In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss concerns over population decline.
Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- The rate of population growth in the United States is declining. Natalia referred to this Smithsonian article about longstanding fears about overpopulation and this Washington Post opinion piece by historian Mytheli Sreenivas. Neil drew on this Vox article.
In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:
- Natalia shared about her new column at Observer, “The Quick Study.”
- Neil discussed Daniel Victor’s New York Times article, “Flamingo No. 492 Is Still on the Run 17 Years Later”.
- Niki discussed Jill Wine-Banks’ NBC Think piece, “Trump’s Phone Log Gap Could Be Much Worse than Nixon’s Watergate Tape Erasures” and this Atlas Obscuraessay on Rose Mary Woods.







![A lantern slideshows four overlapping illustrations of the Earth depicting its tilt at different time periods in the past, present and future. Dates represented are 13000 BC, 5544 BC, 1921 AD, 2296AD. Handwritten in blue ink at bottom left corner of plate is the text 'G53 CLW [illegible] Aug '22'.](https://i0.wp.com/publicseminar.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Wragge_Earth.jpg?fit=768%2C749&ssl=1)





