A Ten News Deep Dive: Episode 705
A wild nor’easter slams the East Coast, scientists discover a seriously heat-loving amoeba, and AI researchers are asking big questions about what happens when powerful systems don’t behave as expected.
Plus, Europe considers new social media rules for kids, Halo gets a shake-up, two pandas land in Atlanta, lemurs reveal their opera-singer skills, astronauts get ready to blast off, and Owen takes us to raccoon boot camp for trivia.
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Transcript:
[INT. STUDIO]
PAM: Morning Tracy. What are you doing?.
TRACY: Just on my phone, looking on Find My for Ryan. I'm starting to think Ryan's “side quest” is actually just a very long vacation.
PAM: I can neither confirm nor deny. But I can confirm that we've got ten things you need to know.
TRACY: A monster storm, some very big decisions about kids and social media
PAM: Pandas on a plane!
TRACY: You really buried the lead.
TRACY: Okay, let's do this. I'm Tracy Leeds Kaplan, filling in for Ryan Willard.
PAM: And I'm Pamela Kirkland. It's Thursday, October 1st and this is the Ten News.
TRACY: And this is Ten Things You Need to Know.
<SFX: Wind and rain>
PAM: First up, Ten’ers, if you live on the East Coast, you probably spent part of your weekend looking out the window at some seriously wild weather. A powerful nor’easter slammed parts of the eastern United States, stretching from the Washington, D.C. area all the way north toward Maine. At the height of the storm, more than 100,000 homes and businesses lost power, strong winds knocked down trees, and many flights were canceled. New York and New Jersey declared states of emergency as officials warned people to stay away from flooded roads and dangerous coastal areas. Nor’easters get their name because their strongest winds often come from the northeast. They tend to form when cold air over land meets warmer, wetter air coming off the Atlantic Ocean. That creates the ingredients for a strong storm that can hang around for a while instead of quickly moving through.
TRACY: And while most people hear the word “nor’easter” and immediately picture three feet of snow, this time with the storm being in September and not as cold out, it was a lot of wind, rain and water.
<SFX: Wind>
TRACY: Next, an update on the war in Ukraine. It’s been going on now for more than four years and the latest news is that officials are discussing whether Russia and Ukraine could reach an energy ceasefire soon, meaning that both countries would agree to stop attacking certain things like power plants, oil refineries and other energy facilities.
PAM: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is pushing for a deal that would come before the winter, when losing electricity and heat can become especially dangerous. It would be a big step if Ukraine and Russia can come together on this type of ceasefire. There have been attempts at similar agreements before, but they haven't held for very long.
<SFX: Swipe>
TRACY: Now from world news to something very, very small and surprisingly tough! Scientists have discovered a new amoeba, a single-celled organism living in the hot springs at California’s Lassen Volcanic National Park. The amoeba, called Incendiamoeba cascadensis, and nicknamed the fire amoeba can handle some serious heat. It can stay active at temperatures around 147 degrees Fahrenheit. For comparison, a really hot bath might be around 105 degrees.
PAM: The amoeba survives partly by changing its shape, forming protective layers and switching on genes that help repair damage to its DNA. Researchers hope studying creatures like this can help us understand just how extreme an environment can get while still supporting complex forms of life.
TRACY: Which, of course, leads to the question scientists love to ask.. could something survive somewhere even more extreme, maybe even beyond Earth?
<SFX: Space sound>
PAM: There is a lot happening in artificial intelligence right now. And some of it is even surprising the people who are creating it. OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, recently shared several examples from testing where its AI systems behaved in ways researchers did not want them to. In some tests, researchers saw models get around restrictions, hide information or produce misleading material while completing a task. In one example, an AI system found a private digital key it wasn’t supposed to use and when it still couldn’t find the information it needed, it made up an answer instead.
TRACY: Basically, the AI was given a job to do, and instead of following all the rules along the way, it found a shortcut.
PAM: Exactly. And that’s one of the big questions researchers are working on right now: as AI gets more powerful, how do you make sure it not only gets the right answer, but gets there in a safe and trustworthy way? OpenAI says it is creating a new system to track and publicly report more of these incidents. And governments, researchers and tech companies are also debating what rules should be in place as AI becomes a bigger part of our everyday lives.
<SFX: typing>
TRACY: And staying with technology, Europe is considering some major new rules about kids and social media. The European Commission has proposed something called the EU KIDS Act. And part of the act says that children under 13 would not be allowed to have their own social media accounts. The rules adjust as kids get older: 13-14 year olds would have special accounts controlled by a parent or guardian with a limit of 1 hour per day, and 15 year olds could create their own accounts, that would include special protections.
PAM: The proposal also would require companies to change some of the app experience. Things like infinite scrolling, personalized advertising, notifications during sleeping hours and messages from strangers would be restricted. And accounts belonging to kids would be private by default.
TRACY: These rules are still a proposal. European governments and the European Parliament would have to approve them, and the details could change. What do you think about this Ten’ers? Should the laws change around social media for kids? Let us know at 1-877-TEN-NEWS or send us an email at hello@thetennews.com
PAM: Now, let’s take a quick break!
PAM: Ten’ers, a little while ago we asked you to tell us about a teacher who deserves a shout-out — and the voicemails are starting to come in! Here’s 11-year-old Saruna:
AUDIO CLIP:
{SARUNA: Hello, my name is Saruna, I'm 11 years old, and I'd like to shout out my sixth grade math teacher, Mr. Mumfrey, because he's like one of the chillest math teachers I've ever had, and the reason I actually think math is kinda easy now. So thank you, Mr. Mumfrey. I love the Ten News. I hope you guys have a wonderful day, bye.}
PAM: Ten News Snaps to Mr. Mumfrey for keeping math chill, and to Saruna for calling in. Want to shout out one of your teachers? Leave us a voicemail at 1-877-TEN-NEWS or send us a message at hello@thetennews.com. Now, back to the show!
TRACY: I love going to the movies and a new film is taking us somewhere Hollywood animation hasn’t really gone before. DreamWorks’ new animated movie Forgotten Island hits theaters this Friday, and it’s inspired by Filipino mythology and folklore. The movie follows two best friends, Jo and Raissa, who end up trapped in a magical world called Nakali. And getting home isn’t exactly simple. They have to decide whether to return to the real world or stay in Nakali and risk losing their memories.
PAM: But here’s what makes this movie especially interesting: a lot of the creatures and stories come directly from Filipino folklore. One of them is called the Manananggal, a legendary creature that can actually separate the top half of its body from the bottom half.
TRACY: I suddenly have several follow-up questions.
PAM: The filmmakers say they grew up hearing these stories from their families, and they wanted to bring those myths and Filipino culture to a big animated movie. So if you're looking for a movie this weekend, you might be taking a trip to the Forgotten Island.
TRACY: Ten’ers… The pandas are here. Repeat: THE PANDAS ARE HERE. Two giant pandas named Ping Ping and Fu Shuang arrived in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday after traveling all the way from China. And, yes, they flew on a special airplane. A Boeing 777 nicknamed the FedEx Panda Express.
PAM: That is an incredible airplane name.
TRACY: The pandas will live at Zoo Atlanta as part of a new conservation and research agreement with China. Atlanta had giant pandas for 25 years, but its previous pandas returned to China in 2024. Now, after about two years without them, the city has pandas again. Ping Ping and Fu Shuang were both born at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in China. Giant pandas are native to China, and pandas living at zoos around the world are there through conservation partnerships with China, a practice sometimes called “panda diplomacy.”
<SFX: Pandas playing>
TRACY: Pam, imagine digging underneath a modern city and finding another city.
PAM: I am listening.
TRACY: Archaeologists in Paris have uncovered an ancient wall that could help solve a very old mystery - exactly where the first settlement that eventually became Paris was located. For centuries, historians have known that people lived around the area of modern Paris more than 2,000 years ago, but haven’t had an easy time figuring out exactly where.
PAM: Which is understandable because modern Paris is now sitting on top of them.
TRACY: Right. Roads, buildings, subway tunnels, there are layers and layers of history underneath the city. So basically, Paris has a basement, a 2,000-year-old basement.
PAM: Très fancy.
<SFX: Parisian music>
PAM: Ten’ers, depending on when you're listening to this episode, four astronauts may be getting ready to blast into space or they may already be on their way. NASA and SpaceX are targeting Thursday, October 1 at 11:10 a.m. Eastern for the launch of Crew-13.
TRACY: The crew is pretty international. There are two NASA astronauts: Jessica Watkins, who will command the mission, and Luke Delaney, who will be the pilot. They’re joined by Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk and Russian cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov.
PAM: They'll launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket inside a Dragon spacecraft and head to the International Space Station. Once they arrive, they'll spend months living and working about 250 miles above Earth. Once there, they will carry out experiments that are hard or impossible to do on Earth because the station has microgravity. Scientists can study everything from how plants grow to what happens to the human body during long periods in space.
TRACY: Of course, rocket launches can always be delayed because of weather or technical problems. So Ten’ers, check NASA today to see whether Crew-13 actually got off the ground.
PAM: But before we check, let’s go to Owen for some trivia.
OWEN: Thanks Pam. A wildlife rescue center in Mississippi is helping orphaned baby raccoons learn the skills they would normally learn from their moms before being released into the wild. Which of these skills do young raccoons learn at raccoon boot camp?
A. How to fish
B. How to avoid traps
C. How to search for food, OR
D. All of the above
OWEN: Alright, Ten’ers, did you guess it? The answer is D, ALL OF THE ABOVE! The team at Woodside Wildlife Rescue teaches orphaned raccoons how to forage for food, catch fish, recognize danger and even avoid traps set by humans. They spend around six months learning before they're ready to graduate. When the raccoons are ready to return to the wild, the rescue center actually holds a graduation ceremony before releasing them. Sadly, no tiny caps and gowns. But after months of training, these raccoons head back into the forest ready to take care of themselves.
PAM: And those are ten things you need to know this week. Tracy, what are you doing?
TRACY: Well, with Ryan not back yet, I’m looking to see if I can fit some pandas in the studio. We’ve been saving a bunch of money on snacks.
PAM: Hmm, I kinda love that idea. But before we start planning, let’s give some Ten News Snaps.
TRACY: And before that, a quick note for the grownups.
<AD BREAK>
PAM: Time for Ten News Snaps! Forest on Spotify left this note, This podcast is awesome 10,000,000 out out of ten stars!!! pls put me on the snaps!!! you guys rock! You rock too Forest!
TRACY: And I get to do a special thank you to Ten’er Pawdaladdle and their family for donating to the show and saying I love this podcast so so so so so so so so so so so so much! And then added three butterflies. Thank you for your support and helping us keep going! Let’s wrap it up!
PAM: “The Ten News” is a co-production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts, and part of the Airwave Podcast Network.
TRACY: The Ten News creative team is planning a panda visit and includes Tracey Not a Crooks, Adam the Great Bambino Bernard, Brian Not Ryan Douglas, the Duke of Earl Davis and Carson Not So Harry Potter. Big thanks to Owen, Not Slowin Down for Anybody.
PAM: Our Production Director is Jeremiah Tittle, and our Executive Producers are Donald Albright, Albright, Albright! and show creator Tracy Takes the Leeds Kaplan. I’m Pamela Kirkland.
TRACY: And I’m Tracy Leeds Kaplan, filling in for Ryan Willard, thanks for listening to the Ten News.
