Breakthrough of the Year, and the best in science books
On this week’s show: Science’s Breakthrough of the Year and runners-up, plus the top books in 2022 You might not be surprised by this year’s breakthrough, but hopefully you won’t guess all our runner...
15 Des 202232min
The state of science in Ukraine, and a conversation with Anthony Fauci
On this week’s show: The impact of war on science in Ukraine, and a conversation with Anthony Fauci as he prepares to step down Some scientists in Ukraine have been risking their lives to protect sci...
8 Des 202235min
A genetic history of Europe’s Jews, and measuring magma under a supervolcano
On this week’s show: A medieval German cemetery yields clues to Jewish migrations in Europe, and supercomputers help researchers estimate magma under Yellowstone First up this week on the podcast, we...
1 Des 202228min
Artificial intelligence takes on Diplomacy, and how much water do we really need?
On this week’s show: Meta’s algorithm tackles both language and strategy in a board game, and measuring how much water people use on a daily basis First up this week on the podcast, artificial intell...
24 Nov 202226min
Mammoth ivory trade may be bad for elephants, and making green electronics with fungus
On this week’s show: The potentially harmful effects of prehistoric ivory on present-day elephants, and replacing polymers in electronics with fungal tissue First up this week on the podcast, we hear...
17 Nov 202227min
Kurt Vonnegut’s contribution to science, and tunas and sharks as ecosystem indicators
On this week’s show: How sci-fi writer Kurt Vonnegut foresaw many of today’s ethical dilemmas, and 70 years of tunas, billfishes, and sharks as sentinels of global ocean health First up this week on ...
10 Nov 202242min
Cities as biodiversity havens, and gene therapy for epilepsy
On this week’s show: How urban spaces can help conserve species, and testing a gene therapy strategy for epilepsy in mice First up on the podcast, we explore urban ecology’s roots in Berlin. Contribu...
3 Nov 202228min
Space-based solar power gets serious, AI helps optimize chemistry, and a book on food extinction
On this week’s show: Cheaper launches could make solar power satellites a reality, machine learning helps chemists make small organic molecules, and a book on the extinction of foods First up on the ...
27 Okt 202248min
