2025 has proved that artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping online reality and that the “slop” is here to stay.
NPR’s Geoff Brumfiel and Shannon Bond have spent much of the year rolling around in that slop and join host Scott Detrow to break down some of the highlights and how to sort the real from the fake.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
When some people are wandering around in shorts and a t-shirt, others are wrapped up in warm coats and jumpers. How come our responses to cold weather are so different?
People have been living in cold environments for thousands of years. So why do some of us struggle with the cold more than others, and what, if any, adaptations have our bodies made to cope in freezing temperatures?
CrowdScience listener Anne from the UK is amazed by the warm houses of her neighbours, and wants to know whether her background might have affected her perspective on the cold.
Caroline Steel investigates, visiting a laboratory in Loughborough University, UK, that pushes the body to the extreme. Dr Matt Maley explains what happens inside our systems to help us survive the plummeting thermostat and how this adaption can vary from person to person.
But it’s not just biological. Our culture impacts our experience of cold too. CrowdScience heads to Norway to meet the global community on the icy Arctic island of Svalbard. There Caroline meets Associate Professor Gunhild Sætren at the Arctic Safety Centre to find out the important role appropriate clothing plays in being prepared for the chilly weather.
And we speak to Dr Cara Ocobock at the University of Notre Dame, USA, who tells us about her research comparing Finnish reindeer herders and office workers reactions to cold temperatures.
Presenter: Caroline Steel
Producer: Hannah Fisher
Editor: Ben Motley
(Photo: Woman enjoying winter playing in fresh snow. Credit: Olga Pankova/Getty Images)
Of all the images of Trump, the only times he seemed to be authentically smiling in the presence of another person was when he was with Jeffrey Epstein. The two of them had the same interests, and other people in the 80s and 90s assumed they were best friends. Over in MAGA land, a proxy war has broken out among rightwing influencers—like Ben Shapiro, Tucker, and Candace—because the economy and the party are in trouble. Plus, SCOTUS rulings and cryptocurrency have created a public corruption free-for-all, the failed tariffs are masking the shortage of immigrant-built new housing, Trump has illegally added his name to the Kennedy Center, and despite the large military build-up off of Venezuela, the administration seems to be winging it.
As their winning season heats up, the Chicago Bears make another play for an Indiana stadium. Lakeview neighbors replace presents for needy families collected by a local bar that was burglarized. Local public transit gets an overhaul. Meanwhile, Chicago is one step closer to an alternate budget proposed by alders. In the Loop breaks down those stories and more with WTTW News correspondent Nick Blumberg, Block Club Chicago reporter Mack Liederman and
WBEZ city politics reporter Mariah Woelfel.
For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Ben, Matt and Noel have a special, spoiler-filled episode just for you, fellow Conspiracy Realists! You see, something strange happened over recent years: Santa, Rudolph and all the usual characters of Christmas have been joined by a new entity... a little Elf, hanging around your house from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day, and reporting your behavior to Santa Claus every single night. At first blush, this is wholesome and delightful. But... why are so many parents, experts and journalists concerned about the Elf on the Shelf? Is the Elf normalizing an Orwellian surveillance state?
Plus: BioMarin Pharmaceutical to acquire biotech Amicus Therapeutics for about $4.8 billion. And high-speed trading firm Jump Trading is accused of contributing to the collapse of Terraform Labs. Julie Chang hosts.
Cuba today feels more isolated than ever after years of sanctions from the United States have severely damaged the economy. Now Cubans are watching the U.S. ramp up pressure on the government of Venezuela, Cuba’s most loyal ally and an important trading partner. Our reporter in Havana talks to some Cubans about the current moment.
