The Abstract

As a wave of protests continues to spread across the United States, calls for justice over the killings of Black Americans by police have been joined by a growing outcry from the medical community. The Covid-19 pandemic has now pointed a bright red arrow on another dire public health crisis in America: racism. While it might not seem intuitive to everyone, doctors are taking this moment to yet again remind the US of one thing: Racial inequality against Black Americans has far-reaching effects and the evidence shows it’s a public health emergency.

Despite the health danger protesting can create, marches continued in cities across the globe well into June 2020. One crowd control chemical — tear gas — has scientists sounding the alarm. The use of tear gas — notably in front of the White House on June 1, 2020, to remove peaceful protestors so President Donald Trump could pose for a photo opp holding a Bible — has led medical professionals to demand an ethically responsible approach to public safety.

As more Americans protest despite the threat it poses to our overall health, we look at how to rebuild a public health system that keeps all of us as safe and healthy as possible.

Welcome to the Abstract podcast. I’m Tanya Bustos, your host.

Our first story is about a complex issue that has many health experts in agreement: Covid-19 is a public health emergency, and so is racism.  While the coronavirus has brought this idea into mainstream understanding, the notion that racism is a public health issue is not a new one.  Experts say Covid-19 is just a stark reminder of this inequity, and that it's time to dismantle the unfair and unjust policies governing daily life in the United States. 

Our second story is about another issue that has medical professionals concerned for protestors: chemical weapons.  Describing tear gas as unethical, they worry it may heighten transmission of Covid-19 and are urging police to stop using it, bringing to light another layer of structural racism being perpetuated on a population that may be particularly vulnerable to its effects.

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One day, high-speed internet will be delivered to pizza box-shaped devices in homes everywhere, and Elon Musk will be satisfied. If the SpaceX CEO has it his way, Starlink, the SpaceX satellite, will be the biggest satellite constellation in human history.

Applying for permission from the FCC to launch as many as 42,000 satellites into orbit, the internet connectivity constellation designed for super-fast, low-latency broadband service is being put together at a rapid speed. As of June 2020, SpaceX has successfully deployed 60 more Starlink internet satellites into orbit, bringing the total number to 480.  

With Musk suggesting the constellation could fund more ambitious projects, like building a city on Mars, SpaceX continues to reach for the stars — and at a fast pace.  (You’ll need to keep up.) Luckily, we have everything you need to know about getting your internet from Elon Musk covered. 

Welcome to The Abstract podcast from Inverse. I’m Tanya Bustos, your host.  

Our first story is a comprehensive look at SpaceX’s Starlink satellite mega constellation. Made to beam down access to the internet from space, the project’s objective is to bring affordable high-speed service to customers around the world, particularly in remote or under-served areas.  As an intrigued public grows more interested in the idea of getting the internet from “thin, flat, round UFO on a stick,” we offer a one-stop-shop for the curious and a guide to seeing the constellation for yourself. 

Our second story takes a closer look at Starlink's effect on astronomy.  If you ask some irritated scientists, they’ll probably tell you that Starlink is all too easy to spot in the sky. With so many satellites in orbit, SpaceX has come under fire from astronomers who say the constellations could affect up to half of all exposures from observatories.  It’s yet to be seen if the company prefers its own ambitions over those of the scientists here on Earth — but until then, its SpaceX versus Space Science.

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As protests took place around the country over the death of George Floyd, a Black man killed in May 2020 at the hands of police in Minneapolis, a spotlight was trained yet again on America’s decades-long history of police brutality toward Black Americans. 

Racism has often been called America’s “Achilles’ Heel” by former presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and it’s more apparent than ever how it can destroy lives and communities with a speed unlike anything else.

Today, we look to the positive and the proactive for people living in this historic moment. 

Welcome to the Abstract podcast. I’m Tanya Bustos, your host.

Our first story looks at how a positive movement called #BlackBirdersWeek takes on inequality by promoting diversity in the biggest space humans come together — nature. A week-long initiative celebrating Black birders, explorers, and naturalists, Black Birders Week aims to break stereotypes and increase the visibility of a diverse black community. While fighting against the discrimination that prevents more people from joining and enjoying nature in the first place, #BlackBirdersWeek has become a force of nature that brings to light a positive way to join communities together, and safely promote change. 

Our second story is proactive and gives tips to people who want to peacefully march safely and effectively. One-third of Americans say they've felt the need to protest in their lifetimes, and as recent events cause that number to increase, some careful considerations can keep you safe should you aim to protest during a pandemic.   

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Launching a new age of human spaceflight in the United States, Elon Musk’s SpaceX can officially consider itself the first-ever company to send humans into space on a commercial spacecraft.

So without further ado, welcome. You’re part of the new era of space travel. As a member of the human race, SpaceX’s historic rocket launch could mean big things for you. After all, according to Elon Musk, “Human spaceflight was the reason SpaceX was created.”

On Saturday, May 30 at 3:22 p.m., history was made when SpaceX successfully launched the Crew Dragon capsule carrying NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley — the first two people to fly in a SpaceX vehicle. And just like that, a new era of American space travel took flight. In the same moment Elon Musk had been working toward for over a decade, the launch revolutionized the American space program, and made traveling to the stars seem just within reach. 

In a special episode of The Abstract, we recap SpaceX’s historic mission of the first crewed spaceflight to take off from U.S. soil in nearly a decade.

For many Americans, Doug Hurley’s and Bob Behnken’s success into orbit on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket changed everything. Revving up the United States’ space program, #LaunchAmerica became the hashtag of the week at a time when we needed it the most.

Marking the end of a nine-year period in which the U.S. had to rely on Russia to send astronauts to space, SpaceX’s success proved America is back in business and headed for the stars. As 2020 continues to be a year that tests American resilience, perhaps Elon Musk puts it best: “This event is something that all of humanity can get excited about. It’s just a fundamentally positive, good thing, and I think we need more good things in this world.”

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When local governments began putting social distancing guidelines into effect in mid-March 2020, there was extreme concern. Anxiety about how people would do their jobs, raise their kids, and celebrate birthdays. The timing was bad for regular life. Except if your life included video games. The timing might have even been seen as fortuitous. 

In the weeks after, the number of Americans playing video games jumped by as much as 115 percent according to report by Verizon, the internet service provider, that was released in April 2020. New psychological study has revealed why we choose the games we do, and the effects they have on our minds.  

Video games have long been hailed for their storytelling, design, and emotional complexity. But as more people pick up their controller, two key questions emerge: Why are so many people drawn to the world of video games? And who are games for, anyway?

Welcome to the Abstract podcast from Inverse. I’m Tanya Bustos, your host.

Our first story is about how Nintendo’s Animal Crossing became the quarantine game everyone was playing. The March 2020 release of its latest installment, Animal Crossing: New Horizons came just as many Americans were accepting the idea of self-isolation. It proved to be the perfect “mental vacation” from the 24/7 coronavirus news cycle. As mental health experts become increasingly interested in the potential of games to help people, Animal Crossing continues to reign as the perfect lockdown relief during isolation -- and people across the world can’t seem to play it enough. 

Our second story takes a closer look at the darker side of video gaming culture; specifically, the latest controversy surrounding who games are made for, and what kinds of people should be depicted in them. After an April 2020 leak of an upcoming video game, speculation that a character in it could be transgender riled up a vocal minority and sparked new conversations about inclusion and empathy in video games. With video games appealing to far more people than are represented in them, what does the process look like to spur a change in mainstream video games, that should be, for every last one of us?

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The possibility of life on Mars has long been of great interest in astrobiology circles, largely because of the red planet’s similarities to our own planet.  

Whether there ever was, or can ever be life on Mars, which is more than 95 million miles away, remains a mystery. But scientific study has nudged us closer and closer to the idea that, yes, Mars probably had life at one point. Whether it still does seems less likely, though far from impossible.

Welcome to the Abstract podcast from Inverse. I’m Tanya Bustos, your host.

Our first story is about SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s ambitious plans to build a city on Mars by 2050. However, in order to bring his vision to life, SpaceX needs to figure out one key challenge first -- orbital refueling in space for the long journey. Could perfecting “gas stations for spaceships” help SpaceX come one step closer to a city on Mars?

Our second story attempts to answer another crucial question: Was there ever life on Mars to begin with? The latest research says scientists are finally coming closer to figuring out Mars’ water history -- which always includes the somewhat likely scenario that if Mars had water, Mars had life. 

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With at least a third of Americans reporting that they don't get enough sleep, many of us are becoming increasingly disconnected from the nighttime needs of our body. A recent boom in the sleep tech industry could use data-driven science to help us regain control.

A lack of sleep not only negatively affects our physical health, our cognition, and performance in the following days suffer as well. However, advanced brain-computer interface technology reveals what’s happening in the sleeping brain for the very first time, offering new hope for increased cognitive function -- and a good night’s sleep. 

Our first story examines how technology has changed human sleep patterns in recent centuries. Before modern electricity, waking up for hours in the middle of the night was not only normal, it also provided a satisfying slumber that left our ancestors feeling well-rested. With the invention of electricity, this biphasic sleep cycle was put to rest as people embraced nightlife and began staying up later. We’ve been trying to adjust ever since, but new technology from a growing sleep-tech industry can help us take back control of some much-needed rest.

Our second story takes a closer look at the groundbreaking technology that sheds light on a crucial sleeping process called "offline replay.” An unprecedented study reveals how humans organize their daily experiences when we’re asleep, and proves yet again why a good night’s rest may be even more important than previously thought. 

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As the popularity of the "My Plans / 2020" meme can attest, 2020 hasn’t exactly panned out like any of us expected -- least of all Tesla CEO Elon Musk. With a growing anti-lockdown movement afoot, Musk has positioned himself as one of the more unlikely faces of resistance against measures to suppress the spread of Covid-19. Although the arguably anti-science turn is a new twist, his defiance won’t surprise anyone who has followed Elon Musk’s career, which has been built on challenging assumptions, for better or worse. 

Is the power of the electric age fueling Musk’s combative fire? By vowing to reopen his California electric car plant against the lockdown orders of local government, Elon Musk not only reminds us of his defiant nature, but what stifling the production of Teslas could mean for the coming decade of electric cars. 

Our first story is about Elon Musk’s antagonistic rise to power. As Covid-19 tests society’s resilience, the measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus has tested Musk’s patience. As he becomes an unapologetic force of resistance against the government, we look at the public battles that have long defined the Tesla CEO through three pivotal fights.  

Our second story looks at Musk’s competitive playing field in the race to the future of driving. As we look ahead to the electric age, it’s easy to see why restarting car production is crucial for Elon Musk. From solar-charged cars to autonomous cybertrucks, the most groundbreaking electric cars are poised to turn a corner and define the 2020s. 

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During the Covid-19 pandemic, technology remains a driving force in the path to find answers and grapple with the unknown. As we search for solutions and explanations in uncertain times, science can either drive us toward life-changing solutions -- or weird conspiracy theories. 

Trying times have sprung technologists into action, bringing tech firms, scientists, and researchers together like never before to take on a global pandemic. But when times are hard, humans are further motivated to find explanations that make sense of things they don’t understand -- even if that means seeing patterns that don't exist. It all boils down how we handle uncertainty.

Our first story examines technology’s key role in the fight against Covid-19. As Apple and Google team up to take on the spread of the coronavirus, we’ll explore how advanced tracking technology can make contact tracing more effective and radically transform the pandemic response. By using the smartphones that reside in almost everyone's pockets, the two firms aim to fine-tune a contact tracing app that could potentially contain the spread of the virus without the need for mass lockdowns. 

Our second story traces back to a strange, baseless theory that emerged in February 2020: that 5G wireless technology caused the Covid-19 pandemic. As these false theories spread, psychologists help explain the flip side of new technology, and how the confusion it creates can drive some toward conspiracy theories.

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In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, those under social distancing measures are trying to find ways to adjust to a “new normal.” For many of us, that mostly means gorging on carbs and DIY haircuts. Humans are hard-wired to seek comfort and control in moments of need.

But why are we so drawn to carbo-load in times of crises? And how did your hair manage to grow into its own life force in just a matter of weeks? It all comes down to how humans cope. Whether you choose to change your hair or have an extra helping of pasta, reframing lockdown with a few changes can seriously alleviate your stress.

Our first story is about your hair. (Have you seen it lately?) There comes a time in every person’s quarantine when they’re faced with the inevitable “haircut” question.  For those tempted to take total control and go to town with a pair of scissors, some essential DIY tips can help.  Taking control during a tough situation — and let’s be honest, your current hair may qualify as such — can be a show of resilience that can reduce stress.  If the thought of wrestling back control over your own life may have grown into an overwhelming urge, it may be time for a quarantine haircut.  (What could possibly go wrong?) 

Our second story looks into another quarantine coping mechanism — comfort food. In many cases, that means cake, pasta, bread, and other so-called "carbs."  But why are humans so drawn to eat carbohydrates in times of crises?  According to experts, there are key psychological and physiological reasons why you’re turning to mac and cheese when everything seems to be going awry.

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