535. Why Is Flying Safer Than Driving?

How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard,” first published in 2023.) SOURC ... Show More

Angela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among the most influential rabbis in the world. She and Stephen Dubner talk about boundary-crossing, the aftermath of October 7, and whether you can be a good Jew without believing in God. If y ... Show More

Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and busts. How does he feel about America’s massive bet on A.I.? “Something has to give.” SOURCES: Gary Gensler, professor of the practice of global economics, management, and finance at M.I.T. ... Show More

In recent months, an Alaska Airlines jet lost a door plug mid-flight, and a Japan Airlines plane collided with another aircraft at an airport in Tokyo. Accidents like these are uncommon, but they could help engineers design safer airplanes. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University as ... Show More

<p>Theoretically, every US driver could replace his or her automobile with a flying car -- but is it a good idea? Tune in to learn about the past and future of flying cars in this podcast from HowStuffWorks.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.ihe ... Show More

Prices have dropped; air travel's been democratized; the number of people flying's more than tripled in the last 30 years. Also, seats are smaller seats and lines are longer. MUCH longer. We spend more time than ever in tight spaces with our fellow humans. The results can be grim ... Show More

As automobiles took the world by storm, manufacturers quickly realized they needed to make a ton of safety improvements -- and fast. But how could you accurately determine what happened in a car crash, without risking human lives? In today's episode, Ben, Noel and Max dive into t ... Show More

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s… an ad for cigarettes?! For the past 102 years, people have been using airplanes to turn exhaust into ads, political slogans, birthday greetings, and more. But where did this strangely brilliant idea come from? What kind of sorcery do pilots use to ... Show More

<p>As there has been some problems with Boeing 777s in the news recently I thought I'd talk a bit about plane crashes and travel safety in general.</p> 

Recent airplane crashes and near misses have everyone freaked out, just as DOGE is laying off workers at the agency charged with keeping people safe in the air. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin and Gabrielle Berbey, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura B ... Show More

Flying, for many of us, is now routine. For a few of us it is a weekly, maybe even daily, event. At the same time global protests, concerned with the pressing danger of climate change and the need to reduce CO2 emissions, are gaining attention and causing alarm. So, will we ever ... Show More