PRI: Science, Tech & Environment

Sylvia Earle is a pioneer in the field of marine science. She was one of the first people to ever use scuba technology for scientific research; she holds the women's record for the deepest untethered sea walk and she became the first female chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In all, her career has spanned 70 years and counting. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Earle about her career, her passion for the ocean and how the ocean has changed. The post Pioneering marine scientist Sylvia Earle reflects on decades under the sea appeared first on The World from PRX.

Paul Salopek is a National Geographic Explorer walking from Ethiopia to South America on foot. But it's also a journalism job. That means conducting interviews, taking photos and videos, and nonstop note-taking and writing. He joins Carolyn Beeler to peel back the curtain on the technology that has kept him connected for the past 13 years, even when he is days of travel away from the nearest outlet or wi-fi signal. The post What tech powers a global walk? appeared first on The World from PRX.

New analysis from the London School of Economics finds an increase in lawsuits around the world targeting data centers. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with the report's researcher, Eoin Jackson, to learn more. The post Global climate litigation is increasingly targeting data centers appeared first on The World from PRX.

Over 15 million people around the world live with a spinal cord injury, according to the World Health Organization. It's a lifelong diagnosis that can permanently affect a patient's mobility. In Brazil, an experimental treatment has yielded promising results, high hopes and legal challenges to get access to clinical trials. The World's Julia França reports on the treatment, and the patients caught between hope for recovery and uncertainty over when, or whether, they will be able to access it. The post A scientific breakthrough for spinal injuries is emerging in Brazil appeared first on The World from PRX.

Spanish journalist Carlos Barragán delves into the world of the Yahoo Boys, young Nigerian hustlers who scam lonely Westerners out of their money online. The post New book, ‘The Yahoo Boys,’ explores the world of Nigerian love scammers appeared first on The World from PRX.

Weeks after The World first reported on allegations of forced labor at BYD's new car factory in Hungary, authorities are cracking down on the car maker. Three companies associated with the Chinese EV giant's plant in Hungary have been sanctioned — and Hungary has launched an environmental investigation into the site. But labor advocates are skeptical that those actions will lead to any real change. The post Hungary cracks down on BYD plant over forced labor allegations appeared first on The World from PRX.

Deutsche Welle's Lars Bevanger traveled to northern Finland and reports on the country's booming gaming industry. The post A different kind of ‘Fintech' appeared first on The World from PRX.

Dramatic cuts to science research grants have particularly affected rare disease research. But some of the people most affected, including those with Nicolaides-Baraitser syndrome, are now organizing their own global research collaborations. The post Families organize amid government funding cuts into rare disease research appeared first on The World from PRX.

Robot news has been coming fast and furious this month. One robot won a half-marathon in Beijing, and others captured a Russian position in Ukraine. And last week, we learned of a robotic arm that beat table-tennis champions at their own game. To learn about this moment in robotics, The World's Host Carolyn Beeler spoke with Kenechukwu Mbanisi. He's an assistant professor of robotics engineering at Olin College in Massachusetts. The post The latest in the world of robotics appeared first on The World from PRX.

DW's Lars Bevanger reports on a new a controversial contract between Britain's National Health Service and the US data and spy tech company Palantir. The post Increasing frustration over UK deal with spy tech company appeared first on The World from PRX.

DW Reporter Ben Bathke meets up with an Estonian tech entrepreneur who has pivoted towards defense to discuss the role of rapidly developing technology in the Ukraine war. The post Security tech start-ups play increasingly significant role in Ukraine war appeared first on The World from PRX.

A casual conversation with a friend led NYU neuroscientist Tim Requarth down an unsettling line of inquiry. His friend had made an AI video of himself scaling Mt. Rushmore, and a little while later, he felt the slightest bit of a memory of being at Mt. Rushmore — even though he had never been there. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Requarth about why our brains' process for making memories seems to be vulnerable to generative AI. The post AI may be messing with our memories appeared first on The World from PRX.

Artificial intelligence is a game changer across many fields these days and mathematics is no exception. Yet, the rapid acceleration of its ability to solve some of arithmetic's most challenging proofs has left many a mathematician wondering how they fit into future equations. The World's Host Marco Werman spoke to one such human mathematician, Daniel Litt, at the University of Toronto. The post AI is rapidly changing math, and mathematicians are defining their role in the equation appeared first on The World from PRX.

An agreement between the US and Zimbabwe, under which the US would send health aid directly to the country, has collapsed. The Zimbabwean government rejected the deal over concerns about data sharing and sovereignty. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Stephen Morrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The post Health aid pact between US and Zimbabwe collapses appeared first on The World from PRX.

No, not the scary Terminator-like ones beloved of science fiction writers … We’re talking about the cute, helpful ones designed to help out in school. And, yes — this really is a thing.  A Norwegian company is already successful in 17 countries with a small robot that can represent absent pupils in the classroom. DW’s […] The post Not quite The Terminator, these robots still look human-like and perform tasks appeared first on The World from PRX.

The once-dominant phone giant is now becoming known in other areas of media and tech. The post Nokia is back appeared first on The World from PRX.

In East Africa, the vast majority of cars are imported from other countries. But a group of engineers in Kenya is working to change that by developing the country's first-ever locally-assembled electric vehicle. The post In Kenya, there's a quiet push for an electric car revolution appeared first on The World from PRX.

Guy De Launey, from our partners at DW, Deutsche Welle's, program Inside Europe, reports on Serbia's vast lithium reserves and the challenges facing companies trying to access them. The post Serbia tries to access its lithium reserves amid local opposition appeared first on The World from PRX.

Deutsche Welle's Shant Shahrigian reports on a $500 million AI factory planned for Armenia in one of the latest projects from chip-making titan NVIDIA. The post A multi-million dollar AI data center is slated for Armenia appeared first on The World from PRX.

Self-driving cars and electric vehicles tend to dominate global headlines, but some of the most consequential innovations in transportation are happening in far humbler machines. In Shenzhen, China, driverless delivery vans, autonomous sanitation robots, surveillance drones and other experimental vehicles are already operating in public spaces, offering a view of how cities may function in the coming decades. The post In China, the future of transportation is already here appeared first on The World from PRX.

Forty years ago, Shenzhen, China, was little more than a cluster of villages, home to a few hundred thousand people. Today, it holds roughly 20 million residents and ranks among the world's fastest-growing megacities. Yet, unlike other urban centers that have ballooned at similar speeds — Mumbai or Lagos, for example — Shenzhen has largely sidestepped the air pollution, overcrowding and failing infrastructure that often accompany rapid expansion. In the second of a five-part series, The World's Jeremy Siegel explores how the city has been able to avoid the problems typically associated with megacities. The post Lessons from the world's most thriving megacity appeared first on The World from PRX.

Sean Powers, from the "Click Here" podcast, reports on the lone coder trying to bring back the Uyghur web. The post Saving the Uyghur internet appeared first on The World from PRX.

Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the “Click Here” podcast, reports on the erasure of Ekpar Asat, who wanted to build a digital space for his Uyghur community. The post The disappearance of Ekpar Asat appeared first on The World from PRX.

Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the “Click Here” podcast, reports on the shift in China's surveillance tactics of its Uyghur population. The post The curious case of UyghurEdit++ appeared first on The World from PRX.

Last week, several Nobel laureates and high-profile celebrities cautioned that the threat of artificial intelligence is real, particularly regarding what's known as artificial superintelligence. Max Tegmark, head of The Future of Life Institute and a professor doing AI research at MIT, spoke to The World's Host Marco Werman about why experts — including him — are calling for urgent action. The post Nobel laureates sound the alarm over artificial superintelligence appeared first on The World from PRX.

The UN estimates revenues from scam centers in Southeast Asia, mostly Myanmar, to be nearly $40 billion. The sheer number of people being conned into working for them has overwhelmed police. So, one man tried to step in, rescuing dozens of people from being trapped. The post Freeing victims from criminal enclaves in Myanmar, one TikTok at a time appeared first on The World from PRX.

In the wake of federal funding cuts that threaten scientists' jobs in the US, programs have emerged across Europe to attract those worried American scientists. The World's Gerry Hadden reports from a university in southern France where incoming Americans are referred to as “scientific refugees.” The post Europe wants to attract American scientists appeared first on The World from PRX.

Especially these days, traveling can be chaotic. Now, a trio of American YouTubers has devised a fun way to make it all less stressful through a video series that turns travel chaos into a competition. The post These YouTube streamers have turned the stress of travel into a game appeared first on The World from PRX.

Latam-GPT, a Chilean-led artificial intelligence project, promises to center Latin American languages and cultures. The post An AI that speaks the languages of Latin America appeared first on The World from PRX.

Dina Temple-Raston, the host of the "Click Here" podcast from Recorded Future News and PRX, reports on North Korean workers applying for remote IT jobs around the world. The post Meet the ‘Kyles’ — North Korea's secret IT warriors appeared first on The World from PRX.

Almost 1 in 4 Brazilians have been victims of cybercrime, making the country number one in the world for phishing via WhatsApp. The post How Brazil became one of the epicenters of cybercrime appeared first on The World from PRX.

Ben Bathke from our partners DW, Deutsche Welle, reports on what European nations can learn from Estonia's digital government services. The post Estonia serves as a digital pioneer for European governments appeared first on The World from PRX.

The Netherlands, which was once a religious country, saw a dramatic decline in religiosity after WWII. Recently though, there's been a small but significant increase in people turning to faith. One reason is efforts made by Gen Z — but not through traditional churches. The post In one of the world's most secular countries, some Gen Z Christians are finding faith again — but not at church appeared first on The World from PRX.

As record-breaking heat hits parts of Europe, France is trying to adapt. Paris is now expanding its district cooling system. The World's Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Raphaelle Nayral, the head of the company operating the network about the initiative. The post Amid rising heat, Paris expands a network of pipes to keep cool appeared first on The World from PRX.

The Trump administration has made it a priority to eliminate DEI programs across the United States and even overseas. It's put some private companies on notice and warned businesses working with US embassies and consulates to renounce their inclusion policies. But many of these groups are resisting and fighting back. The post Trump administration cuts funding to Barcelona library over DEI policies appeared first on The World from PRX.

Cases of the recently identified Covid-19 variant NB 1.8.1. are rising. Some have dubbed the variant "razor blade throat" for one of its notably painful symptoms. The World Health Organization says it's monitoring the variant. The World's Marco Werman spoke to Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist based in Boston. The post Here's what to know about the new COVID variant ‘razor blade throat' appeared first on The World from PRX.

In France, 25 people were recently charged over a series of kidnappings and attempted abductions. The post A bizarre crimewave is taking place in the French capital appeared first on The World from PRX.

Summer is in full swing in India, and many cities are experiencing scorching heat, fueled in part by climate change. And in India's bustling cities, as the sun sets and the worst of the day's heat subsides, a sinister threat emerges: high nighttime temperatures. But some low-tech solutions may help address the problem.  The post Hot nights are worsening India's heat crisis. But low-tech solutions show some promise. appeared first on The World from PRX.

As part of The Big Fix series, Host Carolyn Beeler speaks with Chris Bataille, a fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs, about the state of small modular nuclear technology and Ontario's plans to construct four of these new reactors. The post Ontario approves $15 billion plan to build small modular nuclear reactors appeared first on The World from PRX.

A Soviet spacecraft is expected to come hurtling back to Earth after being stuck in orbit for more than 50 years. The Kosmos 482 probe was intended to reach Venus, however, it never got to its destination. Instead, it's been circling Earth since 1972, and gradually descending. The post A Soviet spacecraft is expected to make a crash landing on Earth this week. But nobody knows where — yet. appeared first on The World from PRX.

Spain is testing new artificial intelligence technology that will change the speed limit based on weather conditions, traffic, time of day and road conditions. The government hopes the system will help alleviate gridlock and increase safety on one of the country's busiest highways. The post Spain tests AI-based speed limit system appeared first on The World from PRX.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, owners have been training their dogs to “tell” them what they want by mashing buttons with their paws to express words in various human languages. A UCSD study began to explore the practice further and now includes participants in dozens of countries around the world. The post A new global study allows dogs to ‘talk' to their owners by pressing buttons that say human words appeared first on The World from PRX.

“Maybe Happy Ending” is an intimate science fiction story that has been performed many times in Seoul, South Korea. Now, its adapted version is playing on Broadway. The story, about a pair of robots, sheds light on the human condition in this digital age. The post Can robots fall in love? A sci-fi musical from South Korea is now a hit on Broadway. appeared first on The World from PRX.

Colombian architects are turning to older building techniques to reduce the carbon emissions associated with construction. The post Earth homes make a comeback in a Colombian town appeared first on The World from PRX.

WhatsApp, used by millions of people around the world, says its users were hacked by the Paragon Solutions spyware company. The World's Host Marco Werman speaks with John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at Citizen Lab, about the continuing threat of sophisticated spyware. The post WhatsApp identifies dozens of users hacked by Paragon spyware company appeared first on The World from PRX.