PBS News Hour - Science

The association between bats and Halloween dates back thousands of years, based on the superstition that the flying mammals are omens of death. But for nearly two decades, North American bats have been facing a deadly threat themselves: a fungal disease called white-nose syndrome. Ali Rogin speaks with New York Times columnist Carl Zimmer for more. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Two major laws passed by Congress and signed by President Biden provide new money and new requirements for reducing potent methane emissions, including those coming from abandoned oil and gas wells. The federal government has started awarding some contracts for capping those wells, but the election could impact whether this work will continue. Science correspondent Miles O'Brien reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Sarah Jakober is a U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter who serves on the Grand Ronde Rappel Crew based in Grande, Oregon. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on being a wildland firefighter. Jakober provides a window into a day on the job as climate change lengthens wildfire seasons and intensifies their impact. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

At a 2021 climate conference, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "No nation can find lasting security without addressing the climate crisis." That sentiment reflects the Pentagon's three-decade evolution on climate change. Ali Rogin sat down with Sherri Goodman, a former Pentagon official who chronicles that transformation in her new book, "Threat Multiplier." PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The Nobel Prize in chemistry went to three scientists for groundbreaking work using artificial intelligence to advance biomedical and protein research. AlphaFold uses databases of protein structures and sequences to predict and even design protein structures. It speeds up a months or years-long process to mere hours or minutes. Amna Nawaz discussed more with one of the winners, Demis Hassabis. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida but towns hundreds of miles from the coast have seen some of the worst destruction. Communities once considered 'climate havens' are facing a harsh reality, there may be no such thing. William Brangham discussed the impacts of a warming world and what individuals and communities can do with Alex Steffen, writer of the newsletter, "The Snap Forward." PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The kind of deep-sea mining that we've examined this week is only legally permitted inside a country's territorial waters. The only country on earth to allow it so far is Papua New Guinea. Videographer Edward Kiernan and special correspondent Willem Marx report on how difficult it is for the impoverished Pacific nation to monitor deep-sea mining activities. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

The companies that create technology used on a daily basis often run into traditional cultures and the environment that sustains them. In a previous report, videographer Edward Kiernan and special correspondent Willem Marx introduced us to the new and potentially lucrative industry of deep-sea mining. They return to Papua New Guinea and report on locals fighting to save a vanishing way of life. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

Mankind has mined the earth's surface for thousands of years. Now there's a furious race to find even more metal that will enable the world's energy transition away from fossil fuels. In Papua New Guinea, one company is digging what may become the world's first operational deep-sea mining site. Videographer Edward Kiernan and special correspondent Willem Marx report. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders

A four-person crew of civilians launched Tuesday morning on a private Space-X rocket for a five-day mission to include the first commercial spacewalk in history. NASA has big plans to send people to the Moon and Mars, but a sweeping new report from the National Academies of Sciences raises questions about the agency. Science Correspondent Miles O'Brien reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders