Are We Doomed?

Are We Doomed?

Hosted by Ben Bradford · NPR Network

4.7from 566 ratings

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29
Episodes
24
Transcribed
566
Ratings
Weekly
Cadence
2026
First episode

About Are We Doomed?

Is the world ending, or does it just feel like it? "Are We Doomed?" investigates the greatest risks facing society, the planet, and our species. What’s real? What’s hype? And how do we actually make it out alive? Nukes. Asteroids. Autocracy. Rogue AI. Climate-driven pandemics. Angry hippopotamuses. Teeth clenched, curiosity engaged, quips ready, this “slightly narrative” podcast explores everything from the existential and the unexpected to the overblown. Award-winning public radio journalist Ben Bradford brings you wild true stories, high-production sound design, and world-class experts answering the questions they never prepared for (“Why is the Earth doing this to us?”). From NuanceTales and distributed by the NPR Network, this show delves into history, science, technology, and the natural world, to help you separate legitimate world-changing risks from doomsday fantasies. Come for the supervolcano under Yellowstone National Park (real), stay to learn why the post-apocalyptic wasteland won’t look like the movies (sorry, you won’t be wandering with a shotgun and a dog), and leave with a better understanding of how our brilliant, bumbling species can chart a path through our current, terrifying adolescence.

Publisher
NPR Network
Category
science · society & culture
Language
en
Explicit
No
First episode
21 Apr 2026
Latest episode
10 Nov 2026
Apple PodcastsSpotifyWebsiteRSS feed

Latest episodes

24 of 29 episodes have a transcript.

  1. 10 Nov 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Are We Running Out of Sand?!

  2. 27 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

    Is the Microplastic In You Really Bad?

  3. 13 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

    How High Can You Build a Seawall?

Inside a recent episode

Are We Running Out of Sand?!

Published 10 Nov 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] He had a British company dredge the small port on the city's coast, made it deeper so bigger ships could arrive. Now it was internationally promising. The dredging also left the Sheik with a big pile of sand from what had been the port's bottom. He used that to expand Dubai's beachfront. […]

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Who has been a guest on Are We Doomed?

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

  • Vince Beiser
  • Tracey Woodruff
  • Ian Mudway
  • Jesse Keenan
  • Jola Ajibade

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
445 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
121 ratings

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Questions about Are We Doomed?

Who hosts Are We Doomed??

Ben Bradford host the show. Published by NPR Network.

How often do new episodes come out?

The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.

Where can I read transcripts?

24 of 29 episodes have a transcript on Pod Engine. Full transcripts are available with a Pod Engine plan.

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