Horizons from PBS News

From air pollution to wildfires, from heat waves to vector-borne diseases, climate change harms our health and causes significant stress to the healthcare system. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores what can be done to protect people from a warming world with Victor Tsao of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine and Lisa Patel of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health. PBS Ne...

From the light bulb to the iPhone, American inventions have rocketed around the world thanks to their innovation and ingenuity. But some American innovators, including women and people of color, have largely been overlooked. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores why America has been such fertile ground for creative minds with Sujai Shivakumar and Eric S. Hintz. PBS News is supported by - ht...

They're in our pockets, workplaces, homes and schools — screens are everywhere. Americans are spending more than seven hours a day looking at screens. What is this doing to our well being? And does all this screen time affect different generations differently? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores what we know and don't know with researchers Kostadin Kushlev and Courtney K. Blackwell. PBS N...

While most scientific research has focused on men, when it comes to parenthood, it's all about mothers. But new research shows that men undergo profound changes biologically and psychologically when they become fathers. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the surprising science of "Dad Brain" with Darby Saxbe. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted o...

Artificial intelligence data centers are popping up across America, spurring fierce backlash because of their need for huge amounts of water and power. Is the AI revolution worth the price communities are paying? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the impact of data centers with Michael Webber, author of "Power Trip: The Story of Energy," which was also made into a series on PBS. PBS New...

Unexplained sightings have appeared in our skies for years, and now the U.S. government has started releasing declassified files about what we used to call UFOs. What explains these phenomena, and what do we know about life beyond Earth? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores what we do know, and what we don't, with Leslie Kean and Garrett Graff, two authors who've studied this topic deeply....

Roughly one in ten Americans gets their water from the Colorado River. But a worsening drought, driven in part by climate change, is drying up the river, and states are fighting over water rights. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores what that means for communities and industries that depend on that water with Luke Runyon, Wade Crowfoot and Joel Ferry. PBS News is supported by - https://ww...

More than 1 million women in the U.S. start menopause every year, yet this biological certainty is too often shrouded in secrecy or ignored by many mainstream researchers. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores what we do and don't know about menopause with Dr. Sharon Malone and Dr. Lauren Streicher. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See...

Technology has changed the way students study and learn. Now, as artificial intelligence enters the classroom, proponents argue it will be a welcome revolution for schools — but with limited guardrails, could it do more harm than good? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the future of AI and education with Khan Academy founder Salman Khan, who has launched a new AI assistant for teachers....

The COVID pandemic overwhelmed our health care system and killed well over a million Americans. Fast-tracked vaccines saved millions, but missteps in the response and misinformation online have damaged trust. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the state of America's public health system and whether it's prepared for the next pandemic with Dr. Josh Sharfstein and Elizabeth Cameron. PBS Ne...

For thousands of years, humans have tried to avoid growing old. Billions are spent every year on potions and procedures to make us look younger, feel younger and think younger. It's a hugely profitable, but ultimately fruitless hunt. But science has started to zero in on some proven techniques. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores that with Dr. Eric Topol and Dr. Sandra Weintraub. PBS News...

As the impact from the war in Iran grinds on, Americans are feeling it at the gas station. Evangelists for clean energy say the oil shock is an opportunity to embrace the transition to renewable power like wind and solar. With energy prices on the rise, Horizons moderator William Brangham explores if Americans are open to a new way of powering our world with Bill McKibben and Jigar Shah. PBS News...

We tend to think of cancer as a disease that mainly affects older people, but an increasing number of diagnoses are happening amongst the young. What is behind this alarming rise? And can anything be done to prevent it? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores those questions and more with Laura Behnke, Dr. Veda Giri and Dr. Shanthi Sivendran. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/new...

Nearly 60 years after NASA sent the first humans to ever land on our moon, the U.S. is going back with a series of increasingly difficult missions. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the Artemis program and what new discoveries NASA is hoping to find with PBS News science correspondent Miles O'Brien, Casey Dreier of The Planetary Society and retired astronaut and engineer Leroy Chiao. PB...

Once a relatively obscure class of drugs used for people with diabetes, GLP-1s have now shown an impressive ability to treat obesity, which affects over 100 million Americans. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the great promise of the drugs and the potential concerns surrounding them with Dr. Jody Dushay, Dr. Rekha B. Kumar, Dr. Anna Lembke and Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly. PBS News is supported by...

All of us experience consciousness. We have thoughts and feelings, and we're aware of those acting upon us. It's the hidden internal lens through which we view the world, but why do we have this power, and are we the only ones that do? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores this defining aspect of being human with Michael Pollan, author of "A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness." PBS...

For some, artificial intelligence tools answer questions and make life more efficient. But for others, AI has become a form of companionship – a virtual friend, a therapist, even a romantic partner. Is AI a cure for loneliness? Or is this a symptom of something gone very wrong? Horizons moderator William Brangham explores AI relationships with Sherry Turkle, Justin Gregg and Nick Thompson. PBS New...

This will come as a surprise to no one, but exercise is really good for us. But why it works and how it works are far less understood. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores that with Stanford University's Euan Ashley. He's a professor of genomics and cardiovascular medicine and is part of a team trying to understand, at the very molecular level, how exercise changes our bodies, and why. PBS...

The Winter Olympics are in full swing, but it's a far cry from the first games held 130 years ago. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores advances in training, technology and psychology with Dr. Caroline Silby, and discusses how climate change is impacting the Winter Olympics with Elizabeth Burakowski and Julia Kern. The Winter Olympics are in full swing, but it's a far cry from the first ga...

Americans are expected to place a record-breaking $1.7 billion in legal bets on the Super Bowl. With a potential casino inside every phone and computer, a rising chorus of experts who study problem gambling and addiction are ringing the alarm. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores this tidal shift in American culture with journalist Danny Funt and addiction psychiatrist Dr. Timothy Fong. PB...

What do non-stick pans, firefighting foam and many of our couches, carpets and cosmetics have in common? They're all made with PFAS. The so-called forever chemicals helped spur innovation, but they're also insidious to human health. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores these chemicals and how we can protect ourselves with investigative journalist Mariah Blake and scientist Laurel Schaider....

Ice in the Arctic and Antarctica plays a critical role in maintaining life on Earth, and it is melting faster than previously thought. This is threatening our planet with potentially massive sea-level rise, weather disruptions and further global warming. Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the fate of ice on Earth with science correspondent Miles O'Brien and glaciologist Erin Pettit. PBS...

Ultra-processed foods make up more than half the average American diet and they're linked to rising rates of obesity and heart disease. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the Trump Administration has a solution. But will this plan really "Make America Healthy Again?" Horizons moderator William Brangham explores the American food crisis with Marion Nestle, Ashley Gearhardt and Cindy Leung....