PBS News Hour - Science

Sometimes, the right learning environment can change everything. For Courtney Irwin, that place was a youth development center in Salinas, California. She shares her Brief But Spectacular take on how cooking and community helped her find her way. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

This weekend is the halfway point for the 30th U.N. climate summit known as COP30. In a report issued days before the meeting began, the World Meteorological Organization said 2025 is "on track to be among the three warmest years on record." New York Times international climate reporter Somini Sengupta, who just returned from COP30, joins John Yang to discuss. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

So-called forever chemicals are both harmful to our health and are everywhere. Studies have found them in women's breast milk and even in rain falling in Tibet. A new book tells the story of how these extremely durable chemicals became so ubiquitous through the eyes of a small community that decided to fight for some measure of justice. William Brangham reports. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

For decades, China's government has reshaped the country with dramatic displays of state power, from vast infrastructure projects that have remade entire provinces to nationwide campaigns that attempt to shape citizens' behavior. Ali Rogin reports on what those sweeping measures say about China's ambitions and what they may mean for the future of U.S.-China competition. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

A poll from the journal Nature found that 75% of researchers in the U.S. are considering leaving the country. That includes a man who's been dubbed the "Mozart of Math." Stephanie Sy examines what's behind a potential scientific brain drain. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The latest Consumer Price Index shows that the average electric bill went up more than 5% from September 2024 to September 2025. That's faster than the inflation rate for the same period. Conventional wisdom blames the demand for power on the explosive growth of data centers, but a new analysis concludes that it's not that simple. John Yang reports on the other factors behind the rising costs. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Jamaica is suffering extensive damage from the devastating force of Hurricane Melissa. It's just the second Atlantic storm ever to make landfall with winds up to 185 mph. William Brangham reports and Geoff Bennett discusses the impact and rescue efforts with Antony Anderson, Jamaica's ambassador to the United States. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

From Texas to North Carolina, from New England to the Midwest, communities are facing a growing threat from flash flooding. Many of those regions already lack enough affordable housing, a problem made worse by these storms. For our climate series, Tipping Point, William Brangham reports on how one community in Central Vermont is trying to find a new way to move to higher ground. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Salt marshes exist on every coast of the U.S., but these important wetlands are succumbing quickly to the effects of sea level rise caused by climate change. Grace Go of our journalism training program, PBS News Student Reporting Labs, has the story of how one young photographer from Massachusetts is fighting to protect these places. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

In the Arctic tundra of Alaska, climate change is forcing an Alaska Native village to relocate. Rising temperatures are melting the underground permafrost. The melted ice then mixes with the soil, creating unstable land the Yupʼik people call Alaskan quicksand. Amalia Huot-Marchand and a team from the Medill School of Journalism report. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy