generation will be the one to bear the brunt of its effects.
  • Fixing the Sky
    Historian James Fleming talks about the surprising history of weather control and what past failures can tell us about today's geoengineering proposals.
  • Sex Change Dragons
    When exposed to high temperatures, Australian Central Bearded Dragons do something strange.
  • Let's Talk About Babies
    Ethicist Travis Rieder thinks that it's time we talked about population.
  • Cosmic Toilet
    On the International Space Station, sewage, condensation and even sweat get recycled into potable water. We have the technology to recycle water on Earth, too, but we don't use it as often as we could -- mostly because we think it's gross.
  • Dollypartoniana and Other Lichens
    Lichens are under threat from climate and habitat changes. Should we care?
  • What Rats Really Think About Climate Change
    We interviewed New York City rats to get their thoughts on climate change and whether humans will be able to adapt.
  • When Rats Inherit the Earth
    If humans were to go extinct, what would the planet look like? One paleobiologist says the creatures most likely to take our place are rats.
  • How Water Is Bought and Sold
    Reporter Ryan Bradley lives in California. Given the drought, he figured it'd be a good idea to buy some water rights. It was more complicated than he thought.
  • Climate Confessions
    We asked for your stories of climate shame. You delivered.
  • Yak Life
    Wild yaks live on the roof of the world, a frosty high-elevation plateau north of the Himalayas. Biologist Joel Berger wanted to find out how climate change might affect yaks, so he paid them a visit. 
  • Video: Driving on Air
    Why did a young Romanian inventor build an eco-friendly car made out of half a million LEGO pieces that runs on compressed air? Well, why not?