Malthusian Swerve

28 March 2025 - 38 mins
Podcast Series Radiolab

Earth can sustain life for another 100 million years, but can we?

In this episode, we partnered with the team at Planet Money to take stock of the essential raw materials that enable us to live as we do here on Earth—everything from sand to copper to oil— and tally up how much we have left. Are we living with reckless abandon? And if so, is there even a way to stop? This week, we bring you a conversation that’s equal parts terrifying and fascinating, featuring bird poop, daredevil drivers, and some staggering back-of-the-envelope math.

EPISODE CREDITS:

Reported by - Jeff Guo and Latif Nasser

Produced by - Pat Walters and Soren Wheeler

with production help from - Sindhu Gnanasambandan ...

38 mins

Series Episodes

Octomom Playing

Octomom

A mile under the ocean, we get to watch an octopus perform a heroic act of heart and determination.

34 mins

23 October Finished

The Smell of Hell Playing

The Smell of Hell

What if the smell of death is actually the smell of life?

43 mins

16 October Finished

Math Vs Machine Playing

Math Vs Machine

explicit

Machines are answering our hardest problems... Does it matter if we don’t understand how?

31 mins

9 October Finished

A 4-Track Mind Playing

A 4-Track Mind

A neurologist issues a dare to a ragtime piano player and a famous conductor, then the impossible happens.

21 mins

2 October Finished

Grass Apes Playing

Grass Apes

A tiny ode to grass, for its epic role in human history.

22 mins

25 September Finished

Recommended

No Account

Subscriptions to podcast series are only available to users with an account. Sign in or register to subscribe and access your subscriptions.

Register Sign in

Woops!

Error text.