Serial’s third season is a return to form

There are a ton of podcasts out there, but finding the right one can be difficult. In our column Pod Hunters, we cover what we’ve been listening to that we can’t stop thinking about.

The third season of Serial starts off with host Sarah Koenig introducing the place where the podcast listener will reside for the duration of its run. It’s a stunning, almost cinematic monologue. Koenig takes the listener through Cleveland’s Justice Center Complex, explaining that the “hideous but practical,” complex is an entire justice system, housing courts, jails, offices for state prosecutors and sheriffs, and city police. If this were a film, it would be one of those single-shot takes, taking you from the basement of the building, up the elevator, to…

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NASA tech is in your everyday life — find out where with this interactive tool

NASA technology is usually associated with the far reaches of space, but research from the government agency is surprisingly close at hand: hair dryers, water softeners, skin cream, landmine removal!

NASA even has a cool interactive tool called NASA Home and City to showcase all the ways space research affects us back here on Earth. In the city, we learn that software first designed for NASA robots helps Earth robots with manufacturing:

Image: NASA Home and City

And NASA’s extra rocket fuel can burn away mines:

Image: NASA Home and City

In the home, NASA’s aerogels are making their way into hairstyling tools and even warm clothing:

Image: NASA Home and City

Who says space…

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