Episode notes
The internet is how you get your news, your paycheck, your groceries, your banking, and sometimes your drinking water. Humanity has quietly handed over the keys to civilization to a network most of us don't understand and couldn't rebuild. So what happens if it goes down — and not for a day or two? Ben Bradford tries to kill the internet, hunting for weak points in undersea cables, cyberattacks, cloud computing, overlooked open-source plumbing, and fragile politics. It’s harder than it looks, but maybe not impossible. Should we be worried? Guests: Bruce Schneier, cryptographer, cybersecurity…
Are We Doomed?
by NPR Network · English · Tech & Science
Is the world ending, or does it just feel like it? " Are We Doomed?" investigates the greatest risks facing society, the planet, and our species. What’s real? What’s hype? And how do we actually make it out alive? Nukes. Asteroids. Autocracy. Rogue AI. Climate-driven pandemics. Angry hippopotam
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People have been predicting the end of the world forever. They’ve always been wrong. Maybe we’re wrong today, too. So, we’re looking back at three past dooms predicted in the 20th century, none of which arrived as advertised. Why not? What can we learn? Does it mean that the current biggest end-of-the-world fears may be overblown, misunderstood, or — with effort — preventable? Along the way: failed utopias, dystopias, and the animal Ben fears most: the mini-hippo. Guest: Matt Novak, journalist at Gizmodo and long-time author of the Paleofuture blog. Support Are We Doomed?, get bonus…
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19 May 2026 · 38 min
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6 Oct 2026 · 32 minNew
Can Other Planets Tell Us Our Fate?
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