AI Assassins, Inside A De-extinction Lab, And Life On Mars? | Break It Down Podcast

About this episode

The episode explores various scientific topics including de-extinction, AI controversies, and evidence of life on Mars.

This month on Break It Down: Why are there over 8 million pickled fish in some WWII-era bunkers in Louisiana? We ask Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute director Brian Sidlauskas to spill the tea. The discovery of the world’s oldest clothes predates the previous record holder by 9,000 years. We speak to Professor Hannah Fry about all things AI, including why one chatbot encouraged the assassination of the Queen of England. Some cave coral shows off its flashy burglar alarm. Scientists explain why building an enormous underwater wall could be the best plan to save the “Doomsday Glacier”. The mystery of why some people experienced blood clots following a specific kind of COVID vaccine has finally been solved. Curiosity finds the second most compelling evidence of life on Mars yet. Why scientists created a 228-meter popsicle that delves 23 million years into the past by digging deep beneath Antarctica. Conservation success as it’s announced we’ve successfully saved the Bermuda snail from extinction. Meet the people taking bold new approaches to the biodiversity crisis in creating a “de-extinction toolkit” that can benefit some of Earth’s most threatened species. Plus…

People in this episode

Guests: Brian Sidlauskas, Hannah Fry

Topics covered

• de-extinction
• AI
• biodiversity
• life on Mars
• COVID vaccine
• climate change
• marine biology

Keywords

• AI assassins
• de-extinction lab
• life on Mars
• COVID vaccine blood clots
• Bermuda snail
• marine biology
• climate change

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Tulane University Biodiversity Research Institute

Books & works: CURIOUS

Places: Louisiana, Antarctica, Bermuda

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