PBS News Hour - Science

PBS NewsHour

Listen to PBS News Hour science reporting published every Wednesday by 9 p.m. Featuring reports from Miles O'Brien, Nsikan Akpan and the rest of our science crew, we take on topics ranging from the future of 3-D printing to power of placebo drugs. Is...

  • 7 minutes 40 seconds
    Trump’s executive order limits state regulations of artificial intelligence
    President Trump has signed an executive order that would block states from enforcing laws they pass to regulate A.I., or artificial intelligence.The directive marks a big win for tech giants but will likely be challenged in the courts. Jacob Ward, founder of The Rip Current, joins Geoff Bennett to help break down the concerns and the arguments around all of this. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    12 December 2025, 11:35 pm
  • 2 minutes 18 seconds
    Deep in the Amazon, scientists build a ‘time capsule’ to predict future of climate change
    Hundreds of miles from the U.N. conference on climate change that wrapped this weekend in Belém, Brazil, scientists are conducting a first-of-its-kind experiment that could help future policymakers address the issue. John Yang reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    23 November 2025, 10:30 pm
  • 2 minutes 16 seconds
    A Brief But Spectacular take on finding a place where you belong
    Sometimes, the right learning environment can change everything. For Courtney Irwin, that place was a youth development center in Salinas, California. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on how cooking and community helped her find her way. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    18 November 2025, 11:25 pm
  • 5 minutes 46 seconds
    Key takeaways from COP30 halfway through the UN climate summit
    This weekend is the halfway point for the 30th U.N. climate summit known as COP30. In a report issued days before the meeting began, the World Meteorological Organization said 2025 is “on track to be among the three warmest years on record.” New York Times international climate reporter Somini Sengupta, who just returned from COP30, joins John Yang to discuss. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    16 November 2025, 11:20 pm
  • 9 minutes 4 seconds
    How a small community fought for justice after finding forever chemicals in drinking water
    So-called forever chemicals are both harmful to our health and are everywhere. Studies have found them in women's breast milk and even in rain falling in Tibet. A new book tells the story of how these extremely durable chemicals became so ubiquitous through the eyes of a small community that decided to fight for some measure of justice. William Brangham reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    13 November 2025, 11:35 pm
  • 8 minutes 57 seconds
    Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: ‘The science world is ending’
    A poll from the journal Nature found that 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country. That includes a man who’s been dubbed the "Mozart of Math." Stephanie Sy examines what’s behind a potential scientific brain drain. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    29 October 2025, 11:40 pm
  • 6 minutes 1 second
    How data center power demand could help lower electricity prices
    The latest Consumer Price Index shows that the average electric bill went up more than 5% from September 2024 to September 2025. That's faster than the inflation rate for the same period. Conventional wisdom blames the demand for power on the explosive growth of data centers, but a new analysis concludes that it’s not that simple. John Yang reports on the other factors behind the rising costs. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    29 October 2025, 11:35 pm
  • 3 minutes 28 seconds
    Young photographer documents disappearing salt marshes to inspire action
    Salt marshes exist on every coast of the U.S., but these important wetlands are succumbing quickly to the effects of sea level rise caused by climate change. Grace Go of our journalism training program, PBS News Student Reporting Labs, has the story of how one young photographer from Massachusetts is fighting to protect these places. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    21 October 2025, 11:20 pm
  • 6 minutes 42 seconds
    Permafrost thawed by climate change threatens remote villages in Alaska
    In the Arctic tundra of Alaska, climate change is forcing an Alaska Native village to relocate. Rising temperatures are melting the underground permafrost. The melted ice then mixes with the soil, creating unstable land the Yupʼik people call Alaskan quicksand. Amalia Huot-Marchand and a team from the Medill School of Journalism report. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    20 October 2025, 11:35 pm
  • 5 minutes 55 seconds
    Why a billionaire mining executive is betting on green energy
    This week, countries may approve a carbon tax on the global shipping industry. The International Maritime Organization is poised to approve new levies on ships for their emissions, but the Trump administration argues it's a harmful tax. William Brangham has a profile of Andrew Forrest, a key business player who's attracting attention for his efforts to make industry greener. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    15 October 2025, 11:25 pm
  • 8 minutes 4 seconds
    Unlikely alliance builds cleaner geothermal energy network in Massachusetts community
    An unlikely partnership between a utility company and climate activists managed to convert a community to geothermal heating and cooling. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports on this project for our energy and climate series, Tipping Point. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy
    10 October 2025, 11:35 pm
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