Rising infections from a dusty devil, and nailing down when our ancestors became meat eaters
First up this week, growing numbers of Valley fever cases, also known as coccidioidomycosis, has researchers looking into the disease-causing fungus. They’re exploring its links to everything from dro...
16 Jan 202533min
Bats surf storm fronts, and public perception of preprints
First up this week, as preprint publications ramped up during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, so did media attention for these pre–peer-review results. But what do the readers of news reports ...
9 Jan 202532min
On the trail with a truffle-hunting dog, and why we should save elderly plants and animals
First up this week, Newsletter Editor Christie Wilcox talks with host Sarah Crespi about truffle hunting for science. Wilcox accompanied Heather Dawson, a Ph.D. student at the University of Oregon, an...
2 Jan 202528min
Top online stories of the year, and revisiting digging donkeys and baby minds
First up this week, Online News Editor David Grimm shares a sampling of stories that hit big with our audience and staff in this year, from corpse-eating pets to the limits of fanning ourselves. Nex...
19 Dec 202437min
Science’s Breakthrough of the Year, and psychedelic drugs, climate, and fusion technology updates
First up this week, Breakthroughs Editor Greg Miller joins producer Meagan Cantwell to discuss Science’s 2024 Breakthrough of the Year. They also discuss some of the other scientific achievements that...
12 Dec 202444min
Making Latin American science visible, and advances in cooling tech
First up this week, freelance science journalist Sofia Moutinho joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss making open-access journals from South and Latin America visible to the rest of the world by creating...
5 Dec 202431min
Leaf-based computer chips, and evidence that two early human ancestors coexisted
First up this week, making electronics greener with leaves. Host Sarah Crespi talks with Newsletter Editor Christie Wilcox about using the cellulose skeletons of leaves to create robust, biodegradable...
28 Nov 202426min
Testing whales’ hearing, and mapping clusters of extreme longevity
First up this week, where on Earth do people live the longest? What makes those places or people so special? Genes, diet, life habits? Or could it be bad record keeping and statistical flukes? Freelan...
21 Nov 202436min
