#sustainability
76 episodes · Page 2 of 4
#2978: Wine from the Desert and the Latitude of Greenland
How 80 countries now make wine — including desert vineyards and farms near the Arctic Circle.
#2963: The Forgotten Grains That Could Feed a Hungry World
Millet, sorghum, and teff feed half a billion people. So why don't we grow more of them?
#2950: Barley Beyond Soup: A Grain Guide
Pearl, pot, hulled, hulless — why barley labels matter for nutrition, cooking, and flavor.
#2928: Barley Bread & Pizza: Grinding Your Own Grain at Home
Can you make 100% barley pizza? Yes—but expect a cracker crust, not Neapolitan. Here's how.
#2910: The Quiet Chemistry of Xylene-Free Markers
What’s really in your permanent marker? The hidden chemical revolution happening on the hardware store shelf.
#2898: The Bean That Built the Ancient Levant
How the fava bean went from ancient staple to menu afterthought — and why its revival is failing.
#2881: Nuclear's Surprising Role in Clean Energy
Nuclear provides 9% of global electricity but 25% of carbon-free power. Here's how safety has changed since Chernobyl.
#2871: Can a Subscription Restaurant Actually Work?
Monthly fee, unlimited meals — why this model keeps failing and what it would actually take to make it work.
#2859: Life Before Refrigeration: Ice, Salt & Survival
How people preserved food, cooked, and survived for centuries before the icebox existed.
#2820: Your Local Diet Won't Save the Planet
Transport accounts for less than 10% of food emissions. Here’s what actually matters.
#2782: Are AI Data Centers Really New or Just Patched Together?
The real bottleneck isn't GPUs — it's power transformers. A look at the physics and economics of AI infrastructure.
#2777: GPU Idle Waste and Serverless Green Computing
Why your dedicated GPU burns 130 watts doing nothing, and how serverless platforms cut energy waste by more than half.
#2743: Is Goat Meat Really the Most Eaten Meat in the World?
The internet says goat is the most consumed meat globally. The data says something very different.
#2671: How Your Phone Helps Strangers Find Lost Wallets
Your phone silently helps strangers find lost items. Here's how the cryptography and mesh networks actually work.
#2631: How Shelter Became a Speculative Asset
Why are millennials turning to barges, yurts, and shipping containers? A deep dive into the financialization of housing.
#2569: The Invisible Miracle of Grid Balancing
The grid has no storage. Every electron was generated a fraction of a second ago. Here's how it stays balanced.
#2537: Why Your Home Battery Shrinks Without Degrading
Your battery isn't degrading as fast as you think—software, temperature, and inverter limits are the real thieves.
#2530: Canals as Highways: The Real Pollution Math of Water Transit
Venice moves garbage, ambulances, and Amazon deliveries by boat. How does water transit actually compare to buses on pollution?
#2379: The Geological Lottery: Why Oil Is So Unevenly Distributed
Discover how oil forms, why it’s concentrated in a few regions, and whether we’ve found it all.
#2318: The Accidental Invention of Civilization's Fuel
How did a wild berry transform into the world’s favorite beverage? Dive into coffee’s fascinating evolution from food to ritual to global phenomenon.
#2266: Hunter-Gatherers with Smartphones
The last hunter-gatherers aren't living in the Stone Age. They're using GPS and phones to coordinate hunts while fiercely protecting their ancient ...
#2245: Whiteboard Markers: The Tool Everyone Ignores
Why marker quality matters more than the board itself, and what separates a tool that sparks ideas from one that kills them mid-thought.
#2087: Why Refill Stations Haven't Gone Mainstream
We explore the technical and economic friction preventing refill-on-the-go from replacing single-use packaging in Western supermarkets.
#1912: GDP: The Giant Receipt for the Whole Country
We break down what GDP actually measures and why the economy can "grow" while your wallet feels poorer.