RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Hear the untold stories of mind-blowing achievements in science and tech. “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent and six-time Emmy winner David Pogue takes you behind the scenes into the creation stories of the world’s greatest advances and the people behind them. From transportation, food, space, internet, and health, creators reveal their inspirations and roadblocks they encountered in bringing their breakthroughs to the public. Hear all-new episodes of the award-winning Unsung Science podcast every other Friday.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ origin stories of inventions • space exploration and planetary defense • climate, conservation, sustainable tech • internet, AI, deepfakes, digital standards • health, genetics, vaccines, wearables, placebo science • accessibility innovationsThis podcast tells behind-the-scenes origin stories of notable breakthroughs in science and technology, with host David Pogue focusing on how big ideas move from concept to real-world impact. Across the episodes, creators, engineers, researchers, and industry leaders explain the inspirations, experiments, setbacks, and unexpected compromises that shaped inventions and discoveries people now encounter in everyday life.
A major thread is modern computing and consumer technology: how large-scale digital services operate, how standards and interfaces become universal, and how online trust is threatened and defended through approaches to misinformation, deepfakes, and automated abuse. The show also looks at how data and machine learning are applied in areas like mapping, accessibility, and health monitoring.
Another recurring theme is transportation and aerospace engineering, from electric aviation and space exploration to planetary defense. Listeners hear about the design constraints, testing regimes, and operational realities involved in high-stakes systems, including ambitious space instruments and novel flight platforms.
Health and biology stories examine how scientific advances translate into medicine and public benefit, including genetics, vaccine development, placebo effects, and the use of DNA databases in forensic investigations. Environmental and climate-related episodes explore practical interventions—from shipping and plastics to conservation technologies, water security, biodiversity restoration, and preparedness for climate-driven disasters.
The series also occasionally moves into adjacent “applied science” domains such as language construction and modern music production, emphasizing how tools and technique intersect with human creativity. Overall, the focus is on the people and processes behind advances, not just the end results.
| Episodes: |
Grand Finale: A Pop Song is Born2023-Dec-08 52 minutes |
Electric Planes Take Off2023-Nov-24 40 minutes |
Genetics, Votes, and Colin Firth2023-Nov-10 41 minutes |
How Does Google Maps Do It?2023-Oct-26 32 minutes |
How Cool Tech is Saving the Whales2023-Oct-13 40 minutes |
How the Webb Telescope Sees Back in Time2023-Sep-29 43 minutes |
Inside Elon Musk's Brain2023-Sep-16 39 minutes |
Screaming Babies, Noise Canceling, and You2023-Sep-01 41 minutes |
The Pulse-Pounding Origin Story of USB-C2023-Aug-18 44 minutes |
CeCe Moore Cracks Cold Cases with Genealogy2023-Aug-04 43 minutes |
What if Placebos ARE the Medicine?2023-Jul-21 34 minutes |
The Man Who Invented QR Codes2023-Jul-07 37 minutes |
Inside the Lost Titanic Sub: An Update2023-Jun-23 46 minutes |
How Doug Lindsay Invented His Own Surgery2023-Jun-09 41 minutes |
The Power of an Empty Metal Box2023-May-26 39 minutes |
From Klingon to Dothraki: Constructed Languages for Hollywood2023-May-12 39 minutes |
The Million-Dollar Toothpaste Tube2023-Apr-28 41 minutes |
The Rewilded Farm2023-Mar-31 37 minutes |
NASA Redirects an Asteroid2023-Mar-17 35 minutes |
How They Found the Shipwreck Endurance2023-Mar-03 43 minutes |
Deepfakes: Big Tech Fights Back2023-Feb-17 31 minutes |
The Mars Helicopter That Would Not Die2023-Feb-03 50 minutes |
ChatGPT and the End of Writing2023-Jan-20 35 minutes |
Introducing: Season 2 of Unsung Science with David Pogue2023-Jan-13 4 minutes |
Back to Titanic Part 22022-Dec-19 38 minutes |
Back to Titanic Part 12022-Nov-27 40 minutes |
The Secret of Baby Carrots2022-Nov-20 30 minutes |
How Impossible Meats Might Save the Earth2022-Feb-11 40 minutes |
The Man Who Stopped the Spammers2022-Feb-04 32 minutes |
Where Emoji Come From2022-Jan-28 36 minutes |
How the Fitbit Knows You're Dreaming2022-Jan-21 36 minutes |
Subtitles for the Blind2022-Jan-14 52 minutes |
Chainsaws, Women, and the Cape Town Drought2022-Jan-07 40 minutes |
How to Prepare for Wildfires2021-Dec-31 59 minutes |
Where to Live in the Climate-Change Era2021-Dec-24 60 minutes |
Leap Seconds, Smear Seconds, and the Slowing of the Earth2021-Dec-17 39 minutes |
How the Cellphone was Born: Three Months of Craziness2021-Dec-10 37 minutes |
How Apple and Microsoft Built the Seeing-Eye Phone2021-Dec-03 49 minutes |
How to Prepare for Climate Change: Intro2021-Nov-26 7 minutes |
Who Makes the Fake Languages for Hollywood?2021-Nov-19 39 minutes |
How NASA's $2 Billion Rover Landed Itself on Mars: "Seven Minutes of Terror"2021-Nov-12 43 minutes |
Tornado Alley is Shifting Eastward—and We're Not Ready2021-Nov-05 34 minutes |
Audio Deepfakes and the End of Trust2021-Oct-29 45 minutes |
How We Almost Blew the Vaccine2021-Oct-22 41 minutes |
What Happened to the Mosquitoes in Fresno?2021-Oct-15 38 minutes |
Introducing: Unsung Science with David Pogue2021-Sep-27 3 minutes |