Orbital Path

Latest Episodes:

**Michelle & Her Mom** Apr 29, 2016
Show notes

Michelle (L), her mom and sister.

In this special Mother’s Day episode, Michelle talks with her mom about what it was like raising a space-obsessed daughter in Wisconsin and watching her grow into a scientist.

Big hair ’80s. Michelle’s sister, Michelle and her mom.

Michelle’s sister, Michelle, and her mom today.

In Praise of Volcanoes Apr 07, 2016

Show notes

Astronomer Michelle Thaller talks with Ashley Davies, a research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, about the importance of volcanoes in the creation of Earth and how the study of volcanos in space can help us understand life here. Davies has journeyed to remote volcanos like Mt. Erebus in Antarctica and Erta Ale in Ethiopia as a way to help map volcanos like those on Jupiter’s moons, Io and Europa, and in turn come that much closer to understanding how life began.

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Lauren Ober, Producer
Andrea Mustain, Editor
Genevieve Sponsler, Production and Distribution Manager
John Barth, PRX Chief Content Officer

The Most Dramatic Sky Feb 18, 2016

Show notes

The most rare objects in the night sky are only visible in some extreme places. Dr. Michelle Thaller introduces us to Dr. Anna Moore, a scientist whose trips to Antarctica help us better understand the solar system.

Mass Extinctions Get Personal Jan 15, 2016

Show notes

Host Dr. Michelle Thaller talks to Prof. Lisa Randall, a theoretical particle physicist at Harvard, about her new book, Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs: The Astounding Interconnectedness of the Universe. The scientists explore what caused the dinosaurs’ extinction and the role dark matter plays in the universe and our world.

Must Be Aliens Dec 11, 2015

Show notes

Host Michelle Thaller talks with astronomer and author Phil Plait of Slate’s Bad Astronomy blog about this conundrum: why are humans so quick to explain the unknowns of the cosmos as aliens? And why is this healthy imagination important in science?

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This is our first episode of Orbital Path, a new monthly series from PRX. Learn more here and check out our other science series, Transistor.