
A caterpillar that haunts spiderwebs, solving the last riddles of a famed friar, and a new book series
First up on the podcast, bringing Gregor Mendel’s peas into the 21st century. Back in the 19th century Mendel, a friar and naturalist, tracked traits in peas such as flower color and shape over many g...
24 Apr 202545min

Linking cat domestication to ancient cult sacrifices, and watching aurorae wander
First up on the podcast, Online News Editor David Grimm joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about how an Egyptian cult that killed cats may have also tamed them. Next on the show, we hear about when the...
17 Apr 202526min

The metabolic consequences of skipping sleep, and cuts and layoffs slam NIH
First up on the podcast, ScienceInsider Editor Jocelyn Kaiser joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss big changes in science funding and government jobs this month, including an order to cut billions in co...
10 Apr 202528min

Talking about engineering the climate, and treating severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy
Geoengineering experiments face an uphill battle, and a way to combat the pregnancy complication hyperemesis gravidarum First up on the podcast, climate engineers face tough conversations with the pu...
3 Apr 202531min

Studying urban wildfires, and the challenges of creating tiny AI robots
First up this week, urban wildfires raged in Los Angeles in January. Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall discusses how researchers have come together to study how pollution from buildings at su...
27 Mar 202532min

Why seals don’t drown, and tracking bird poop as it enters the sea
First up this week, Newsletter Editor Christie Wilcox joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss stories from the sea, including why scientists mounted cameras on seabirds, backward and upside-down; newly dis...
20 Mar 202538min

Why sign language could be crucial for kids with cochlear implants, studying the illusion of pain, and recent political developments at NIH
First up this week, science policy editor Jocelyn Kaiser joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the latest news about the National Institutes of Health—from reconfiguring review panels to canceled grants ...
13 Mar 202542min

Intrusive thoughts during pregnancy, paternity detectives, and updates from the Trump Tracker
First up this week, International News Editor David Malakoff joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the most recent developments in U.S. science under Donald Trump’s second term, from the impact of tariff...
6 Mar 202555min



















