Why the fight against malaria has stalled in southern Africa, and how to look for signs of life on Mars
On this week’s show: After years of steep declines, researchers are investigating why malaria deaths have plateaued, and testing the stability of biosignatures in space First up on the podcast this w...
8 Sep 202226min
Using free-floating DNA to find soldiers’ remains, and how people contribute to indoor air chemistry
On this week’s show: The U.S. government is partnering with academics to speed up the search for more than 80,000 soldiers who went missing in action, and how humans create their own “oxidation zone” ...
1 Sep 202242min
Chasing Arctic cyclones, brain coordination in REM sleep, and a book on seafood in the information age
On this week’s show: Monitoring summer cyclones in the Arctic, how eye movements during sleep may reflect movements in dreams, and the latest in our series of books on the science of food and agricult...
25 Aug 202236min
Monitoring a nearby star’s midlife crisis, and the energetic cost of chewing
On this week’s show: An analog to the Maunder Minimum, when the Sun’s spots largely disappeared 400 years ago, and measuring the energy it takes to chew gum We have known about our Sun’s spots for ce...
18 Aug 202227min
Cougars caught killing donkeys in Death Valley, and decoding the nose
On this week’s show: Predators may be indirectly protecting Death Valley wetlands, and mapping odorant receptors First up this week on the podcast, News Intern Katherine Irving joins host Sarah Cres...
11 Aug 202225min
Invasive grasses get help from fire, and a global map of ant diversity
On this week’s show: A special issue on grass, and revealing hot spots of ant diversity This week’s special issue on grasses mainly focuses on the importance of these plants in climate change, in eco...
4 Aug 202226min
Probing beyond our Solar System, sea pollinators, and a book on the future of nutrition
On this week’s show: Plans to push a modern space probe beyond the edge of the Solar System, crustaceans that pollinate seaweed, and the latest in our series of author interviews on food, science, and...
28 Jul 202241min
Possible fabrications in Alzheimer’s research, and bad news for life on Enceladus
On this week’s show: Troubling signs of fraud threaten discoveries key to a reigning theory of Alzheimer’s disease, and calculating the saltiness of the ocean on one of Saturn’s moons Investigative j...
21 Jul 202244min
