KQED Science News Podcast
1) Death, Robotaxis, and a Cat Named KitKat
When KitKat, a beloved bodega cat, was killed by a Waymo in San Francisco in late October of this year, the incident quickly went viral. It ignited grief and outrage. It also renewed scrutiny of auton...Show More
2) One Year Later, The Internet’s Still Talking About Luigi Mangione
On December 4, 2024, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed outside a Midtown New York hotel. The subsequent arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Mangione set off a frenzy far beyond a typica...Show More
3) What Happened to Purple Moon Games for Girls?
Editor’s note: We updated one line to add context about a character in one of the Purple Moon games, which may affect how the character is understood. Thirty years ago, video games were predominantly...Show More
4) Meet Ukraine’s ‘Geeks of War’
The Ukraine-Russia war has been called the most technologically advanced war in history. Ukrainian citizens receive notifications about incoming missile and drone attacks through apps on their phones;...Show More
5) Where Do Games Go When They Die?
When Ubisoft, publisher of the sprawling open-world racing game The Crew shut down the game’s servers, cutting off access to even its single-player mode, fans were outraged. The moment tapped into the...Show More
6) Alice Bucknell on How Virtual Spaces Help Us Cope With Reality
When wildfire engulfed much of Los Angeles earlier this year, artist and game designer Alice Bucknell found themselves stuck inside, replaying “Firewatch,” a quiet game about exploring the wilderness ...Show More
7) A Political Reckoning for Twitch?
TwitchCon, Twitch’s annual convention in San Diego for all things streaming and gaming, is facing heightened scrutiny after streamer Emiru was assaulted there during a meet-and-greet. The incident occ...Show More
8) Satanic Panic in the Age of the Internet
What do colorful and plush Labubu dolls have in common with Mesopotamian mythology? If you believe some viral TikToks, everything. Recent conspiracy theories have linked the toys to everything from an...Show More
9) Beyond the AI Hype Machine
When ChatGPT launched in 2022, it kicked off what some have called the “AI hype machine” — a frenzy of promotion and investment that has sent some tech companies’ valuations soaring to record heights....Show More
10) The All-Seeing Eyes of Modern Dating
What happens to dating when every misstep has the potential to go viral? That’s what happened in 2022, when social media posts warning about a few bad dates with a man named “West Elm Caleb” blew up o...Show More