Episodes

  • Gorillas, militias, and Bitcoin: Why Congo’s most famous national park is betting big on crypto

    Gorillas, militias, and Bitcoin: Why Congo’s most famous national park is betting big on crypto
    Nov 6 2024
    In an attempt to protect its forests and famous wildlife, Virunga has become the first national park to run a Bitcoin mine. But some are wondering what crypto has to do with conservation. This story was written by Adam Popescu and narrated by Noa (newsoveraudio.com)
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    34 mins
  • How gamification took over the world

    How gamification took over the world
    Oct 30 2024
    We live in an undeniably gamified world. We stand up and move around to close colorful rings and earn achievement badges on our smartwatches; we meditate and sleep to recharge our body batteries; we plant virtual trees to be more productive; we chase “likes” and “karma” on social media sites and try to swipe our way toward social connection. But instead of liberating us from drudgery and maximizing our potential, gamification has turned out to be just another tool for coercion, distraction, and control. Why did we fall for it? This story was written by Bryan Gardiner and narrated by Noa (newsoveraudio.com)
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    16 mins
  • Technology that lets us “speak” to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready?

    Technology that lets us “speak” to our dead relatives has arrived. Are we ready?
    Oct 23 2024
    Digital clones of people's dead relatives are far from perfect: they're occasionally impersonal and sometimes downright creepy. But if the technology might help us hang onto the people we love, is it so wrong to try? This story was written by news editor Charlotte Jee and narrated by Noa.
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    27 mins
  • Inside the quest to engineer climate-saving “super trees”

    Inside the quest to engineer climate-saving “super trees”
    Oct 16 2024
    A Silicon Valley startup wants to supercharge trees to soak up more carbon and cool the climate. Is this the great climate solution or a whole lot of hype? This story was written by Boyce Upholt and narrated by Noa.
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    36 mins
  • What is AI?

    What is AI?
    Oct 9 2024
    Artificial intelligence is the hottest technology of our time. But what is it? It sounds like a stupid question, but it’s one that’s never been more urgent. MIT Technology Review takes a deep dive into the competing answers from titans of industry and helps us understand how we got here—and why you should care, no matter who you are. This story was written by senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven and narrated by Noa.
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • The cost of building the perfect wave

    The cost of building the perfect wave
    Oct 2 2024
    The growing business of surf pools wants to bring the ocean experience inland, making surfing more accessible to communities far from the coasts. These pools can use—and lose—millions upon millions of gallons of water every year. With many planned for areas facing water scarcity, who bears the cost of building the perfect wave? This story was written by senior features and investigations reporter Eileen Guo and narrated by Noa.
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    27 mins
  • How generative AI could reinvent what it means to play

    How generative AI could reinvent what it means to play
    Sep 25 2024
    Open-world video games are inhabited by vast crowds of computer-controlled characters. These animated people—called NPCs, for “nonplayer characters”—populate the bars, city streets, or space ports of games. They make virtual worlds feel lived in and full. Often—but not always—you can talk to them. After a while, however, the repetitive chitchat (or threats) of a passing stranger forces you to bump up against the truth: This is just a game. It may not always be like that. Just as it’s upending other industries, generative AI is opening the door to entirely new kinds of in-game interactions that are open-ended, creative, and unexpected. Future AI-powered NPCs that don’t rely on a script could make games—and other worlds—deeply immersive. This story was written by executive editor Niall Firth and narrated by Noa - newsoveraudio.com
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    29 mins
  • The entrepreneur dreaming of a factory of unlimited organs

    The entrepreneur dreaming of a factory of unlimited organs
    Sep 18 2024
    At any given time, the US organ transplant waiting list is about 100,000 people long. Martine Rothblatt sees a day when an unlimited supply of transplantable organs—and 3D-printed ones—will be readily available, saving countless lives. This story was written by senior biomedicine editor Antonio Regalado and narrated by Noa - newsoveraudio.com
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    22 mins