logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2023
1h 4m

The Underwater Internet

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

How does the internet get information from across the planet to your house? While many people might guess it's a matter of satellites and synchronous orbits, they'd only be partially correct -- the vast majority of data zipping around online moves through a network of undersea cables. In tonight's episode, Ben and Matt explore how these cables work... and why more people should know about them.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Today
Listener Mail: How News Works, IGU Returns, Cooking Salamander Tacos, and More
In this week's listener mail segment: Colin inspires a conversation about the nature of understanding the news -- and why 'triangulating' conflicting news sources remains crucial. Newly-hired to Illumination Global, Unlimited, Calamatiy Chris weighs in with some work notes. Dory ... Show More
52m 21s
Yesterday
CLASSIC: The Philadelphia Experiment
Here's the story: In October of 1943, hundreds of people watched a top secret experiment go horribly wrong. The US Navy, attempting to create a kind of invisibility cloak for ships, accidentally transported the USS Eldridge through time and space, with disastrous consequences for ... Show More
1h 5m
Yesterday
What is Mirror Life?
Earth is teeming with life, and despite these billions of organisms seeming so different -- it turns out that pretty much all life has surprising commonalities science still hasn't figure out. All our molecules follow the same basic 'directions'. And, recently, experts realized i ... Show More
1h 4m
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2025
The Internet Under the Sea
What powers the global internet? The answer might surprise you: not satellites, but hundreds of thin cables that run along the ocean floor. They’re an absolutely essential technology that’s also incredibly fragile — so fragile that in the beginning, most people thought they could ... Show More
50m 47s
Sep 2024
How does the internet work?
The internet can feel like magic. You send a video of a squirrel eating an acorn to your friends and BOOM! A few seconds later, they can watch it! But how does the internet actually work?In today’s episode, Molly and co-host Kayson take a tour of the internet. They find out where ... Show More
35m 16s
Sep 2017
Internet of Things
Can we Control the Dark Side of the Internet?The Internet is the world's most widely used communications tool. It’s a fast and efficient way of delivering information. However it is also quite dumb, neutral, treating equally all the data it passes around the world. From data that ... Show More
26m 58s
Mar 2025
Can the world rely on its undersea cable network?
Undersea cables form the backbone of global communication, with over 95% of global internet traffic relying on hundreds of fibre-optic cables criss-crossing the globe. But recent incidents such as disruption to cables in the Baltic Sea have highlighted concerns over their securit ... Show More
22m 58s
Jul 2020
Aleks in Wonderland: Attack of the Zombie Baby Monitors - Episode 3
Can we Control the Dark Side of the Internet? The Internet is the world's most widely used communications tool. It's a fast and efficient way of delivering information. However it is also quite dumb, neutral, treating equally all the data it passes around the world. From data tha ... Show More
28m 56s
Jan 2023
Undersea Cables
<p>Alex Schmidt is joined by bestselling author Jason Pargin (new novel "If This Book Exists, You’re In The Wrong Universe") for a look at why undersea cables are secretly incredibly fascinating.</p> <p>Visit <a href="http://sifpod.fun/">http://sifpod.fun/</a> for research source ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 2022
The math problem that could break the internet
Today's internet is built on a series of locks and keys that protect your private information as it travels through cyberspace. But could all these locks be broken? For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and read more about the to ... Show More
37m 49s
Apr 2020
SYSK Selects: How the Deep Web Works
<p>Perhaps you didn’t realize that when you search the web you’re only skimming the surface. In fact, the types of web pages that turn up in your search engine results represent only a mere fraction of the total web. Immerse yourself in the Deep web and its dark corners in this c ... Show More
31m 54s
Apr 2023
How Entire Countries Can Lose the Internet
Disruptions to the world’s internet cables happen more often than you think: Whether it be ship anchors or animals or saboteurs, cut a few wires in the right places and at nearly the speed of light you can disrupt or shut off the internet for broad populations of people at a time ... Show More
32m 43s
Jan 2024
The math problem that could break the internet
Today's internet is built on a series of locks and keys that protect your private information as it travels through cyberspace. But could all these locks be broken? (Updated from 2022) For more, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to view show transcripts and re ... Show More
38m 33s