#131 Why thinking hard tires you out; game-changing US climate bill

The US is about to pass an historic piece of climate legislation. The Inflation Reduction Act allocates $370 billion to climate mitigation, and the team explores how that money will be spent - plus why some people think the bill holds us hostage to fossil fuel. Do you ever get embarrassed talking to Siri when you’re out in public? Well, the team learns about an experimental new piece of tech called EarCommand, which may make communicating with your virtual assistant less awkward. Thinking hard is tiring - and a new study may have figured out why. As the team explains, it’s surprisingly more complex than just running out of energy. Say it with us - pobblebonk! The acid-defying scarlet-sided pobblebonk frog is our lifeform of the week. Find out how this splendidly named creature survives in some incredibly hostile environments. Antonio Padilla, cosmologist and author of Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them, explains how weird and wonderful numbers - like Graham’s Number - can give us a glimpse into the biggest secrets of the universe.   On the pod are Rowan Hooper, Penny Sarchet, Clare Wilson, James Dinneen and Jeremy Hsu. To read about these stories and much more, subscribe at newscientist.com/podcasts. Events and discount codes: 50% discounted subscription: newscientist.com/pod50 New Scientist Live: newscientist.com/live Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices