A few days ago, when passengers set off on a deep sea expedition in the Atlantic Ocean, they were aboard a vessel that many experts had already concluded was dangerously designed.

William Broad, a science correspondent for The Times, explains why he was worried from the start.

Guest: William J. Broad, a science correspondent for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• What to know about the Titan, the vessel that went missing on Sunday on its way to the Titanic shipwreck site with five people aboard.
• Three decades ago, a dive in the three-person submersible Alvin revealed not only an alien world but why people engage in such risky pursuits.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

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