…

Big Picture Science

…

Big Picture Science

The surprising connections in science and technology that give you the Big Picture. Astronomer Seth Shostak and science journalist Molly Bentley are joined each week by leading researchers, techies, and journalists to provide a smart and humorous take on science. Our regular "Skeptic Check" episodes cast a critical eye on pseudoscience.

#607

The Best Things in Life are Tree(s)

While humans were leaving the Stone Age and entering the Bronze, some Bristlecone pine trees grew from seeds to sprouts. They’ve been growing ever since. These 5,000-year-old pines are among the oldest organisms on Earth. Superlatives are also appropriate for the towering redwoods. Trees are amazing in many ways. They provide us with timber and cool us with shade, they sequester carbon and release oxygen, and are home to countless species. But they are also marvels of evolutionary adaptation. We consider the beauty and diversity of trees, and learn why their future is intertwined with ours. Guests: [Kevin Dixon] (https://www.ebparks.org/) - Naturalist at The East Bay Regional Park District, Oakland, California [Daniel Lewis] (https://huntington.org/staff/daniel-lewis) - Environmental historian and senior curator for the History of Science and Technology at the Huntington Library, art museum and botanical gardens in Pasadena, California, professor of the natural sciences and the environment at Caltech, and author of “ [Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of our Future] (https://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Trees-Deep-Roots-Future/dp/1982164050/) ” Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

20 Jan 2025

55 MINS

55:58

20 Jan 2025

#606

The Ocean's Genome

After helping to sequence the human genome more than twenty years ago, biochemist Craig Venter seemed to recede from the public eye. But he hadn’t retired. He had gone to sea and taken his revolutionary sequencing tools with him. We chatted with him about his multi-year voyage aboard the research vessel Sorcerer II, its parallels to Darwin’s voyage, and the surprising discoveries his team made about the sheer number and diversity of marine microbes and their roles in ocean ecosystems. Guests: [Craig Venter] (https://www.jcvi.org/about/j-craig-venter) - Genomicist, biochemist, founder of the J. Craig Venter Institute, and co-author of “ [The Voyage of Sorcerer II: The Expedition that Unlocked the Secrets of the Ocean’s Microbiome] (https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Sorcerer-II-Expedition-Microbiome/dp/0674246470/) .” [Jeff Hoffman] (https://www.jcvi.org/about/jeffrey-hoffman) - Lab manager at the J. Craig Venter Institute and expedition scientist on the Sorcerer II expedition. Featuring music by [Dewey] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) [Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired December 18, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

13 Jan 2025

54 MINS

54:00

13 Jan 2025

#605

Night Flight

Owls are both the most accessible and elusive of birds. Every child can recognize one, but you’ll be lucky to spot an owl in a tree, even if you’re looking straight at it. Besides their camouflage and silent flight, these mostly nocturnal birds, with their amazing vision and hearing, are most at home in the dead of night, a time humans find alien and scary. Ecologist Carl Safina got to know an injured baby screech owl well. Their relationship saved the owl’s life and gave Safina insider’s wisdom about these aerial hunters of the night. Guests: [Carl Safina] (https://www.carlsafina.org/) – ecologist at Stony Brook University, head of the non-profit Safina Center, and author of “ [Alfie] (https://www.amazon.com/Alfie-Me-What-Humans-Believe/dp/1324086483/) [& Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe] (https://www.amazon.com/Alfie-Me-What-Humans-Believe/dp/1324086483/) ” [Tom Damiami] (https://about.me/tomdamiani) – natural resources interpreter, singer on Long Island, NY and leader of the [Shelter Island Owl Prowl] (https://www.shelterislandtown.us/community-events/2018/11/10/owl-prowl) [Gordy Slack] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordy-slack-6423b318/) – science writer, former senior editor of California Wild, the science and natural history magazine published by the California Academy of Sciences Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired November 6, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

06 Jan 2025

54 MINS

54:50

06 Jan 2025

#604

Skeptic Check: Naomi Klein

Our information age is increasingly the disinformation age. The spread of lies and conspiracy theories has created competing experiences of reality. Facts are often useless for changing minds or even making compelling arguments. In this episode, author Naomi Klein and science philosopher Lee McIntyre discuss why the goal – not simply the byproduct - of spreading disinformation is to polarize society. They also offer ideas about how we might find our way back to a shared objective truth. Guests: [Naomi Klein] (https://naomiklein.org/) - Associate professor of Geography at the University of British Columbia and a co-director at the Center for Climate Justice. Author of Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World [Lee McIntyre] (https://leemcintyrebooks.com/about-lee/) - Philosopher of science and a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and the History of Science at Boston University, and author of Post-Truth and On Disinformation. Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired December 11, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

30 Dec 2024

55 MINS

55:32

30 Dec 2024

#603

Extraordinary Ordinary Objects*

“To live is to count and to count is to calculate.” But before we plugged in the computer to express this ethos, we pulled out the pocket calculator. It became a monarch of mathematics that sparked a computing revolution. But it’s not the only deceptively modest innovation that changed how we work and live. Find out how sewing a scrap of fabric into clothing helped define private life and how adding lines to paper helped build an Empire. Plus, does every invention entail irrevocable cultural loss? Guests: [Keith Houston] (https://shadycharacters.co.uk/about-me/) – author of “Empire of the Sum: The Rise and Reign of the Pocket Calculator.” [Hannah Carlson] (https://www.risd.edu/academics/apparel-design/faculty/hannah-carlson) – teaches dress history and material culture at the Rhode Island School of Design, author of “Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close.” [Dominic Riley] (https://designerbookbinders.org.uk/fellows-and-licentiates/riley-dominic/) – bookbinder in the U.K. Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) *Originally aired October 30, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

23 Dec 2024

54 MINS

54:00

23 Dec 2024

#602

Spotlight on SETI ep 4: Chenoa Tremblay

The SETI Institute’s search for alien biosignatures and technosignatures depends on radio telescopes. You may have seen the stunning photos of massive telescope arrays in the desert, but what types of alien signals might help researchers actually detect with those giant dishes? In this fourth episode, Brian Edwards talks with physicist Chenoa Tremblay, a COSMIC Project Scientist who is based at the Very Large Array in New Mexico. They dig into the important role radio telescopes play in SETI, how powerful computers have supercharged the search for life off Earth, and imagine what kinds of biosignatures and technosignatures of alien life we are most likely to find. Music by Jun Miyake You can support the work of Big Picture Science by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/c/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

21 Dec 2024

24 MINS

24:20

21 Dec 2024

#601

2024: Our Space Odyssey

This year has been a spectacular one for celestial phenomena. The northern lights delighted in unexpected ways while a total solar eclipse cast a shadow across North America. Those events were enough to make it a memorable year, but 2024 also shook up our understanding of the universe. A new reading of Voyager 2 data may explain Uranus’s weird magnetic field. And the impressive James Webb Space Telescope has detected an early and incredibly distant galaxy. Join us in our look back at some of the top space news from 2024. Guests: [Andrew Fraknoi] (https://www.fraknoi.com/) – Professor of Astronomy at the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco and SETI board member [Jamie Jasinski] (https://science.jpl.nasa.gov/people/jasinski/) - space plasma physicist for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and author of a recent paper re-examining data from the Voyager 2 mission, published in Nature. [Phil Plait ] (http://www.badastronomy.com/index.html) - astronomer, author, science communicator and frequent contributor at Scientific American. Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

16 Dec 2024

54 MINS

54:00

16 Dec 2024

#600

A Real Gas

Just because something is invisible doesn’t mean it isn’t there. We can’t see gases in our atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, and nitrogen, but we benefit from their presence with every breath we take. From the bubbles that effervesce in soda to the vapors that turn engines, gases are part of our lives. They fill our lungs, give birth to stars, and… well, how would we spot a good diner without glowing neon? In this episode, a materials scientist shares the history of some gaseous substances that we don’t usually see, but that make up our world. Guest: [Mark Miodownik] (http://www.markmiodownik.net/) – Professor of materials and society at the University College London and the author of “ [It’s a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World] (https://www.amazon.com/Its-Gas-Sublime-Elusive-Elements/dp/0358157153) .” Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

09 Dec 2024

54 MINS

54:00

09 Dec 2024

#599

Going Multicellular

Imagine life without animals, trees, and fungi. The world would look very different. But while the first life was surely single-celled, we don’t know just how it evolved to multicellular organisms. Two long-term experiments hope to find out, and one has been running for more than 35 years. Hear about the moment scientists watched evolution take off in the lab, and how directed evolution was used to create a multicellular organism. Also, how single embryonic cells become humans, and what all of this says about the possibility of life on other worlds. Guests: [Jeff Barrick] (https://molecularbiosci.utexas.edu/directory/jeffrey-e-barrick) – molecular scientist at the University of Texas at Austin where his lab oversees the Long-Term Evolution Experiment that’s been running since 1988. [Will Ratcliff] (https://biosciences.gatech.edu/people/will-ratcliff) – an evolutionary biologist at Georgia Institute of Technology [Ben Stanger] (https://www.med.upenn.edu/apps/faculty/index.php/g275/p8139400) – cancer researcher, professor of medicine and developmental biology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of “From One Cell: A Journey into Life’s Origins and the Future of Medicine.” [Joseph L. Graves] (https://www.ncat.edu/employee-bio.php?directoryID=113858234) – evolutionary biologist and geneticist at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and author of “A Voice in the Wilderness: A Pioneering Biologist Explains How Evolution Can Help Us Solve Our Biggest Problems.” Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired October 9, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

02 Dec 2024

54 MINS

54:00

02 Dec 2024

#598

Skeptic Check: Near Death Experiences

Near death experiences can be profound and even life changing. People describe seeing bright lights, staring into the abyss, or meeting dead relatives. Many believe these experiences to be proof of an afterlife. But now, scientists are studying these strange events and gaining insights into the brain and consciousness itself. Will we uncover the scientific underpinning of these near-death events? Guests: [Steve Paulson] (https://www.ttbook.org/people/steve-paulson) - executive producer of To the Best of Our Knowledge for Wisconsin Public Radio [Sebastian Junger] (https://www.sebastianjunger.com/) - journalist, filmmaker and author of “The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea” [Christoph Koch] (https://alleninstitute.org/person/christof-koch/) - neuroscientist at the Allen Institute in Seattle and chief scientist of the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation in Santa Monica California [Daniel Kondziella] (https://ikm.ku.dk/english/contact/specialties/neurology/?pure=en%2Fpersons%2F416837) - neuroscientist in the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Copenhagen Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired September 25, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

25 Nov 2024

54 MINS

54:15

25 Nov 2024

#597

Spotlight on SETI ep 3: Pascal Lee

How do we know where to look for life on other planets? SETI scientists use analog sites on Earth, not only to study how life has evolved here, but the geological conditions that made it possible. Devon Island in Canada is one such analog. It's been called Mars on Earth. In this third episode, Gary Niederhoff talks with planetary scientist Pascal Lee, co-founder of The Mars Institute, and principal investigator of the Haughton-Mars Project at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. They discuss how a remote arctic island offers clues about how liquid water once flowed on Mars, why the moons of the Red Planet are so mysterious, and Pascal’s discovery of a heretofore unrecognized Martian volcano in 2024. Music by [Jun Miyake] (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.junmiyake.com%2Fbiographyenglish&data=05%7C02%7Cgniederhoff%40seti.org%7Cfa98aef009aa432ca21a08dd09bd7ce8%7Cdeac5258294749c2a474e8ab151104fb%7C0%7C0%7C638677431659861241%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=XbFK9T6sDPxqNPOh8bpa5itD%2FKuDgILW3G8KqSLgxoY%3D&reserved=0) You can support the work of Big Picture Science by joining us on [Patreon] (https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fbigpicturescience&data=05%7C02%7Cgniederhoff%40seti.org%7Cfa98aef009aa432ca21a08dd09bd7ce8%7Cdeac5258294749c2a474e8ab151104fb%7C0%7C0%7C638677431659881687%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=BxLFRAgogZweZ9YmimUnWcmM2r4l5v0K6LAJux9rcSg%3D&reserved=0) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

21 Nov 2024

39 MINS

39:13

21 Nov 2024

#596

Beyond the Periodic Table

You interact with about two-thirds of the elements of the periodic table every day. Some, like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, make up our bodies and the air we breathe. Yet there is also a class of elements so unstable they can only be made in a lab. These superheavy elements are the purview of a small group stretching the boundaries of chemistry. Can they extend the periodic table beyond the 118 in it now? Find out scientists are using particle accelerators to create element 120 and why they’ve skipped over element 119. Plus, if an element exists for only a fraction of a second in the lab, can we still say that counts as existing? Guests: [Mark Miodownik] (http://www.markmiodownik.net/) – professor of materials and society at the University of College London and the author of “ [It’s a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World] (https://www.amazon.com/Its-Gas-Sublime-Elusive-Elements/dp/B0BQK7LPRK/) .” [Kit Chapman] (https://kitchapman.co.uk/) – Science historian at Falmouth University, author of “ [Superheavy; Making and Breaking the Periodic Table] (https://www.amazon.com/Superheavy-Making-Breaking-Periodic-Table/dp/1472953924/) .” [Jennifer Pore] (https://profiles.lbl.gov/31169-jennifer-pore) – Research Scientist of Heavy Elements at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

18 Nov 2024

54 MINS

54:00

18 Nov 2024

#595

Amazing Amazonia

The Amazon is often described as an ecosystem under dire threat due to climate change and deliberate deforestation. Yet there is still considerable hope that these threats can be mitigated. In the face of these threats, indigenous conservationists are attempting to strike a balance between tradition and preserving Amazonia. Meanwhile, two river journeys more than 100 years apart – one by a contemporary National Geographic reporter and another by “The Lewis and Clark of Brazil”— draw attention to the beauty and diversity of one of the world’s most important ecosystems. Guests: [Cynthia Gorney] (https://journalism.berkeley.edu/person/gorney/) – Contributing writer at the National Geographic Society, former bureau chief for South America at The Washington Post [Larry Rohter] (https://bernsteinliteraryagency.com/authors/larry-rohter/) – Reporter and correspondent in Rio de Janeiro for fourteen years for Newsweek and as The New York Times bureau chief. Author of [Into the Amazon: The Life of Cândido Rondon, Trailblazing Explorer, Scientist, Statesman, and Conservationist] (https://www.amazon.com/Into-Amazon-Trailblazing-Scientist-Conservationist/dp/B0C1HJVDM1/) [João Campos-Silva] (https://explorers.nationalgeographic.org/directory/joao-vitor-campos-silva) – Brazilian researcher and conservationist, and cofounder of Instituto Jura, a conservation organization. His work, along with that of other conservationists, is featured in the National Geographic issue devoted to the Amazon. Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

11 Nov 2024

1 HR 13 MINS

1:13:01

11 Nov 2024

#594

Fuhgeddaboudit**

A thousand years ago, most people didn’t own a single book. The only way to access knowledge was to consult their memory. But technology – from paper to hard drives – has permitted us to free our brains from remembering countless facts. Alphabetization and the simple filing cabinet have helped to systematize and save information we might need someday. But now that we can Google just about any subject, have we lost the ability to memorize information? Does this make our brains better or worse? Guests: [Judith Flanders] (https://www.buckingham.ac.uk/research/hri/fellows/flanders) – Historian and author, most recently of [A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/154167507X/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arweal-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=154167507X&linkId=c5753b71f0358ddc7fe0507a98cac171) [Craig Robertson] (https://news.northeastern.edu/faculty-experts/craig-robertson/) – Professor of Media Studies, Northeastern University and author of [The Filing Cabinet: A Vertical History of Information] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1517909465/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=arweal-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1517909465&linkId=b32bdcfbf71879cda3ce98c0b2f333e4) [David Eagleman] (https://eagleman.com/) – Neuroscientist and author, Stanford University Originally aired October 11, 2021 Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

04 Nov 2024

54 MINS

54:00

04 Nov 2024

#593

How Hot is Too Hot?*

Extreme heat is taking its toll on the natural world. We use words like “heat domes” and “freakish” to describe our everyday existence. These high temperatures aren’t only uncomfortable - they are lethal to humans, animals, and crops. In search of an answer to our episode’s question, we discuss the dilemma of an ever-hotter world with an author who has covered climate change for more than twenty years. Guest: [Jeff Goodell] (https://jeffgoodellwriter.com/) – author of “The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.” Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) *Originally aired October 2, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

28 Oct 2024

55 MINS

55:27

28 Oct 2024

#592

Platypus Crazy*

They look like a cross between a beaver and a duck, and they all live Down Under. The platypus may lay eggs, but is actually a distant mammalian cousin, one that we last saw, in an evolutionary sense, about 166 million years ago. Genetic sequencing is being used to trace that history, while scientists intensify their investigation of the habits and habitats of these appealing Frankencreatures; beginning by taking a census to see just how many are out there, and if their survival is under threat. Guests: [Josh Griffiths] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-griffiths-86127476/?originalSubdomain=au) – Senior Wildlife Ecologist at Cesaar Australia. [Jane Fenelon] (https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/159752-jane-fenelon) – Research fellow, University of Melbourne [Paula Anich] (https://www.northland.edu/dir/paula-spaeth-anich/) – Professor of Natural Resources, Northland College [Wes Warren] (https://bondlsc.missouri.edu/person/wes-warren/) – Professor of Genomics, University of Missouri [Phoebe Meagher] (https://taronga.org.au/conservation-and-science/our-team) – Conservation Officer, Taronga Conservation Society, Australia Originally aired August 2, 2021 Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

21 Oct 2024

54 MINS

54:00

21 Oct 2024

#591

Spotlight on SETI ep 2: Nathalie Cabrol

What is life? Even as the search for life in the universe evolves, surprisingly, there is no consensus on what life is. We must consider hunting for life not as we know it. The existence of extremophiles on Earth has broadened the types of environments in which we might look for life elsewhere in our solar system. And recent missions to dwarf planets has shown that our solar system is replete with the geology that might harbor biology. In this second episode, Shannon Geary talks with astrobiologist [Nathalie Cabrol] (https://www.seti.org/our-scientists/nathalie-cabrol) , the director of the Carl Sagan Center for Research at the SETI Institute about her early interest in astrobiology, meeting Carl Sagan, and the evolving definition of life. Music by [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) You can support the work of Big Picture Science by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

17 Oct 2024

39 MINS

39:55

17 Oct 2024

#590

Skeptic Check: String Theory

The idea that the universe is made of tiny vibrating strings was once the science theory du jour. String theory promised to unite the disparate theories describing particles and gravity, and many people, not just scientists, were optimistic that a theory of everything might be within our grasp. But here we are, many years later, and string theory doesn’t seem to have delivered on its initial promise. What happened? We consider the science around string theory in this episode of Skeptic Check. Guest: [Brian Greene] (https://www.physics.columbia.edu/content/brian-greene) – Physicist and mathematician at Columbia University, and author of [The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory.] (https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensions-Ultimate/dp/039333810X/) Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

14 Oct 2024

54 MINS

54:00

14 Oct 2024

#589

We'll Always Have Parasites

Imagine tapeworms longer than the height of an adult human. Or microbes that turn their hosts into zombies. If the revulsion they induce doesn’t do it, the sheer number of parasites force us to pay attention. They are the most abundant form of animal life on Earth. Parasites can cause untold human suffering, like those that cause African River Blindness or Lyme disease, but their presence is also a sign of a health ecosystem. A parasitologist whose lab contains the largest parasite collection in the world gives us the ultimate inside story about these organisms. Guest: [Scott Gardner] (https://biosci.unl.edu/scott-gardner) - curator of parasites in the H.W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology at the University of Nebraska State Museum, one of the largest collections of parasites in the world, and professor of biological sciences at University of Nebraska. Co-author of [Parasites: The Inside Story] (https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Parasites-The-Inside-Story/dp/B0BTFB2VCT/) . Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired July 31, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

07 Oct 2024

54 MINS

54:00

07 Oct 2024

#588

Measure For Measure

Whether in miles or pounds, meters or kilograms, we take daily measure out our lives. But how did these units ever come to be, and why do we want to change them? From light-years to leap seconds, we look at the history of efforts to quantify our lives and why there’s always room for greater precision. Plus, we debate the virtues of staying imperial measurements vs. going metric. Guest: James Vincent - Author of [Beyond Measure, the Hidden History of Measurement] (https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Measure-History-Measurement-Constants/dp/B0BKPD7D37/) Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired March 24, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

30 Sep 2024

54 MINS

54:00

30 Sep 2024

#587

Skeptic Check: Cell Phone Bans

As middle and high schools across the country implement new cell phone bans, we consider what drove this bold step and what science says about how digital devices affect our attention and focus. An assistant principal describes how his school implemented the ban, despite protest from students and parents, and what happened next. Guests: Alison - 14 year old high school student [Raymond Dolphin] (https://illing.mpspride.org/our-school/administration) - eighth grade assistant principal at Illing Middle School in Manchester, Connecticut Alan - 17 year old high school student [Gloria Mark] (https://substack.com/@gloriamark1) - Psychologist, professor in the Department of Informatics at University of California, Irvine, author of book “ [Attention Span] (https://www.amazon.com/Attention-Span-Groundbreaking-Happiness-Productivity/dp/B0BF18MYL9/) .” Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [sales@advertisecast.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=sales@advertisecast.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

23 Sep 2024

54 MINS

54:56

23 Sep 2024

#586

Cold Comfort

Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC. Guests: [Nicola Twilley] (https://www.nicolatwilley.com/) – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “ [Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves] (https://www.amazon.com/Frostbite-Refrigeration-Changed-Planet-Ourselves/dp/B0CKKNC5Z6/ref) ” [Erik Morrison] (https://transaera.com/) – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts [Stan Cox] (https://landinstitute.org/about-us/staff/stan-cox/) – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “ [Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World] (https://www.amazon.com/Losing-Our-Cool-Uncomfortable-Air-Conditioned/dp/1595587756/) ” Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [sales@advertisecast.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=sales@advertisecast.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

16 Sep 2024

54 MINS

54:00

16 Sep 2024

#585

Introducing Spotlight on SETI!

Are we alone? The search for life in the universe is on! For 40 years, the SETI Institute has been a leader in the search for life and intelligence beyond Earth. Recent discoveries, such as exoplanets, have brought us closer than ever to answering the question of whether we are alone in the universe. To honor the Institute’s pioneering past as we look ahead to its future, Big Picture Science presents a new monthly podcast series highlighting the groundbreaking research of the SETI Institute. In this first episode, Molly talks with [Bill Diamond] (https://www.seti.org/senior-staff/bill-diamond) , SETI Institute President and CEO, about the founding of the SETI Institute, radio telescope arrays, and the New Copernican Revolution. Music by [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) You can support the work of Big Picture Science by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

12 Sep 2024

46 MINS

46:30

12 Sep 2024

#584

Shipwrecks

Shipwrecks are scenes of tragedy, but they are also bits of history frozen in time that can provide insights into events and ideas from long ago. That is, if we can find them. From an 11th century Viking sailing ship to a WW II era British cargo ship with a mailbag of letters onboard amazingly preserved, an underwater archeologist takes us on a deep dive into history. Guest: [David Gibbins] (https://davidgibbins.com/) - underwater archeologist, novelist, and the author of nonfiction, including his latest book, “ [The History of the World in Twelve Shipwrecks] (https://www.amazon.com/History-World-Twelve-Shipwrecks/dp/1250325374/) ”. Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [sales@advertisecast.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=sales@advertisecast.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

09 Sep 2024

54 MINS

54:55

09 Sep 2024

#583

Calling All Aliens*

Are we alone in the universe? Is there other intelligence out there? COSMIC, the most ambitious SETI search yet, hopes to answer that. We hear updates on this novel signal detection project being conducted on the Very Large Array in the desert of New Mexico. Also, we chat with award-winning science fiction writer Ted Chiang about how he envisions making contact with aliens in his stories, including the one that was the basis for the movie Arrival. And find out why some scientists don’t want only to listen for signals, they want to deliberately transmit messages to aliens. Is that wise and, if we did it, what would we say? Guests: [Chenoa Tremblay] (https://www.seti.org/our-scientists/chenoa-tremblay) – Postdoc researcher in radio astronomy for the SETI Institute and member of COSMIC science team [Ted Chiang] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2135536/ted-chiang/) – Nebula and Hugo award-winning science fiction writer, best known for his collections, [Stories of Your Life and Others] (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2135536/ted-chiang/) and [Exhalation] (https://www.amazon.com/Exhalation-Ted-Chiang-audiobook/dp/B07PP9MXPL/) [Douglas Vakoch] (http://meti.org/en/board/douglas-vakoch) – Founder and president of METI International, a nonprofit research and educational organization devoted to transmitting intentional signals to extraterrestrial civilizations Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) *Originally aired April 3, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

02 Sep 2024

54 MINS

54:00

02 Sep 2024

#582

Life in the Solar System

Spewing lava and belching noxious fumes, volcanoes seem hostile to biology. But the search for life off-Earth includes the hunt for these hotheads on other moons and planets, and we tour some of the most imposing volcanoes in the Solar System. Plus, a look at how tectonic forces reshape bodies from the moon to Venus to Earth. And a journey to the center of our planet reveals a surprising layer of material at the core-mantle boundary. Find out where this layer was at the time of the dinosaurs and what powerful forces drove it deep below. Guests: [Samantha Hansen] (https://geo.ua.edu/people/samantha-hansen/) – Geologist at the University of Alabama [Paul Byrne] (https://eps.wustl.edu/people/paul-byrne) – Associate professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis [Robin George Andrews] (https://robingeorgeandrews.com/) – Science journalist and author of “ [Super Volcanoes: What They Reveal about Earth and the Worlds Beyond] (https://www.amazon.com/Super-Volcanoes-Reveal-Worlds-Beyond/dp/0393542068#:~:text=A%20lively%20and%20utterly%20fascinating,the%20scientists%20who%20study%20them) ” Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Originally aired May 29, 2023 Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [sales@advertisecast.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=sales@advertisecast.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

26 Aug 2024

54 MINS

54:00

26 Aug 2024

#581

Catching Fire

We have too much “bad fire.” Not only destructive wildfires, but the combustion that powers our automobiles and provides our electricity has generated a worrying rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. And that is driving climate change which is adding to the frequency of megafires. Now we’re seeing those effects in “fire-clouds,” pyrocumulonimbus events. But there’s such a thing as “good fire.” Indigenous peoples managed the land with controlled fires, reaped the benefits of doing so, and they’re bringing them back. So after millions of years of controlling fire, is it time for us to revisit our attitudes and policies, not just with regard to combustion, but how we manage our wildfires? Guests: [David Peterson] (https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Peterson-22) - Meteorologist, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory [Stephen Pyne] (https://isearch.asu.edu/profile/94191) - Emeritus professor at Arizona State University, fire historian, urban farmer, author of “ [The Pyrocene: How We Created an Age of Fire, and What Happens Next] (https://www.amazon.com/Pyrocene-Created-Fire-What-Happens/dp/0520383583/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2L9GTUJSYGCF3&keywords=the+pyrocene&qid=1651526604&sprefix=the+pyrocene%252Caps%252C144&sr=8-1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=arweal-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=1ae5e7efa118f61649243d4d936e49f3&camp=1789&creative=9325) ” [Richard Wrangham] (https://heb.fas.harvard.edu/people/richard-w-wrangham) - Ruth B. Moore Research Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University and author of " [Catching Fire: How Coooking Made Us Human] (https://www.amazon.com/Catching-Fire-Cooking-Made-Human/dp/0465020410?&_encoding=UTF8&tag=arweal-20&linkCode=ur2&linkId=1a4725037b43b7dea0d172b6dd855326&camp=1789&creative=9325) " [Margo Robbins] (https://phys.org/news/2021-10-tribes-good-key-nature-people.html) - Co-founder and president of the Cultural Fire Management Council (CFMC), organizer of the Cultural Burn Training Exchange (TREX) that takes place on the Yurok Reservation twice a year, and an enrolled member of the Yurok Tribe Originally aired May 9, 2022 Featuring music by [Dewey Dellay] (http://www.deweydellay.com/) and [Jun Miyake] (https://www.junmiyake.com/biographyenglish) Big Picture Science is part of the [Airwave Media] (http://airwavemedia.com/) podcast network. Please contact [advertising@airwavemedia.com] (https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=advertising@airwavemedia.com) to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science. You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on [Patreon] (https://www.patreon.com/bigpicturescience) . Thanks for your support! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) ... Read more

19 Aug 2024

54 MINS

54:00

19 Aug 2024

Podurama

Home

Trending

Personal

Your Podcasts

New Episodes

My Files

Favourite Episodes

Tags (Folders)

Recently Played

Bookmarks

Followed Playlists

#607

The Best Things in Life are Tree(s)

#606

The Ocean's Genome

#605

Night Flight

#604

Skeptic Check: Naomi Klein

#603

Extraordinary Ordinary Objects*

#602

Spotlight on SETI ep 4: Chenoa Tremblay

#601

2024: Our Space Odyssey

#600

A Real Gas

#599

Going Multicellular

#598

Skeptic Check: Near Death Experiences

#597

Spotlight on SETI ep 3: Pascal Lee

#596

Beyond the Periodic Table

#595

Amazing Amazonia

#594

Fuhgeddaboudit**

#593

How Hot is Too Hot?*

#592

Platypus Crazy*

#591

Spotlight on SETI ep 2: Nathalie Cabrol

#590

Skeptic Check: String Theory

#589

We'll Always Have Parasites

#588

Measure For Measure

#587

Skeptic Check: Cell Phone Bans

#586

Cold Comfort

#585

Introducing Spotlight on SETI!

#584

Shipwrecks

#583

Calling All Aliens*

#582

Life in the Solar System

#581

Catching Fire