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Are We Doomed?

Are We Doomed?

By: NPR Network
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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 hippopotamuses. Teeth clenched, curiosity engaged, quips ready, this “slightly narrative” podcast explores everything from the existential and the unexpected to the overblown.

Award-winning public radio journalist Ben Bradford brings you wild true stories, high-production sound design, and world-class experts answering the questions they never prepared for (“Why is the Earth doing this to us?”). From NuanceTales and distributed by the NPR Network, this show delves into history, science, technology, and the natural world, to help you separate legitimate world-changing risks from doomsday fantasies.

Come for the supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park (real), stay to learn why the post-apocalyptic wasteland won’t look like the movies (sorry, you won’t be wandering with a shotgun and a dog), and leave with a better understanding of how our brilliant, bumbling species can chart a path through our current, terrifying adolescence.

2026 NuanceTales Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Past Dooms That Didn't Arrive

    Past Dooms That Didn't Arrive
    May 26 2026

    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 episodes, and more: https://doompod.com/support/

    Watch earlier episodes on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@arewedoomedpod



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    34 mins
  • How To Survive a Nuclear War

    How To Survive a Nuclear War
    May 19 2026

    The air raid sirens scream (actually, they don’t work anymore). An emergency alert goes out, because … nuclear missiles are in-bound.

    It’s happening! How do we survive (non-Hollywood edition)? From diving into crumbling fallout shelters to emerging into a world where nuclear winter is descending, Ben explores what armageddon would actually look like, what the movies get wrong, and why — for most of us — it’s not a flash of light, but a cramped slog.

    Support Are We Doomed?, get bonus episodes, and more: https://doompod.com/support/

    Listen to our episode "How to Start a Nuclear War."

    Watch earlier episodes on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@arewedoomedpod



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    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    38 mins
  • How Do You Kill a Mosquito?

    How Do You Kill a Mosquito?
    May 12 2026

    Mosquitoes are little jerks. They suck your blood to make more mosquitoes, spread deadly diseases like malaria and dengue, and have killed more humans than any other creature in the history of Earth. But now, we can fight back.

    Gene-editing technology (CRISPR, gene drives) could temporarily wipe out disease-carrying mosquitoes in whole regions — potentially saving millions of lives. A miracle, but with an unsettling question of its own: Who gets to decide when humanity rewrites nature?

    Also: radiation-blasted flies, Australian rabbit smoothies, and … Mosquito Jurassic Park.

    Support Are We Doomed?, get bonus episodes, and more: https://doompod.com/support/



    To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
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