logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2025
27m 52s

Plastic rain, plastic rain

Vox
About this episode

We (mostly) got rid of acid rain, but now there’s another scary thing falling from the sky.


This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Victoria Chamberlin, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.


Further reading: We got rid of acid rain. Now something scarier is falling from the sky. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast

Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members


Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
The campus resistance
In this special feed drop of On with Kara Swisher, Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber talks about standing up to Donald Trump and what free speech on campus really looks like. This episode was produced by Cristian Castro Rossel, Kateri Jochum, Michell Eloy, Megan Burney an ... Show More
53m 47s
Yesterday
Saudi Arabia is no joke
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was billed as “two weeks of laughs in the desert” but has comics asking, “At what cost?” This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Noel King. A poster f ... Show More
26 m
Oct 8
Trump deploys the National Guard
The president is attempting to send the National Guard into two American cities for two (seemingly) different reasons with two (for now) different results. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra and Danielle Hewitt, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and K ... Show More
25m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
‘Til the landslide brings it down
When officials commissioned a set of updated hazard maps for Juneau, Alaska, they thought the information would help save lives and spur new development. Instead, the new maps drew public outcry from people who woke up to discover their homes were at risk of being wiped out by la ... Show More
29m 9s
Sep 11
What Charlie Kirk’s death says about political division in the US
Shot while answering a question about mass shootings, outspoken gun-rights advocate and conservative activist Charlie Kirk was killed on a university campus. What does this moment signal for escalating political violence and the state of US politics? In this episode: Dr. Matthew ... Show More
22m 58s
Sep 26
Voice
Over the course of millions of years, human voices have evolved to hold startling power. These clouds of vibrating air carry crucial information about who we are–and we rely on them to push ourselves up and out into the physical world.This week, we’re on a journey to understand h ... Show More
1h 6m
Aug 29
Katrina Was Predicted: Revisiting Warning Signs 20 Years Later
Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Scientific American revisits the storm’s tragic legacy and the scientific warnings that went unheeded. Senior editor Mark Fischetti shares his experience reporting on the city’s vulnerability years before the levees bro ... Show More
23m 24s
Oct 4
Another Take: Two hurricanes in two weeks – life after Milton and Helene
Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on October 14, 2024. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed. It’s a strange experience for journalist Natasha Del Toro to be on the other side of the mic, sharing ... Show More
22m 41s
Sep 1
273 - Horror Recs
Recommendations for you horror buffs Weather: "Watermelon" by ⁠⁠Clavicle⁠⁠ Original episode art by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jessica Hayworth⁠⁠⁠ The voice of Carlos is Dylan Marron The voice of Dana is Jasika Nicole The voice of Tamika is Symphony Sanders The voice of Deb is Meg Bashwiner ⁠⁠⁠Episode ... Show More
28m 58s
Sep 2023
Rebecca Solnit and Thelma Young Lutunatabua, "Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility" (Haymarket, 2023)
These days, with catastrophe after catastrophe, it can be easy to turn to despair and to believe that there is nothing we can do. But writer Rebecca Solnit is determined to change that narrative. Over the course of her career, Solnit has published twenty-five books on feminism, p ... Show More
1h 3m
Sep 19
Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang
From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the mind and brain, unpack how social media and algorithms are reshaping the way we commun ... Show More
26m 55s
Sep 13
Full Episode: Friday, September 12, 2025
Following the horrific assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Matt Gutman reports on the arrest of 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson, Pierre Thomas has details on what we’re learning about the suspect and Jon Karl has more on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s stark warning a ... Show More
23m 44s
Sep 15
Kissing Bugs, Koalas and Clues to Life on Mars
A paper published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argues that Chagas disease is now endemic in the U.S. Koalas may finally be spared from a deadly epidemic. Meanwhile NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has uncovered tantalizing clues about potential ancient microbia ... Show More
9m 37s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami