Measuring Earth’s surface like never before, and the world’s fastest random number generator
First up, science journalist Julia Rosen talks with host Sarah Crespi about a growing fleet of radar satellites that will soon be able to detect minute rises and drops of Earth’s surface—from a gently...
25 Feb 202124min
All your COVID-19 vaccine questions answered, and a new theory on forming rocky planets
Science Staff Writer Jon Cohen joins host Sarah Crespi to take on some of big questions about the COVID-19 vaccines, such as: Do they stop transmission? Will we need boosters? When will life get back ...
18 Feb 202131min
Building Africa’s Great Green Wall, and using whale songs as seismic probess
Science journalist Rachel Cernansky joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about progress on Africa’s Great Green Wall project and the important difference between planting and growing a tree. Sarah also ta...
11 Feb 202124min
Looking back at 20 years of human genome sequencing
This week we’re dedicating the whole show to the 20th anniversary of the publication of the human genome. Today, about 30 million people have had their genomes sequenced. This remarkable progress has ...
4 Feb 202136min
Calculating the social cost of carbon, and listening to mole-rat chirps
On its first day, the new Biden administration announced plans to recalculate the social cost of carbon—a way of estimating the economic toll of greenhouse gases. Staff Writer Paul Voosen and host Sar...
28 Jan 202124min
Counting research rodents, a possible cause for irritable bowel syndrome, and spitting cobras
Online News Editor David Grimm joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss a controversial new paper that estimates how many rodents are used in research in the United States each year. Though there is no offi...
21 Jan 202130min
An elegy for Arecibo, and how our environments may change our behavior
Science Senior Correspondent Daniel Clery regales host Sarah Crespi with tales about the most important work to come from 57 years of research at the now-defunct Arecibo Observatory and plans for the ...
14 Jan 202125min
The uncertain future of North America’s ash trees, and organizing robot swarms
Freelance journalist Gabriel Popkin and host Sarah Crespi discuss what will happen to ash trees in the United States as federal regulators announce dropping quarantine measures meant to control the em...
7 Jan 202126min
