Testing planetary defenses against asteroids, and building a giant ‘water machine’

<p>On this week’s show: NASA’s unprecedented asteroid-deflection mission, and making storage space for fresh water underground in Bangladesh</p> <p>First up on the podcast this week, News Intern <a href="https://www.zacksavitsky.com/">Zack Savitsky</a> joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the upcoming NASA mission, dubbed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Asteroid_Redirection_Test">Double Asteroid Redirection Test</a>, that aims to ram a vending machine–size spacecraft into an asteroid and<a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/nasa-s-unprecedented-asteroid-deflection-mission-more-billiards-space-scientists-say"> test out ideas about planetary defense</a>.</p> <p>Also this week, Sarah talks with <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/risk-disaster-reduction/people/dr-m-shamsudduha-shams">Mohammad Shamsudduha</a>, an associate professor in humanitarian science at University College London’s Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction. He explains how millions of individual farmers in Bangladesh are creating the “<a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abm4730">Bengal water machine</a>,” a giant underground sponge to soak up fresh water during monsoon season.</p> <p>This week’s episode was produced with help from <a href="https://podigy.co/">Podigy</a>.</p> <p>[Image: SW Photography/Getty; Music: Jeffrey Cook]</p> <p>[alt: photo of agricultural fields and a big river at sunset in the city of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, with podcast overlay symbol]</p> <p>Authors: Sarah Crespi; Zack Savitsky</p> <p>Episode page: <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade8885">https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade8885</a> </p> <p>About the Science Podcast: <a href="https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast">https://www.science.org/content/page/about-science-podcast</a> </p><p>See <a href="https://omnystudio.com/listener">omnystudio.com/listener</a> for privacy information.</p>