Episodes

  • The Problems And Possibilities Of Rats

    The Problems And Possibilities Of Rats
    Dec 27 2024
    If you live in a U.S. city, you've likely seen a rat or two running around. According to the pest control company, Orkin, an estimated 21 million U.S. homes face rodent invasions, each fall.

    But rats play a much larger role in human history. These creatures have been sacrificed for the advancement of scientific research.

    Rats are complicated — and it inspire equally complicated feelings in us.

    This year, New York City held its first ever annual national urban rat summit to address the city's chronic rat problems.

    Rats pose real health and safety risks to human, we discuss what we lose by only seeing them as pests.

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    31 mins
  • The 2024 1A Movie Club Roundup

    The 2024 1A Movie Club Roundup
    Dec 26 2024
    2024's year in film saw a sequel 36 years in the making.

    There was also a musical that had theater-goers singing along. And a drama-comedy set around a Polish Holocaust tour.

    We break down the best and most disappointing films of the year. We also talk documentaries, TV shows you need to binge, and what to plan to watch in the new year.

    Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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    35 mins
  • Kris Bowers On The Evolution Of Music In 'The Wild Robot'

    Kris Bowers On The Evolution Of Music In 'The Wild Robot'
    Dec 25 2024
    Kris Bowers is no stranger to using music to build a world. The Oscar-winning composer has worked on films like "Green Book," 'Origin," and "The Color Purple," and on the hit Netflix series "Bridgerton." He's also known for his on-the-spot compositions, illustrated in this conversation with 1A Entertainment Correspondent John Horn.

    His latest project is "The Wild Robot". In the animated feature directed by Chris Sanders, Roz is a robot is marooned on a deserted island, unable to communicate with the animals and the natural world she finds herself in.

    As her programming evolves, and as she learns to speak to her animal neighbors, the score evolves with her.

    Kris Bowers joins us to talk about putting music to this wild world.

    Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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    30 mins
  • Game Mode: Tetris Turns 40

    Game Mode: Tetris Turns 40
    Dec 24 2024
    Think back to the first time someone told you about the game Tetris. Was it a friend? An older sibling or a parent? Maybe you saw someone playing it at an arcade.

    How long did it take you to get what Tetris is — what you had to accomplish in the game and how to play it?

    2024 boasts the 40th anniversary of the classic game of falling blocks, known as tetrominoes.

    More than 520 million copies of Tetris have been sold since its worldwide release in the 1980s.

    For our series "Game Mode", we're setting up to stack — looking at the game's history and why it became and has stayed popular.

    Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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    28 mins
  • How Reforestation Efforts Could Be The Key To Fighting Climate Change

    How Reforestation Efforts Could Be The Key To Fighting Climate Change
    Dec 23 2024
    Most of us know that trees can help reduce the impacts of climate change by taking in carbon dioxide.

    Most of us also know that scientists and environmental authorities have been sounding alarms for the better part of the last decade about the devastating effects of climate change.

    Could trees store enough carbon, with a lot of help from us, to offset humanity's carbon emissions? What's the role of trees in our fight against climate change? And what's better left to other climate solutions?

    We talk to an author whose new book explores whether or not serious reforestation efforts can really be an effective solution to reducing the carbon in our atmosphere.

    Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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    29 mins
  • 1A Presents: Milk Street's Holiday Lollapalooza: The Best of 2024

    1A Presents: Milk Street's Holiday Lollapalooza: The Best of 2024
    Dec 22 2024
    It's no surprise we love talking about food here at 1A.

    From the latest cookbooks to answering your questions about your favorite foods.

    As a holiday treat, we're bringing you highlights from the latest episode of Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Radio Podcast.

    For the complete episode, and to learn more about Milk Street be sure to visit milkstreetradio.com.

    Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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    33 mins
  • The News Roundup For December 20, 2024

    The News Roundup For December 20, 2024
    Dec 20 2024
    Just hours before federal funding for the government runs out, Congress is left scrambling to find a way to keep the government open after midnight tonight.

    Meanwhile, a New York judge has decided that Trump can't use his presidential immunity to shed his felony conviction.

    And Luigi Mangione, the alleged killer of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was charged with murder as an act of terrorism.

    In global news, following the fall of the Assad regime, prosecutors, aid workers, and journalists are learning more about the atrocities committed under Syria's former president.

    Israeli attacks on hospitals in northern Gaza have left the medical facilities barely able to provide basic care and no longer capable of surgical procedures or maternal services.

    And Canada's embattled prime minister, Justin Trudeau, saw his position as the country's leader weaken this week after the resignation of his finance minister.

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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • The Trials, Tribulations, And Triumphs Of Holiday Travel

    The Trials, Tribulations, And Triumphs Of Holiday Travel
    Dec 19 2024
    It's the holiday season.

    And that means time spent with friends, with family, and... in the car. Or a plane. Or a train. Or maybe even by boat.

    But one thing's for sure. America will be on the move here soon if it's not already.

    Where are we going, what's waiting for us when we get there, and why is it so difficult sometimes to get where we need to go at the end of another year?

    Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Connect with us. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.

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    32 mins