The Download: fixing 'evil' AI, and the White House's war on science

The problem of plastic waste hides in plain sight, a ubiquitous part of our lives we rarely question. But a closer examination of the situation is shocking. To date, humans have created around 11 billion metric tons of plastic, the vast majority of which ends up in landfills or the environment. Only 9% of the plastic ever produced has been recycled. To make matters worse, plastic production is growing dramatically; in fact, half of all plastics in existence have been produced in just the last two decades.