NOVA scienceNOW

Our podcast offers irreverent stories and introduces intriguing personalities from the world of science. For more content from the producers of NOVA scienceNOW — and to watch our broadcast series online — visit us at http://www.pbs.org/nova/sciencenow

Latest Episodes:

Improving Maternal Health Apr 08, 2011

Show notes

In the year 2000, the United Nations set out to make basic maternal healthcare a universal right within 15 years. How far have we come worldwide? In this podcast, we talked to Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women's Health Coalition. They're a group that works closely with the U.N. to improve the health and rights of women worldwide. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Learn more about the status of women's health around the world at pbs.org/nova

Training for a Nuclear Crisis Mar 30, 2011

Show notes

Are workers at U.S. nuclear power plants fully prepared to deal with emergencies triggered by natural disasters? To find out, we visited the training center for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. Pilgrim is on the Atlantic coast near Plymouth, Massachussets, about an hour's drive south of Boston. It's one of 23 nuclear plants in the U.S. that use the same nuclear reactor design as the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. You can take a virtual tour of the control room in a U.S. nuclear power plant at pbs.org/nova

Galileo and the Telescope Mar 23, 2011

Show notes

Galileo has been called the "father of modern science". His observations of the night sky in the early 1600s confirmed a new model of the universe, where the Earth orbited the sun—not the other way around. But before he was studying the universe, Galileo was working on practical problems. And his early goals for the telescope weren't so scientific. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by David Axelrod. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Additional funding for "Hunting the Edge of Space" is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation and the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. To learn more about the history of the telescope, go to pbs.org/nova/telescope.

Defining Intelligence: Seth Shostak Mar 18, 2011

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Astronomer Seth Shostak thinks that if alien intelligence is out there, we'll know it when we see it. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Hear other experts describe what intelligence means to them. Visit us online at pbs.org/nova

Defining Intelligence: Steven Pinker Mar 16, 2011

Show notes

Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker says that modern human intelligence is the result of thousands of years of accumulated knowledge. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Hear other experts describe what intelligence means to them. Visit us online at pbs.org/nova

Defining Intelligence: Nicholas Humphrey Mar 14, 2011

Show notes

Theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey explains the concept of social intelligence. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Hear other experts describe what intelligence means to them. Visit us online at pbs.org/nova

Defining Intelligence: Rodney Brooks Mar 11, 2011

Show notes

In this podcast, roboticist Rodney Brooks describes what "intelligence" means in his field. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Hear other experts describe what intelligence means to them. Visit us online at pbs.org/nova

NOVA Minute: The Interaction of Species Mar 02, 2011

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NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, naturalist E.O. Wilson describes the challenges of understanding how ecosystems evolve. Produced by David Levin. Original interview by Gail Willumsen. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Learn more at pbs.org/nova/eowilson

Toward a Smart Electric Grid Feb 23, 2011

Show notes

On August 14, 2003, the biggest blackout in American history struck the Northeast U.S. and parts of Canada. 50 million people lost power, and the blackout showed how vulnerable and even outdated our electricity system is. To fix that problem, some energy experts think it's time to upgrade to a "smart grid," one that uses digital technology to regulate itself. Vijay Vaitheeswaran is energy correspondent for The Economist magazine. In this interview, he explains why we need to take the power grid into the 21st century. Produced by David Levin. Interview by Terri Randall. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Additional funding for NOVA scienceNOW is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. To read a full interview with Vijay Vaitheeswaran, go to pbs.org/nova/sciencenow

The Risks of Automated Flight Feb 16, 2011

Show notes

Most passenger jets today fly under computer control, at least to some extent. Usually, those computers make flying safer. But like any machine, they can sometimes break down, leading, in rare cases, to major accidents. In this interview, aviation expert Bill Voss explains why he thinks airlines should put more emphasis on solving computer automation problems during pilot training. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. Hear more audio stories at pbs.org/nova

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