Poisons and Perils on the Salton Sea

In this special crossover episode, Science Quickly shares an appearance by host Rachel Feltman on Vox’s Unexplainable. Together with host Noam Hassenfeld, she explores Scientific American’s special issue on impossible questions, diving into some of science’s biggest mysteries, fr ... Show More

In this episode of Science Quickly, we explore newly released 9/11 records and their revelations about the attacks’ lasting health impacts, unpack a controversial artificial intelligence breakthrough that solved one of mathematics’ biggest problems and examine the growing backlas ... Show More

Can an artificial intelligence really be a friend? In this episode of Science Quickly, Scientific American books and culture lead Bri Kane sits down with Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Sherry Turkle to discuss the rise of AI chatbots and their effect on human co ... Show More

Toxic dust plagues marginalized communities on the shores of this disappearing salt lake. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 

In 1905, an engineering mistake created a brand new 400-square-mile sea (lake?) in the California desert. People made the most of it at first, but it didn’t take long to become a toxic brew that now threatens the health of anyone in breathing distance.See omnystudio.com/listener ... Show More

In 1986, a deep volcanic lake in Cameroon erupted half a million tons of carbon dioxide. The toxic gas washed over the surrounding countryside with deadly consequences, and the mystery of the lake took scientists years to unravel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch ... Show More

<p>We’re back on the road this week, to California’s Salton Sea, a salty lake in the desert that was once marketed as “Palm Springs with water.” Today the water is receding and increasingly toxic. The community that once thrived here now has one of the highest unemployment rates ... Show More

Dotted across the Great Basin of the American West are salty, smelly lakes. The largest of these, by far, is the Great Salt Lake in Utah.But a recent report found that water diversions for farming, climate change and population growth could mean the lake essentially disappears wi ... Show More

Why your children may or may not choke to death on the dust that was once a river. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

<p>A toxic lake high in the Andes mountains in Argentina is home to microbes that provide a window to our planet’s past — and a key to securing its future.</p><p><strong>READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: </strong><a target="_blank" href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/laguna-del-diama ... Show More

<p>Whether you draw your wisdom from 18th century poems or experience in the surf, you probably know that drinking seawater is a terrible idea. But exactly why shouldn’t you drink saltwater? What happens if you do? Can it really drive you mad with hallucinations? In this episode ... Show More

<p>Wade says Ryan needs to "grow a pair," and Rod's sick of seeing "bullshit corporate delay tactics" with toxic tailings ponds near Ft. McMurray. Both take centre stage in this week's Trash Talk presented by Local Environmental Services.</p> <p>KEEP IT LOCAL: https://localenviro ... Show More