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Are We Doomed?

Are We Doomed?

Von: NPR Network
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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.

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  • Are We Going the Way of the Roman Empire?

    Are We Going the Way of the Roman Empire?
    Jun 9 2026

    Historically, societies fall. Civilizations collapse. But is that what’s happening now in the United States? With the help of historians, a former CIA-funded researcher on political instability, and one grumbling dad, Ben Bradford looks at the warning signs that can precede collapse — from polarization and political division to outside shocks and cascading crises. How much of that is visible in America right now? What would collapse actually look like in modern life? And if the alarms are blinking, is there still time to turn back?

    Guests:

    Ian Morris, historian, archaeologist, Stanford University professor, author: Why the West Rules—For Now.

    Monty Marshall, former senior consultant for the U.S. Political Instability Task Force.

    Annalee Newitz, science journalist, author: Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age.

    Ben's Dad.

    Ben's Mom.

    Support Are We Doomed?, get bonus episodes, and more: https://doompod.com/support/

    Watch earlier episodes on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@arewedoomedpod

    Check out Ben’s previous series, Landslide.



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    37 Min.
  • We Try and Kill the Internet

    We Try and Kill the Internet
    Jun 2 2026

    The internet is how you get your news, your paycheck, your groceries, your banking, and sometimes your drinking water. Humanity has quietly handed over the keys to civilization to a network most of us don't understand and couldn't rebuild. So what happens if it goes down — and not for a day or two?

    Ben Bradford tries to kill the internet, hunting for weak points in undersea cables, cyberattacks, cloud computing, overlooked open-source plumbing, and fragile politics. It’s harder than it looks, but maybe not impossible. Should we be worried?

    Guests:

    Bruce Schneier, cryptographer, cybersecurity lecturer, and author of Click Here to Kill Everybody.

    Doug Madory, director of internet analysis for Kentik.

    Support Are We Doomed?, get bonus episodes, and more: https://doompod.com/support/

    Watch earlier episodes on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@arewedoomedpod



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    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    33 Min.
  • Past Dooms That Didn't Arrive

    Past Dooms That Didn't Arrive
    May 26 2026

    People have been predicting the end of the world forever. They’ve always been wrong. Maybe we’re wrong today, too.

    So, we’re looking back at three past dooms predicted in the 20th century, none of which arrived as advertised. Why not? What can we learn? Does it mean that the current biggest end-of-the-world fears may be overblown, misunderstood, or — with effort — preventable? Along the way: failed utopias, dystopias, and the animal Ben fears most: the mini-hippo.

    Guest: Matt Novak, journalist at Gizmodo and long-time author of the Paleofuture blog.

    Support Are We Doomed?, get bonus episodes, and more: https://doompod.com/support/

    Watch earlier episodes on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@arewedoomedpod



    To manage podcast ad preferences, review the links below:

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    34 Min.
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