Topic: Nasa Goddard

Climate scientist Kate Marvel discusses the inherent flaws in current climate models during an appearance on the Freakonomics podcast. She identifies clouds as the "wild card" of climate science because they are difficult to simulate due to their scale, ranging from tiny dust particles to massive atmospheric formations. The hosts interpret these admissions as a sign that the scientific community is beginning to "back off" from previous certainties regarding global warming.

Michelle Thaller of NASA's Goddard Institute discussed the challenges of communicating scientific data to a public that may be skeptical of facts. Thaller noted that providing more data on ocean acidification or carbon isotopes is often ineffective, leading scientists to rely on "storytelling" and emotional engagement. She addressed public fears regarding the 2012 apocalypse and clarified that NASA does not hide astronomical facts.