Autonomous Trucks, Overgrown Goldfish, and an Edible Scientific Feud
12:16 minutes
With more than 30,000 fatal car crashes in the U.S. each year, is it time to let robots take the wheel? Ready or not, autonomous cars and trucks have left the parking lot. Google’s self-driving car is cruising down the streets of Mountain View, California. And last month, Freightliner’s new semi-truck got a license to drive itself on Nevada’s public highways.
In this week’s episode of Good Thing/Bad Thing, Evan Ackerman, robot enthusiast and contributing editor for IEEE Spectrum, helps us navigate through the peaks and potholes of autonomous vehicles.
Plus, Washington Post science blogger Rachel Feltman shares her top science stories from the week including discarded pet goldfish that are finding their way into Canadian lakes and growing to the size of dinner plates. And there’s a scientific feud that may have ended up on the table of unlucky diners in France.
Segment Guests
Rachel Feltman
Rachel Feltman is a freelance science communicator who hosts “The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week” for Popular Science, where she served as Executive Editor until 2022. She’s also the host of Scientific American’s show “Science Quickly.” Her debut book Been There, Done That: A Rousing History of Sex is on sale now.
Evan Ackerman
Evan Ackerman is a contributing editor at IEEE Spectrum based in Bethesda, Maryland.
Meet the Producers and Host
About Alexa Lim
@AlexaLim22Alexa Lim was a senior producer for Science Friday. Her favorite stories involve space, sound, and strange animal discoveries.
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.
About Elah Feder
@ElahFederElah Feder is the former senior producer for podcasts at Science Friday. She produced the Science Diction podcast, and co-hosted and produced the Undiscovered podcast.