Best Inventions That Could Work Podcasts (2025)

1
These Adorable Hamster Dads Take Fatherhood Seriously 12:07

5h ago12:07

12:07

Most mammalian dads are pretty absent from their offspring’s lives. That sets the Djungarian hamster apart from its fellow fathers. These hamster dads are involved in the birth of their pups, care for them in infancy and even provide food during weaning. They also let the mother hamster go on cooldown walks outside of the burrow, which professor of…

1
What a wolf’s howl can tell us about the future of AI | Jeffrey T. Reed 22:37

11h ago22:37

22:37

“Everybody likes nature, even though we’re watching it slowly degrade away. And that’s the big challenge of our time,” says linguist software engineer Jeffrey T. Reed, a research affiliate with the Cry Wolf Project. Following his talk at TED2025, Reed sits down for a conversation with host Sherrell Dorsey on how listening to sounds like bird chirps…

1
Alan Pinkerton: The Private Detective Who Saved Lincoln’s Life and Built America’s Contract Security State 50:07

2d ago50:07

50:07

Alan Pinkerton is perhaps the most over-achieving barrel-maker who ever lived. After practicing his trade in rural Illinois for a few years in the 1850s, the Scottish immigrant busted up a counterfeiting ring, which got the attention of Chicago’s police department, offering him a job as a detective. From here he worked as an intelligence agent in t…

1
What ‘Immortal’ Jellyfish and Famously Old Tortoises Tell Us about Aging 14:27

2d ago14:27

14:27

Animals’ lifespans can be far shorter or much longer than those of humans. Scientists are researching creatures such as “immortal” jellyfish and long-lived tortoises and digging deep into genetic codes to figure out why animals age—and what we can do to improve longevity in humans. João Pedro de Magalhães, chair of molecular biogerontology at the U…

1
China's booming EV industry 26:29

4d ago26:29

26:29

We hear from inside China on the remarkably fast electric vehicle transition going on there, as the country moves away from petrol and diesel-powered cars and lorries. BBC Transport Correspondent Nick Marsh reports on the latest EV technology that's making Chinese brands popular and affordable. Also on Tech Life this week, who has the fastest compu…

1
MacArthur’s Plans to Drop 50 Nuclear Bombs During the Korean War 50:45

4d ago50:45

50:45

The Korean War came dangerously close to going nuclear, and if would have if Gen. Douglas MacArthur had gotten his way. He proposed using 30 to 50 nuclear primarily to targeting air bases, depots, and supply lines across the neck of Manchuria to create a radioactive barrier and halt Chinese and North Korean advances. This would have killed millions…

1
Cosmic Coin Toss, Record Heat in the North Atlantic and Living Worm Towers 8:51

4d ago8:51

8:51

New simulations suggest the Milky Way’s long-predicted collision with Andromeda might be less of a cosmic certainty than we thought. A massive marine heat wave in 2023 sent North Atlantic temperatures soaring—equal to two decades’ worth of typical warming—with weak winds and climate change largely to blame. And researchers reveal that the planet’s …

1
Is the National Weather Service Ready for an Extreme Summer? 14:21

7d ago14:21

14:21

The dedicated staff of the National Weather Service are responsible for the data that underpin your weather forecast and emergency alerts. DOGE Service cuts to the NWS are putting the collection and communication of those data at risk right as we enter a dangerous season of hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and extreme heat in the U.S. Senior sustai…

1
The best invention since sliced bread? | Rachel Yang 6:48

7d ago6:48

6:48

Industrial manufacturers spend a huge amount of energy generating heat to make everyday materials and objects, like cement, steel, and paper. And since most companies use fossil fuels to reach these high temperatures, industrial heat accounts for 20% of our annual global carbon pollution. Thankfully, this is where a century-old technology comes in.…

1
The Many Ways That Rome Never Fell and Lives On Today 37:16

8d ago37:16

37:16

Rome’s Western Empire may have fallen 1,600 years ago, but its cultural impact has a radioactive half-life that would make xenon jealous. Over a billion people speak Latin (or at least a Latin-derived language). Governments around the world self-consciously copy Roman buildings and create governments that copy the imperial senate. Every self-aggran…

1
Data and me 26:29

10d ago26:29

26:29

What happens when a company we trust with our most personal data gets into financial trouble ? We hear from a woman who trusted a US company with her genetic information. Also on Tech Life this week, will there be enough electricity for the demands of artificial intelligence ? The International Energy Agency tells us about the challenges of powerin…

1
Hooves of History: How Horses Created Ancient Warfare, Built the Silk Road, and Became the Dividing Line Between Nobleman and Peasant 44:28

10d ago44:28

44:28

In order to become rich, powerful, and prestigious in the pre-modern world, nothing mattered more than horses. They were the fundamental unit of warfare, enabling cavalry charges, and logistical support. They facilitated the creation of the Silk Road (which could arguably be called the “Horse Road”) since China largely built it to enable the purcha…

1
Megalodon Diets, Teeth Sensitivity and a Bunch of Vaccine News 8:00

11d ago8:00

8:00

The measles outbreak in West Texas is slowing. Health officials think an increase in vaccination rates contributed to the slowdown, but Texas lawmakers have pushed a new bill to make it even quicker and easier for parents to exempt their children from vaccines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention goes counter to the American College of O…

1
Are You Flourishing? This Global Study Has Surprising Takeaways 18:16

14d ago18:16

18:16

Are you flourishing? It’s a more understated metric than happiness, but it can provide a multidimensional assessment of our quality of life. Victor Counted, an associate professor of psychology at Regent University and a member of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University, joins host Rachel Feltman to review the first wave of results from…

1
How AI models steal creative work — and what to do about it | Ed Newton-Rex 20:05

14d ago20:05

20:05

Generative AI is built on three key resources: people, compute and data. While companies invest heavily in the first two, they often use unlicensed creative work as training data without permission or payment — a practice that pits AI against the very creators it relies on. AI expert Ed Newton-Rex has a solution: licensing. He unpacks the dark side…

1
Moonshining Survived (and Thrived) At Least Two Decades After Prohibition Ended 45:47

15d ago45:47

45:47

The Prohibition era (1920–1933), enacted by the 18th Amendment, birthed an overnight economy of moonshiners who distilled and distributed homemade liquor to meet America’s insatiable demand for alcohol, transforming rural farmers and opportunists into underground entrepreneurs who supplied speakeasies. But this new economy didn’t disappear after Pr…

1
Diagnosing Male Infertility with a Mechanical Engineering Twist 10:39

16d ago10:39

10:39

Male infertility is undercovered and underdiscussed. If a couple is struggling to conceive, there’s a 50–50 chance that sperm health is a contributing factor. Diagnosing male infertility is getting easier with at-home tests—and a new study suggests a method for testing at home that would be more accurate. Study co-author Sushanta Mitra, a professor…

1
The digital afterlife business 26:29

17d ago26:29

26:29

This week we're looking at a growing digital industry which allows people to interact - in a way - with the likeness or the voice of someone they care about who has passed away. It's not science fiction, and it does involve AI chatbots. Also on Tech Life this week, we'll be finding out about two tech solutions to the problem of food which goes to w…

1
How to Cross the Sahara as a Tenth-Century Cameleer 53:08

17d ago53:08

53:08

What comes to mind when we think about the Sahara? Rippling sand dunes, sun-blasted expanses, camel drivers and their caravans perhaps. Or famine, climate change, civil war, desperate migrants stuck in a hostile environment. The Sahara stretches across 3.2 million square miles, hosting several million inhabitants and a corresponding variety of lang…

1
Could We Speak to Dolphins? A Promising LLM Makes That a Possibility 19:07

21d ago19:07

19:07

Dolphins have a broad vocabulary. They vocalize with whistles, clicks and “burst pulses.”This varied communication makes it challenging for scientists to decode dolphin speech. Artificial intelligence can help researchers process audio and find the slight patterns that human ears may not be able to identify. Reporter Melissa Hobson took a look at D…

1
How Substack is breaking down traditional media gatekeepers | Hamish McKenzie 22:36

21d ago22:36

22:36

“The whole Substack ecosystem is about more power because it’s based on those relationships between the publisher and their subscribers, or the video maker and their viewers,” says journalist and Substack co-founder Hamish McKenzie. Following his talk at TED2025, McKenzie is in conversation with Sherrell Dorsey to discuss how the media landscape ha…

1
How American Slaves Fled By Sea, Whether as Stowaways or Commandeering a Confederate Ship 46:06

23d ago46:06

46:06

As many as 100,000 enslaved people fled successfully from the horrors of bondage in the antebellum South, finding safe harbor along a network of passageways across North America via the Underground Railroad. Yet many escapes took place not by land but by sea. William Grimes escaped slavery in 1815 by stowing away in a cotton bale on a ship from Sav…

1
Do Mitochondria Talk to Each Other? A New Look at the Cell’s Powerhouse 27:04

23d ago27:04

27:04

Mitochondria are known as the powerhouse of the cell—but new research suggests they might be far more complex. Columbia University’s Martin Picard joins Scientific American’s Rachel Feltman to explore how these tiny organelles could be communicating and what that might mean for everything from metabolism to mental health. Check out Martin Picard’s …

1
Protecting your invention 26:29

24d ago26:29

26:29

This week we're learning about patents - what they are, and who wants one. And by analysing the global demand for patents, we can see future trends in tech. Also in this edition of Tech Life, what are doctors and patients around the world saying about the use of artificial intelligence in hospitals ? And we'll be finding out about Google's latest i…

1
Did WW2 Heads of State Want to Preserve Their Empires As Much as Defend Their Homelands? 47:51

25d ago47:51

47:51

2025 marks the eightieth anniversary of Germany’s surrender and the fall of the Third Reich. Likewise, World War II is the single most studied conflict in human history. But most Western accounts offer a one-dimensional interpretation: the war was a noble crusade against fascism, creating a convenient parable about good and evil. But this depiction…

1
How to Make Gold, Flamingo Food Tornado, and Kosmos-482 Lands 8:09

25d ago8:09

8:09

Soviet-era spacecraft Kosmos-482 lands, though no one is certain where. Physicists turn lead into gold. Overdose deaths are down, in part thanks to the availability of naloxone. Flamingos make underwater food tornadoes. Chimps use leaves as a multi-tool. Recommended reading: A New, Deadly Era of Space Junk Is Dawning, and No One Is Ready https://ww…

1
Could Freezing Arctic Sea Ice Combat Climate Change? 25:29

28d ago25:29

25:29

The year-round sea ice in the Arctic is melting and has shrunk by nearly 40 percent over the past four decades. Geoengineering companies such as Real Ice are betting big on refreezing it. That may sound ridiculous, impractical or risky—but proponents say we have to try. The U.K. government seems to agree, investing millions into experimental approa…

1
Whitney Houston Hologram: The Zombification of an Icon | There Are No Girls on the Internet 39:36

28d ago39:36

39:36

This episode is part of a feed swap with our friend podcast There Are No Girls On The Internet, hosted by Bridget Todd. She is an expert on tech culture, and on her show she has fun, thought provoking conversations about the ways technology shapes our lives. If you enjoy this episode, you can listen to There Are No Girls On The Internet wherever yo…

1
How a British Governor of Virginia Raised an Ex-Slave Regiment in 1776 to Fight Patriots and Triggered the Revolutionary War 55:09

1M ago55:09

55:09

As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded in Virginia that proved every bit as decisive as the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill in uniting the colonies against Britain. Virginia, the largest, wealthiest, and most populous province in British North America, was led by Lord Dun…

1
How a West Texas Outbreak Threatens Measles Elimination Status 10:00

1M ago10:00

10:00

Measles was technically “eliminated” in the U.S. in 2000 thanks to high measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates. While prior outbreaks have made headlines, a slew of cases in West Texas is more than just newsworthy—it could cause the U.S. to lose elimination status. Associate health and medicine editor Lauren Young explains what eliminat…

1
The impact of online abuse 26:29

1M ago26:29

26:29

An international study looks at the online experiences of young people from marginalised groups, including sex workers, gay and transgender people, and people living with HIV. It concludes they are facing a surge in online abuse. We speak to Phong from Vietnam about his experience, then hear about the study from the lead researcher. Also on Tech Li…

1
How a Marine Embedded with Mao Zedong’s Guerrillas in the 30s Became WW2’s Most Celebrated Special Forces Leader 55:46

1M ago55:46

55:46

He was a gutsy old man.” “A corker,” said another. “You couldn’t find anyone better.” They talked about him in hushed tones. “This Major Carlson,” wrote one of the officers in a letter home, “is one of the finest men I have ever known.” These were the words of the young Marines training to be among the first U.S. troops to enter the Second World Wa…

1
Sinking Cities, Waving Cuttlefish and Falling Spacecraft 8:17

1M ago8:17

8:17

A 1970s Soviet spacecraft is hurtling down from space—and no one knows where it will land. All 28 of the most populous cities in the U.S. are slowly sinking. Investments and overconsumption make the wealthiest 10 percent of the global population responsible for two thirds of climate-change-related warming. Recommended reading: Cuttlefish May Commun…

1
This Podcast Was Recorded Inside a Particle Collider 18:11

1M ago18:11

18:11

We’re taking a field trip to the U.S.’s only particle collider, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), housed at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Staff scientist Alex Jentsch takes listeners through some basic terminology and interconnected technologies that help Brookhaven researchers probe questions about our unseen universe. The RHIC is wind…

1
The food that fertilizes itself | Giles E.D. Oldroyd 13:32

1M ago13:32

13:32

Could the key to a sustainable food system already be growing in the world’s farms? Plant scientist Giles E.D. Oldroyd explores how a special quirk of soybean plants allows them to naturally partner with networks of fungi and bacteria to access essential nutrients in the air and soil — eliminating the need for synthetic fertilizers. He shows how ha…

1
Microbes Were Discovered in the 1600s. Why It Take 200 Years For Doctors To Start Washing Their Hands? 54:16

1M ago54:16

54:16

Scientists and enthusiastic amateurs first confirmed the existence of living things invisible to the human eye in the late sixteenth century. So why did it take two centuries to connect microbes to disease? As late as the Civil War in the 1860s, most soldiers who perished died not on the battlefield but of infected wounds, typhoid, and other diseas…

1
Rejecting Toxic Fitness Culture with Casey Johnston 17:56

1M ago17:56

17:56

Casey Johnston is not your typical health and fitness influencer. She joins host Rachel Feltman to discuss how finding joy in strength training changed her relationship to fitness, food and body image. Johnston’s new book, A Physical Education, reflects on engaging with exercise in a balanced way. Recommended reading: You can get Johnston’s book A …

1
What you don’t see 26:29

1M ago26:29

26:29

Luckily much of what we see on social media is safe. But somewhere, somebody has to watch all the horrific content uploaded online in order to filter it out for the general public. We speak to a former moderator who worked on Meta platforms in Ghana. Plus, the community project in Puerto Rico with an innovative way of keeping its power on. And we s…

1
From Einstein’s Chalkboard to Oppenheimer’s Nuclear Test: The 50-Year Path to the Atomic Bomb 48:14

1M ago48:14

48:14

The story of the atomic age began decades before Robert Oppenheimer watched a mushroom cloud form over the New Mexico desert at the Trinity nuclear test in mid 1945. It begins in 1895, with Henri Becquerel’s accidental discovery of radioactivity, setting in motion a series of remarkable and horrifying events. By the early 20th century, a brilliant …

1
Jupiter’s Cyclones, Amazon’s Satellites and T. rex Collagen 9:01

1M ago9:01

9:01

The congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment grinds to a halt. Amazon launches its first round of Internet satellites. The European Space Agency launches a satellite to measure the biomass of Earth’s trees. New data from NASA’s Juno spacecraft offer insights into Jupiter and Io. Claims of Tyrannosaurus rex leather are, predictably, misl…

1
The Fungi Facing Extinction and the Conservationists Working Hard to Protect Them 12:07

1M ago12:07

12:07

Conservationists are ringing the alarm about the fungi facing extinction. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List features vulnerable pandas and endangered tortoises, but it also highlights more than 400 fungi species that are under threat. Gregory Mueller, chief scientist emeritus at the Chicago Botanic Garden and coordi…

1
Love, trust and marketing in the age of AI | Amaryllis Liampoti 11:03

1M ago11:03

11:03

As AI chatbots become more personal and proactive, the line between tool and companion is beginning to blur, with some users even professing love for their digital aides, says business consultant Amaryllis Liampoti. She presents three foundational principles for how brands can harness AI to build deeper emotional connections with consumers while pr…

1
Japan’s Desperate Air Battles Against the US in the Final Months of WW2 37:15

1M ago37:15

37:15

The B-29 Bomber led the Allied strategic bombing offensive against Japan, succeeding when US Bomber Command switched from high-level daytime precision bombing to low-level nighttime area bombing. The latter tactic required Superfortresses to attack their targets individually, without a formation or escorting fighters for protection. Despite this, J…

1
Griefbots Offer AI Connections with Deceased Loved Ones 16:18

1M ago16:18

16:18

Griefbots, artificial intelligence chatbots that mimic deceased loved ones, are increasingly in popularity. Researcher Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska reflects on what death, grief and immortality look like in the digital age. She shares insights from a project that she is leading as a AI2050 Early Career Fellow: Imaginaries of Immortality in the Age o…

1
Weighing the world's forests 26:29

2M ago26:29

26:29

A groundbreaking space mission will help scientists peer through dense jungle canopy to measure the difference the world's forests are making to climate change. We interview the expert who came up with the idea. Also on Tech Life: It's clicked billions of times a day, but do you know how it started in the first place ? We find out why the world gav…

1
D-Day From the East: The Soviet Operation Bagration Crippled the Wehrmacht in Late 1944 42:08

2M ago42:08

42:08

Throughout the war on the Eastern Front, there were two consistent trends. The Red Army battled to learn how to fight and win, while involved in a struggle for its very survival. But by 1944 it had a leadership that was able to wield it with lethal effect and with far more effective equipment than before. By contrast, the Wehrmacht had commenced a …

1
Scientific American in 1925: Solar Eclipses, Seances and Some Strange Inventions 9:26

2M ago9:26

9:26

We’re taking a break from our usual weekly news roundup to do a little time travel. In 1925 Scientific American covered a total solar eclipse that featured some surprising solar shadow play and a prediction about today’s eclipses. Plus, we review some long-gone sections of the magazine that tried to verify mediums and show off zany inventions! Reco…

1
How to Become an Urban Naturalist 25:05

2M ago25:05

25:05

Wild NYC author Ryan Mandelbaum takes host Rachel Feltman through New York City’s Prospect Park to find urban wildlife. They explore the city’s many birds, surprising salamanders and unexpected urban oases. Plus, they discuss what the rules of engagement with wildlife are and how you can find wildlife in your own urban or suburban environment. Reco…

1
Will AI make us the last generation to read and write? | Victor Riparbelli 17:58

2M ago17:58

17:58

Technology is changing our world — and how we communicate — at an astonishing rate. So much so that entrepreneur Victor Riparbelli predicts that artificial intelligence will drive audio and video to replace text as our primary form of communication by the end of this decade. He imagines a world where anyone can create a Hollywood film, receive pers…

1
Pilgrimages Involved Penitent Marches, Visiting Holy Places, and Watching Drunken Emperors Go on Chariot Rides 44:53

2M ago44:53

44:53

Pilgrimages are a universal phenomenon, from China’s bustling Tai Shan to the ancient Jewish treks to Jerusalem. But why? What is it about a grueling penitent march to an isolated temple that has become a prerequisite for a civilization of any size, whether Chicen Itza in the Mayan Empire or the holy sites of Mecca? To explore this is today’s guest…

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