PBS NewsHour - Science

In the latest move to undermine the scientific consensus on climate change, Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, has recruited a team of researchers to challenge climate science. Emily Holden, who broke the story for E&E News’s ClimateWire, joins Hari Sreenivasan from Washington, D.C.

In the new documentary “Chasing Coral,” a team of photographers, divers and scientists analyze more than 650 hours of underwater footage to illustrate the real-time effects warming seas. The film will premiere on Netflix on July 14. NewsHour Weekend’s Saskia De Melker talks to Jeff Orlowski, the director of the film, about the challenges of showing these rarely-seen effects of climate change.

It’s the season for tick bites. Each year, at least 300,000 people contract Lyme disease and about 10 to 15 percent report stubborn, long-lasting symptoms like achy joints, fatigue and memory lapses despite treatment. What are the mysteries of Lyme, and why is there no effective vaccine on the market for humans? Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

President Donald Trump has said he is withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accords, rejecting that wealthier nations, which have the biggest carbon footprints, should help poorer nations vulnerable to climate changes. One such place is the Marshall Islands, which is affected by these changes and struggling to find fresh water. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Mike Taibbi reports.

An extreme heat wave is baking the West and Southwest, with temperatures well above 100 degrees. More than 40 flights were cancelled or delayed because some planes can't safely lift off in that heat. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins Hari Sreenivasan to explain how high heat can ground air flight and the larger trend of our warming climate and how it affects us.

Coal is still very much at the center of the debate on the future of energy. For some, the holy grail is a new type of technology that captures some coal carbon emissions. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins Judy Woodruff to take a closer look at the results coming out of one of the largest fossil fuel power plants in the country and the obstacles stopping them from collecting more.

President Trump tweeted Wednesday that his decision on the Paris Accord will come “over the next few days,” an announcement that arrives after weeks of signaling he may walk away from the deal. The pact was signed in 2015 in order to reduce carbon emissions. William Brangham speaks with Princeton University's Michael Oppenheimer and Phil Kerpen of American Commitment about what's at stake.

Norway's vast wealth comes from decades of gas and oil production, yet its citizens are turning their backs on fossil fuels and embracing electric cars like nowhere else. In fact, the Norwegian government is planning to end sales of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2025. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports on the Scandinavian country’s investment in a greener future.

Artificial intelligence is going to change how we live to such a degree, that when we look back at driving a car, it will seem to us the way the Middle Ages looks from today's perspective. That's according to Sebastian Thrun, who gives his Brief but Spectacular take on imagining the future and the way we'll all be transformed by the coming revolution.

As a candidate, Donald Trump vowed to dismantle the EPA in “almost any form.” And the budget the White House unveiled Tuesday cuts EPA funding by a third. But what’s less known are recent moves that would give the industry more of a voice when it comes to reshaping its approach to scientific recommendations. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins Jeffrey Brown to discuss the changes.

Moogfest, named after inventor Robert Moog, is a celebration of the art, engineering and technology of synthesizers, machines that create sounds electronically. Jeffrey Brown takes us to the gathering for a look at how experiments in technology and music can inspire one another.

Climate change is one of many issues seen as dividing Democrats and Republicans. A dominant wing of the GOP has denied climate change exists, as some Democrats have tried to reduce air pollution and push for alternative forms of energy. But meanwhile, some Republicans are also pushing for climate action. NewsHour Weekend Special Correspondent Stephanie Sy reports.

Deep layers of underground coal are all but gone in West Virginia after 200 years of relentless mining, leaving thinner seams of coal on top of the state's beautiful mountains. But surface mining carries a huge cost: nothing less than mountains themselves. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports on how the Appalachian landscape is being fundamentally and irrevocably changed.

As President Donald Trump reached the 100th day of his presidency, tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington, D.C., for the People’s Climate March, with similar demonstrations around the country. Protesters called for environmental protections even as Trump has proposed cutting funding for science programs and signed an executive order to expand offshore drilling for oil in the Arctic.

One of President Trump’s key promises rests on building a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border. But how would a continuous barrier stretching from California to Texas affect the wildlife that live there? At least 50 species near the border are already endangered and scientists worry a wall will only accelerate extinction for some. William Brangham reports from the Sonoran Desert in Arizona.