TED Talks Daily Book Club: Human Nature: Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet | Kate Marvel
Host Elise Hu interviews climate scientist Kate Marvel about her book "Human Nature, Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet," which explores climate change through nine emotions rather than just data or policy. Marvel discusses why scientists should acknowledge their feelings, how climate communication needs storytelling as well as charts, and how humans still have agency to shape a wide range of possible futures. They cover topics including grief for changing places, the limits of individual action, practical climate solutions, technological interventions, and how hope can be understood as something we do rather than something we simply have.
How climate shocks could break the economy | Edmond Rhys Jones
Host Elise Hu introduces a TED talk by climate pathfinder Edmund Rhys-Jones, who explores the economic implications of climate change. Rhys-Jones argues that while climate science is detailed and alarming, traditional economic models understate real-world disruption because they ignore how climate shocks propagate through financial infrastructure. He calls for new, complexity-based simulations and financial innovations to better manage growing climate-related turbulence and safeguard a significant share of global GDP.
What To Do With All This Nuclear Waste?
Josh and Chuck discuss what nuclear waste actually is, how it is produced in nuclear reactors, and the different forms it takes. They explain current storage methods like spent fuel pools and dry casks, national and international strategies for long-term disposal including Finland's deep geological repository, and the stalled Yucca Mountain project in the U.S. They also explore emerging ideas such as recycling spent fuel, transmutation, vitrification into glass or ceramics, and touch on policy, security risks, and connections to artificial intelligence-driven demand for nuclear energy.
How to measure the planet's heartbeat | Yadvinder Malhi
Ecosystem ecologist Yadvinder Mali explains how he and colleagues measure and map the flows of energy, carbon, and nutrients that sustain ecosystems, from forests and soils to coral reefs. He introduces the idea of "vibrancy"-the complexity and spread of energy through many species-as a key determinant of ecosystem health and resilience. Using examples from English woodlands, savannas, and tropical atolls, he argues that valuing nature only for carbon undermines this vibrancy, and that working with the wild energies of the biosphere gives both ecosystems and human communities their best chance to adapt to climate change.
Bill Nye Takeover
Bill Nye guest hosts StarTalk with Chuck Nice to interview space policy expert Casey Dreyer about severe proposed cuts to NASA's budget, especially its science programs. They explain what NASA science includes, why Earth observation and planetary exploration matter, how Mars Sample Return could answer the question of life beyond Earth, and how politics, international competition, and commercial space intersect with long-term scientific goals. The episode closes with concrete ways listeners can advocate for NASA science through the Planetary Society.
The Science of Godzilla, Zombies & Other Monsters, with Charles Liu
Neil deGrasse Tyson, co-host Matt Kirshen, and astrophysicist Charles Liu explore the science and cultural meaning of monsters, from Godzilla, dragons, King Kong, and Frankenstein to zombies and black holes. They discuss how physics, biology, and scaling laws constrain what monsters could exist, and how stories about monsters reflect human fears, technological change, and environmental anxieties. Throughout, they argue that the real "monsters" are often human hubris and ignorance, and that science can both demystify and reframe these fears.