American Scientist Podcast

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Moving Toward Open Access May 12, 2015

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Biologist Michael Eisen, who is also one of the founders of the open-access publisher Public Library of Science (PLOS), discussed how the idea for PLOS and the open-access movement began.

An Inside View: Tales Told by a Doctor May 12, 2015

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Terrence Holt, PhD, is a research associate professor in the Department of Social Medicine and a clinical assistant professor of geriatric medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Alongside his medical background, he is also an adjunct assistant professor of English and comparative literature also at UNC, where he teaches courses on medicine and society and on the writing of autobiographical narrative. Dr. Holt is an award-winning author who has published numerous articles and two books, the most recent one titled, Internal Medicine. Sandra J. Ackerman, senior editor at American Scientist magazine interviewed Dr. Holt about his most recent book and how he sees the intersection of medicine and narrative.

From Balloons to Space Stations: Studying Cosmic Rays Feb 02, 2015

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Cosmic rays have mysterious qualities about them that scientists continue to research in order to better understand their origins and composition. Dr. Eun-Suk Seo, a professor of physics at the University of Maryland, and her colleagues, fly enormous balloons as large as a football stadium and a volume of 40-million-cubic feet for extended periods over Antarctica to reach as close to the top of the atmosphere as possible. The instruments in the balloons can then record the particles coming from cosmic rays before they break up in the atmosphere. Dr. Seo further explains how her work can help humans understand the origins of cosmic rays and why they are so highly energetic.

The Many Personalities of Animals Feb 02, 2015

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Have you ever wondered whether animals have personalities the way people do? Dr. Andy Sih, a professor of ecology at the University of California, Davis, researches animal personalities and shows that traits, such as an individuals level of aggressiveness versus passivity, can impact an individuals survival as well as the well-being of its surrounding group. Dr. Sih's work on insects even has implications for understanding how human behaviors are controlled by personality.

Compounds Treat Substance Abuse and Parkinson's Disease Nov 11, 2014

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F. Ivy Carroll is a distinguished fellow for medicinal chemistry at the Research Triangle Institute, where he is the director of their Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry. Carroll has spent more than 30 years studying potential treatments for substance abuse. Among them are two compounds, RTI-336 and JDTic, that he and colleagues studied as potential treatments for cocaine abuse, as well as a potential diagnostic agent for Parkinson’s disease, called Iodine-123 RTI-55. Associate editor Katie L. Burke interviews Dr. Carroll beginning with how he became involved with this research.

Through the Theoretical Glass Nov 05, 2014

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Its difficult to envision what dimensions beyond 3D are, and why physicists, chemists, and mathematicians want to study them. Duke University chemist Patrick Charbonneau studies the theory behind the formation of glass, tackling questions about an area of research called the glass problem. His research has helped progress this field to a new paradigm. American Scientist associate editor Katie L. Burke interviewed him in September 2013.

Ultrafast Animals: The Force Behind Trap-Jaw Ants Jun 13, 2014

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When people think of the fastest animals, most consider running cheetahs, flitting hummingbirds, or jumping kangaroos. But there's a level above what we think of as fast: Ultrafast organisms conserve energy and move in nano- or even micro-seconds. Sheila Patek, PhD, an associate professor in the biology department at Duke University, discusses her research on ultrafast creatures, including the powerful punch of the mantis shrimp and the force behind trap-jaw ants. By using high-speed digital cameras, Dr. Patek and her colleagues are among the first in their field to successfully analyze in slow motion the biology and intention behind these movements.

Ultrafast Animals: The Powerful Punch of Mantis Shrimp Jun 13, 2014

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Chasing Down Cosmic Dust Jun 13, 2014

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There are major discrepancies between model predictions and observations on cosmic dust and the theories of dust nucleation and formation. New additions to the theory may improve its performance and its ability to predict the properties and formation of nanoparticles. Listen to Dr. Lazzati discuss his research on cosmic dust with managing editor Fenella Saunders in this podcast

Redesigning the Human Genome with DNA-Binding Proteins May 28, 2014

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Gene therapy and genomic engineering are rapidly burgeoning areas of research. Dr. Charles Gersbach of Duke University sat down with associate editor Katie L. Burke to discuss the history of gene therapy and what we can do now that we couldn’t do even a few years ago.

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