From the late 1970s through to the early 1990s, pop culture often gave a starring role to bright green goop. Why? From nuclear fallout through Silent Spring, Love Canal, Captain Planet, and beyond, how a media trope reflected changing environme

One Word—“Trick”

Jul 1st, 2019 33m 16s

In 2009, someone hacked a major climate research center and released thousands of private emails. One word in particular was key to the controversy that followed: “trick.” A look at how climate denialists exploit the differences between how sci

Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Anger, Surprise, Disgust

Jul 1st, 2019 32m 24s

In the 1970s, an American scientist gathered evidence that everyone in the world experiences the same six basic emotions. It’s a simple, compelling theory—and it might be wrong. Yet from emotion-detecting AI to Pixar’s Inside Out, the six basic

Not Actually A Hole

Jul 1st, 2019 24m 51s

“The hole in the ozone layer” is one of the most influential metaphors in modern history, shaping public and political reactions to an unfolding environmental disaster—but nobody’s really sure who coined it. We search for who did, and discuss i

A Paintbrush Is A Pump

Jul 1st, 2019 24m 9s

In Washington D.C., there’s a think tank that designs new metaphors, with the aim of making us think differently about the world’s problems. We speak with writers and cognitive scientists who specialize in hacking language to change minds. Writ

Trailer

Jun 24th, 2019 1m

Do you really understand why you last changed your mind? Ideas can change the world, but world-changing ideas can take many forms: political speeches, turns of phrase, ad campaigns, activist slogans, scientific theories, cultural tropes, and mo

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