Big Picture Science

Latest Episodes:

Getting a Spacelift Jul 15, 2013

Show notes

I need my space… but oh, how to get there? Whether it’s a mission to Mars or an ascent to an asteroid, we explore the hows of human spaceflight. Also, the whys, as in, why send humans to the final frontier if robots are cheaper? Neil deGrasse Tyson weighs in.

Plus, the astronaut who lived on the ocean floor training for a visit to an asteroid. Also, the 100YSS – the 100 Year Starship project – and interstellar travel.

And, as private rockets nip at NASA’s heels, meet one of the first tourists to purchase a (pricey) ticket-to-ride into space.

Guests:

Neil deGrasse Tyson – Astrophysicst, American Museum of Natural History, and author of Space Chronicles: Facing the Ultimate Frontier
Shannon Walker – NASA astronaut
Nathan J. Strange – Formulation system engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
C. C. Culver – Former NASA mission controller, and motivational speaker with International Stars. How to contact: internationalstars@comcast.net
Marc Millis – Physicist who has been NASA’s foremost expert on advanced propulsion concepts and founder of the Tau Zero Foundation

Descripción en español

First released February 6, 2012.

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Material Whirl Jul 08, 2013

Show notes

What’s the world made of? Here’s a concrete answer: a lot of it is built from a dense, knee-scraping substance that is the most common man-made material. But while concrete may be here to stay, plenty of new materials will come our way in the 21st century.

Discover the better, faster, stronger (okay, not faster) materials of the future, and Thomas Edison’s ill-conceived plan to turn concrete into furniture.

Plus, printing objects in 3D… the development of artificial skin… and unearthing the scientific contributions of African-American women chemists.

Guests:

Darren Lipomi – Chemical Engineering post-doc, Stanford University’s “Skin Lab”
Linda Schadler – Professor of materials science and engineering, and associate dean for academic affairs at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York
Nicolas Weidinger – Research assistant at the Institute for the Future, Palo Alto, California
Jeannette Elizabeth Brown – Retired research chemist; author of African American Women Chemists
Robert Courland – Author of Concrete Planet: The Strange and Fascinating Story of the World’s Most Common Man-made Material

Descripción en español

First released January 30, 2012

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Exoplanets Jun 17, 2013

Show notes

You may be unique, but is your home planet? NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has uncovered thousands of planetary candidates, far far beyond our solar system. Some may be habitable and possibly even Earth-like. But now a failure in its steering apparatus may bring an abrupt end to this pioneering telescope’s search for new worlds.

But Kepler has a massive legacy of data still to be studied. Many new worlds will undoubtedly be found in these data. Hear why the astronomer who has discovered the greatest number of exoplanets is hopeful about the hunt for alien life, and meet the next generation of planet-hunting instruments.

Also, “Weird worlds? That was our idea!” Sci-fi writers lay claim to the first musings on exotic planetary locales. And a biographer of Magellan and Columbus describes the dangerous hunt for new worlds five centuries ago.

Guests:

Charlie Sobeck – Engineer, deputy project manager, Kepler Mission, NASA Ames Research Center
Geoff Marcy – Astronomer, University of California, Berkeley
Dan Clery – Deputy news editor, European office of Science
Laurence Bergreen – author of Voyage to Mars, Columbus: The Four Voyages, 1492-1504, Over the Edge of the World: Magellan’s Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe (P.S.)
Robert J. Sawyer – Hugo Award-winning author; most recently of Red Planet Blues

Descripción en español

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Cosmos: It's Big, It's Weird Jun 03, 2013

Show notes

It’s all about you. And you, and you, and you and you… that is, if we live in parallel universes. Imagine you doing exactly what you’re doing now, but in an infinite number of universes.

Discover the multiverse theory and why repeats aren’t limited to summer television.

Plus, the physics of riding on a light beam, and the creative analogies a New York Times science writer uses to avoid using the word “weird” to describe dark energy and other weird physics.

Also, people who concoct their own theories (some would say fringe) of the universe: is all matter made up of tiny coiled springs?

Guests:

Brian Greene – Physicist and mathematician, Columbia University, and author of The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos
Dennis Overbye – Reporter, New York Times
Simon Steel – Science educator at University College London
Margaret Wertheim – Science writer, author of Physics on the Fringe: Smoke Rings, Circlons, and Alternative Theories of Everything

Descripción en español

First released January 9, 2012.

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Skeptic Check: Hostile Climate May 20, 2013

Show notes

It’s a record we didn’t want to break. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere hits the 400 parts-per-million mark, a level which some scientists say is a point of no return for stopping climate change. A few days later, a leading newspaper prints an op-ed essay that claims CO2 is getting a bad rap: it’s actually good for the planet. The more the better.

Skeptic Phil Plait rebuts the CO2-is-awesome idea while a paleontologist paints a picture of what Earth was like when the notorious gas last ruled the planet. Note: humans weren’t around.

Plus, our skit says NO to O2 … and a claim that climate change skeptics have borrowed from the Creationists’ playbook in challenging the teaching of established science in schools.

Guests:

Phil Plait – Astronomer, skeptic, and author of Slate Magazine’s blog Bad Astronomy
Peter Ward – Paleontologist and biologist, Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington in Seattle
Josh Rosenau – Programs and Policy Director at the National Center for Science Education
Eugenie Scott – Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education

Descripción en español

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Stomach This May 06, 2013

Show notes

Not all conversation is appropriate for the dinner table – and that includes, strangely enough, the subject of eating. Yet what happens during the time that food enters our mouth and its grand exit is a model of efficiency and adaptation.

Author Mary Roach takes us on a tour of the alimentary canal, while a researcher describes his invention of an artificial stomach. Plus, a psychologist on why we find certain foods and smells disgusting. And, you don’t eat them but they could wiggle their way within nonetheless: surgical snakebots.

Guests:

Mary Roach – Author, most recently, of Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal
Martin Wickham – Head of Nutrition, Leatherhead Food Research, U.K.
Paul Rozin – Professor of psychology, University of Pennsylvania
Michael Gershon – Professor in the Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center
Howie Choset – Professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University

Descripción en español

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Skeptic Check: Forget with the Program Apr 15, 2013

Show notes

Just remember this: memory is like Swiss cheese. Even our recollection of dramatic events that seem to sear their images directly onto our brain turn out to be riddled with errors. Discover the reliability of these emotional “flashbulb” memories.

Also, a judge questions the utility of eyewitness testimony in court. And, don’t blame Google for destroying your powers of recall! Socrates thought the same thing about the written word.

Plus, Brains on Vacation!

Guests:

Phil Plait – Astronomer, Skeptic, and author of Slate Magazine’s blog Bad Astronomy
Craig Stark – Neurobiologist, Director for the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at Univeristy of California, Irvine
Ronald Reinstein – Former judge on the Superior Court of Arizona and judicial consultant for the Arizona Supreme Court
Betsy Sparrow – Psychologist, Columbia University

Descripción en español

First released May 7, 2012

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Seth's Wine Cellar Apr 08, 2013

Show notes

There are always surprises when we sort through Seth’s wine cellar – who knows what we’ll find!

In this cramped cavern, tucked between boxes of old fuses and a priceless bottle of 1961 Chateau Palmer Margaux, we discover the next generation of atomic clock … the key to how solar storms disrupt your cell phone … nano-gold particles that could make gasoline obsolete … and what NASA’s Kepler spacecraft has learned about how our solar system stacks up to others.

Tune in, find out and, help us lift these boxes, will you?

Guests:

• Chris Sorensen – Physicist, Kansas State University

• Anne Curtis – Senior research scientist, National Physical Laboratory, U.K.

• Jonathan Eisen – Evolutionary biologist, University of California, Davis

• Karel Schrijver – Solar physicist, Lockheed Martin, Advanced Technology Center

• Jonathan Fortney – Astronomer, University of California, Santa Cruz

• Sanjoy Som – Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center

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Anthropocene and Heard Apr 01, 2013

Show notes

What’s in a name? “Holocene” defines the geologic epoch we’re in. Or were in? Goodbye to “Holocene” and hello “Anthropocene!” Yes, scientists may actually re-name our geologic era as the “Age of Man” due to the profound impact we’ve had on the planet.

We’ll examine why we’ve earned this new moniker and who votes on such a thing. Plus, discover the strongest evidence for human-caused climate change.

Also, why cities should be celebrated, not reviled… a musing over the possible fate of alien civilizations … and waste not: what an unearthed latrine – and its contents – reveal about ancient Roman habit and diet.

Guests:

• William Steffen – Climate scientist and the Executive Director of the Climate Change Institute at the Australian National University, Canberra

• Simon Donner – Geographer at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver

• Edward Glaeser – Economist, Harvard University, author of Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier

• Douglas Vakoch – Director of Interstellar Message Composition at the SETI Institute

• Mark Robinson – Director of Environmental Archaeology at the University of Oxford

• Erica Rowan – Doctoral student, University of Oxford

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Happy Daze Mar 04, 2013

Show notes

Calling all pessimists! Your brain is wired for optimism! Yes, deep down, we’re all Pollyannas. So wipe that scowl off your face and discover the evolutionary advantage of thinking positive. Also, enjoy other smile-inducing research suggesting that if you crave happiness, you should do the opposite of what your brain tells you to do.

Plus, why a “well-being index” may replace Dow Jones as a metric for success … a Twitter study that predicts your next good mood … and whether our furry and finned animal friends can experience joy.

Guests:

• Frank Drake – Trustee at the SETI Institute and author of the Drake Equation

• Tali Sharot – Cognitive neuroscientist at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at the University College London and the author of The Optimism Bias: A Tour of the Irrationally Positive Brain

• Michael Macy – Sociologist at Cornell University His team’s Twitter study: http://timeu.se/

• Carol Graham – Economist at the Brookings Institution and author of The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being

• David DiSalvo – Science and technology writer, author of What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite

• Robin Ince – U.K.-based comedian

• Jonathan Balcome – Animal behavior scientist and author of The Exultant Ark: A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasure

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