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Who Imagines/Builds/Tests the Museum's Exhibits? Jul 08, 2024

Mike Horvath, the Director of Exhibits at the Museum of Science, details the process of imagining and creating an exhibit and how it can lead to wearing a wookiee costume on the mound at Fenway Park.

What Should I Do with My Extra Eclipse Glasses? May 13, 2024

We chat about all of the options that you have for keeping, donating, or recycling eclipse glasses after April's total solar eclipse.

When Is the Next Eclipse? 2024-2026 Edition May 06, 2024

With the Great American Eclipse of 2024 in the rear view mirror, we look ahead to the next three years of solar and lunar eclipses visible from Boston and around the globe.

How Do You Tag a Great White Shark? What Does The Tag Tell Us? Apr 29, 2024

Dr. Greg Skomal, a shark expert with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, discusses the incredible data that shark tags can give us as well as the process of finding and tagging great white sharks off of Cape Cod.

What Dinosaurs Lived in New England? Apr 16, 2024

Our triceratops fossil, Cliff, did not live in New England. So what kind of dinosaurs did? We ask two local experts, Mark Agostini and Dr. Mark McMenamin, to tell us what fossils have been recovered from our own backyard.

What Is It Like to Experience a Total Solar Eclipse? Feb 29, 2024

With a total solar eclipse coming up on April 8th, 2024, we ask planetarium educator Talia what it feels like to actually witness the moon totally blocking the sun.

How Was the Hubble Telescope Fixed? Dec 20, 2023

We celebrate the 30th anniversary of a daring Space Shuttle mission that fixed the Hubble Space Telescope by chatting about the experience with astronaut Jeff Hoffman.

What Kind of Space Research Happens Here in Massachusetts? Nov 13, 2023

Dr. Supriya Chakrabarti, the Director of UMass Lowell's Center for Space Science and Technology, explains some of the exciting space research and engineering that is happening right here in our backyard.

Why Do Narwhals Have Tusks? Oct 30, 2023

We ask marine mammal odontologist Dr. Martin Nweeia about one of the most amazing teeth anywhere in the animal kingdom and get the full story of the narwhal and its ten-foot tusk.

What Is It Like to Look Down at the Earth from Space? Oct 16, 2023

One of the more hopeful results of human spaceflight has been the Overview Effect, when astronauts feel the awe in looking down at our home planet while orbiting above. NASA Astronaut Bob Hines details his experience earthgazing from the International Space Station in 2022.

How Can I Help Fight Climate Change? Oct 02, 2023

Maybe the most frequent questions we have gotten this century at the museum is what people can do personally to mitigate the effects of climate change. Frank Lowenstein from Rare's Climate Culture Boston gives a short list of big-impact actions.

How Smart Are Ants? Sep 18, 2023

There are an astonishing number of ant species living on our planet. One of the world's foremost experts on ants, Dr. Susanne Foitzik, explains how their society is different from ours in many ways.

Are Sci-Fi Authors Scientists or Writers? Jul 27, 2023

There are so many amazing writers of science fiction. When they were young, did they dream of bring famous authors, or amazing scientists? Author Katie Slivensky shares her journey through the worlds of science and fiction.

How Do Scientists Make Discoveries? Jul 03, 2023

Last month, MIT's Kishalay De published the first ever observations of a star destroying a planet. Hear about the detective work it took to realize what some of the world's largest telescopes were seeing as this cataclysmic event unfolded.

What Do You Mean, That Isn’t a Dinosaur? Jun 12, 2023

The word 'dinosaur' refers to a specific group of animals. Many animals get included under the dinosaur umbrella when they are actually from different groups. Becca from our programs team helps us set the fossil record straight.

How Do Spacecraft Move Around the Solar System? May 29, 2023

Talia from our planetarium team talks about calculating the most efficient trajectories for spacecraft in order to get to interesting places from Mercury to Pluto and beyond.

How Many Moons Are There In The Solar System? May 15, 2023

With 62 new moons announced last week, Talia from our Charles Hayden Planetarium tells us how Saturn is once again the grand champion of the solar system in terms of natural satellites.

Where Do Volcanoes Come From? May 08, 2023

Volcanoes are incredibly powerful, but what causes one to form? Becca from our programs team talks about the origins of these explosive entities.

What Counts As Artificial Intelligence? Apr 24, 2023

With so many stories in the news about the new capabilities of artificial intelligence, Emily from the museum's programs team explains what that term means and how AI works.

Why Is It Important To Look For Life On Mars? Apr 10, 2023

Dr. Michael Meyer has been the lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program for over 25 years. He tells us what the possibility of life on the red planet would mean for science and our understanding of the universe.

I Found This Strange Rock...Is It A Meteorite? Mar 27, 2023

We ask Dr. Ben Weiss, an MIT expert on meteorites, how to spot the difference between rocks that formed on Earth and ones that fell from space.

I Think I Saw a Right Whale! Who Should I Call? Mar 13, 2023

North Atlantic Right Whales are critically endangered. We chat with Tim Cole and Lieutenant Christopher Licitra from NOAA Fisheries about efforts to identify, track, and conserve this fragile population.

Do Vampire Bats Really Drink Blood? Nov 14, 2022

In part two of our conversation with evolutionary biologist Dr. Nancy Simmons, we discuss the astonishing diversity of bats and how they came to dominate Earth's night skies.

How Did Bats Evolve Flight? Oct 31, 2022

Bats are the only mammals in Earth's history to achieve powered flight. We ask evolutionary biologist Dr. Nancy Simmons how bats gained this ability and why.

What’s a Typical Day Like for a Mars Rover? Oct 17, 2022

Kim Steadman, an engineer who operates the Perseverance Mars rover, details the how, when, what, and why behind our incredible discoveries on Mars.

Boston Has A City Archaeology Program? What Does It Do? Oct 03, 2022

Joe Bagley has been Boston's City Archeologist for over a decade. He shares some of the historic science that his department uncovers all around Beantown.

What’s So Special About Gold, Anyway? Sep 19, 2022

The metal gold has been highly valued by humans throughout our history, but what makes it so unique? Museum educator Colin gives us insight into its amazing properties, from its cosmic origins to its use in some of the most advanced technology humans have ever created.

Hurricane Hunters Part Three: Why Fly Though A Hurricane? Sep 06, 2022

For the exciting conclusion of our series on NOAA's Hurricane Hunter aircraft, we ask meteorologist Nikki Hathaway how flights through tropical storms can give us insight into their origins, mechanics, and perhaps most importantly, their trajectories.

Hurricane Hunters Part Two: How Do You Study A Hurricane From Inside Of It? Aug 22, 2022

We continue our series on NOAA's Hurricane Hunter aircraft with aerospace engineer Nick Underwood, who flies on missions through hurricanes and collects data to study their behavior and predict their movement.

Hurricane Hunters Part One: Can A Plane Really Fly Through A Hurricane? Aug 08, 2022

NOAA aircraft scout out hurricanes that may threaten the United States by flying aircraft over and even right through them. We ask Lieutenant Commander Kevin Doremus what it's like to pilot an airplane through the eyewall of a massive storm.

What’s Next for the Museum of Science? Jul 25, 2022

For our hundredth episode, we're joined by the Museum of Science's president, Tim Ritchie, to answer one of the most common questions we are asked: what exciting things are coming up in the museum's future?

What’s Your Favorite Unsolved Space Mystery? Jul 11, 2022

Sometimes the most exciting thing to talk about is what scientists don't know...yet. Georgia from our programs team tells us about the mystery of fast radio bursts, and how scientists are getting closer to explaining their origin.

How Do We Know What Extinct Animals Ate? Jul 05, 2022

We can learn a lot about animals that lived millions of years ago from studying their fossils. Morgan from our education team explains how we can analyze fossil teeth to tell us amazing things about ancient diets.

Will Any Stars In Our Sky Explode Soon? Jun 27, 2022

We chat with astronomy graduate student Daisuke Taniguchi about his clever method of looking back in time at the peculiar behavior of the star Betelgeuse, which will explode and disappear from our skies (relatively) soon.

Do You Get To Choose Which Animals to Work With? Jun 13, 2022

We have over one hundred species of animals living at the museum. Visitors often ask our educators: are you assigned an animal for a live show, or do you get to pick your partner? Lauren from our programs team tells us more about the process of selecting and getting to know our live animal co-stars.

What’s The Most Powerful Rocket Ever, as of 2022? May 30, 2022

We ask NASA's Jay Hollenbeck about the Space Launch System, a towering new rocket that will soon launch humans on a path back to the moon while claiming the title of most powerful rocket ever built.

Do Snakes Have Tails? May 09, 2022

Are snakes all tail? Or do they not even have tails? We ask museum educator and snake superfan Becca about snake anatomy as well as some of our most frequently received snake questions, such as: Why is that snake sticking its tongue out? And: Is that snake venomous?

Can Ancient Sea Level Rise Prepare Us for the Future? Apr 05, 2022

We talk with geologist and climate scientist Dr. Patrick Nunn, who has studied the history of sea level rise and its effect on human civilizations.

What Happens When the Sun Runs Out of Fuel? Mar 21, 2022

We talk with astronomer Dr. Joshua Blackman about the fate of the Earth at the very end of our solar system, when the sun will render our planet quite uninhabitable.

Where Do the Museum‘s Animals Come From? Jan 17, 2022

With over 100 species of animals living here at the museum, visitors are always asking how they got here. We chat with Stacy, the Curator of our Live Animal Care Center, to get the whole story.

What Happens If You Stick Your Finger in a Venus Fly Trap? Jan 03, 2022

Carnivorous plants exist all around the world. People sometimes ask us, why do they need to eat bugs? And...what happens if I stick my finger in one?

Will We Ever Cure Food Allergies? Dec 20, 2021

Allergies to food are becoming more common and more severe in modern times. We talk with members of the Food Allergy Science Initiative to discuss why that is, as well as the scientific work being done right now that may one day lead to a cure for food allergies.

What is the Fastest Animal? Dec 06, 2021

Marcus from our education team gives us the scoop on all of the speed records in the animal kingdom - land, sea, air, and more.

Could the Earth Be Destroyed by a Black Hole? Nov 22, 2021

If a black hole came wandering through the solar system, would we notice? We're joined by the Bad Astronomer, Dr. Phil Plait, to chat about the possibility of Earth meeting its end via gravitational catastrophe.

Why Are Flowers So Brightly Colored? Nov 08, 2021

We get tons of questions about plants - what's the biggest one? The largest flower? Why do leaves change color in the autumn? We go to Sue from our education team to dig up the answers.

How Can Artificial Intelligence Help Us Learn? Oct 25, 2021

We ask Dr. Sidney D'Mello, a cognitive and computer scientist, about his AI-assisted research on the connection between our emotions and how we learn.

How Often Do You Brush a Triceratops Fossil’s Teeth? Oct 11, 2021

Taking care of our 65 million-year-old Triceratops fossil is a delicate task. We ask Katie from our Collections department how, and how often, it gets cleaned.

Dr. Ashish Jha, Part Two: When Will the Pandemic End? Oct 04, 2021

We connect live with pandemic expert Dr. Ashish Jha and pose our most asked coronavirus question: when will the pandemic be over?

Dr. Ashish Jha, Part One: How Did the Pandemic Start? Sep 27, 2021

We feature an 'interview' with our virtual exhibit, Covid Conversations with Dr. Ashish Jha, to discover the origins of the coronavirus pandemic.

Why is Our Lightning Purple? Sep 20, 2021

The indoor sparks we create in our Theater of Electricity are purple, and visitors often ask what causes the color. We explore the reasons behind different shades of lightning.

What‘s the Fastest Thing in the Universe? Part Two Sep 17, 2021

Award-winning science fiction author Jack McDevitt discusses how we can imagine a universe where human space travel is not limited to the speed of light, and our civilization can explore the galaxy and beyond.

What‘s the Fastest Thing in the Universe? Part One Sep 06, 2021

We ask Caity from our Charles Hayden Planetarium what the universe's speed limit is, and how that limits our ability to explore the beyond the solar system.

Which Mars Rocks Are Best? Aug 30, 2021

Did life ever exist on Mars? The Perseverance rover is working hard to find out by studying rocks on Mars, and we ask NASA geologist Katie Stack Morgan which rocks could tell us definitively that Earth is not the only living planet in the universe.

What Do You Do When Your Space Station Careens Out of Control? Aug 23, 2021

What happened when inadvertent thruster firing caused the International Space Station to spin completely around in July 2021? And what is the future of this decades-old orbiting laboratory?

What's the Difference Between a Turtle and a Tortoise? Aug 16, 2021

It turns out that all tortoises are turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises - we go to museum educator Karen to tell us how to spot the difference as well as learn about the amazing adaptations of both.

What Can Light Tell Us About the Mona Lisa? Jul 26, 2021

We ask Pascal Cotte, an engineer who specializes in light, how his multi-spectral camera has unveiled Leonardo's methods when painting the famous Mona Lisa.

Why Did Dinosaurs Have Feathers? Jun 28, 2021

We ask leading paleontologist Dr. Jingmai O'Connor to tell us everything she knows about feathered dinosaurs.

How Do Scientists Choose Their Field of Study? May 31, 2021

We talk with graduate student Markia Smith about her research in cancer and genetics, understanding health disparities in historically marginalized populations, and why she chose these areas of study.

How Is An Ear Like a Fingerprint? Apr 05, 2021

We ask Lauren Etter from Boston University about how efforts to build trust and ensure equitable access to healthcare led to the development of an artificial intelligence system that uses images of ears to identify patients in remote communities.

What Happened to Megalodon, The Biggest Shark Ever? Mar 25, 2021

Part Two of our conversation with shark researcher Dr. Catalina Pimiento, where we find out why this fifty foot long super-predator disappeared from the oceans.

A Shark The Size of a School Bus...What Did It Eat? Mar 15, 2021

We ask shark researcher Dr. Catalina Pimiento all of the best questions we've ever received about megalodon, a prehistoric fifty-foot-long shark with teeth the size of a human hand.

What Do a Honeybee and a Chicken Have in Common? Mar 01, 2021

Graduate student Katie Burns tells us about her adventures in field research and the importance of pollinators in our environment.

How Big Were the Apollo Moon Landing Computers? Feb 22, 2021

It's National Engineers Week! To celebrate, we talked with Apollo engineer Don Eyles about the challenge of landing humans on the moon.

What Does Microgravity Feel Like? Feb 15, 2021

Spaceflight whiz Kellie Gerardi, author of the new book 'Not Necessarily Rocket Science', tells us about her adventures in the aerospace industry.

What Were the Top Ten Science Stories of 2020? Part Four Feb 08, 2021

We finish counting down our picks for the ten most exciting, important, and awe-inspiring stories from the world of science in 2020.

What Were the Top Ten Science Stories of 2020? Part Three Feb 01, 2021

We're back with more of our annual countdown of the ten most exciting, important, and fun stories from the world of science in 2020.

Who Were the Blackwell Sisters? Jan 25, 2021

Author Janice Nimura details the lives of Emily and Elizabeth Blackwell, who paved the way for women to study and practice medicine in 1800s America.

What Were the Top Ten Science Stories of 2020? Part Two Jan 20, 2021

We continue our annual countdown of the ten most exciting, important, and fun stories from the world of science in 2020 with #8, #7, and #6.

What Were the Top Ten Science Stories of 2020? Part One Jan 18, 2021

We kick off our annual countdown of the ten most exciting, important, and awesome stories from the world of science in 2020.

What is it Like to Get a COVID-19 Vaccine? Jan 11, 2021

With the first COVID-19 vaccines rolling out to frontline healthcare workers, we asked Physician Assistant Amanda Stearns what it was like to receive her first dose.

Why Do Stars Explode? Jan 04, 2021

We ask Caity from our planetarium all about stars that run out of fuel and go supernova in explosions that can be seen clear across the universe.

Where Did Eyes Come From? Dec 30, 2020

How do we know how sight first evolved if eyes don't fossilize? For some ancient organisms, they do! Dr. Brigitte Schoenemann shares her research on trilobite fossils from nearly half a billion years ago that tell us about the origins of vision.

Why Does the Museum of Science Have Monkeys? Dec 21, 2020

We ask one of our animal keepers, Christa, all about our Cotton-Top Tamarin monkeys and how the Museum of Science is participating in the effort to conserve this critically endangered species.

Can We Restore Mobility to Spinal Injury Patients? Dec 14, 2020

Biomedical Engineer Dr. Parag Gad tells us about a noninvasive technique that can help paralyzed patients regain the use of their extremities as well as other systems of the body.

How Small Can You Make a Refrigerator? Dec 07, 2020

Physicist Dr. Billy Hubbard tells us how designing the world's smallest 'refrigerator', a thousand times thinner than a human hair, may lead to more efficient cooling of scientific instruments.

What is Data? Nov 30, 2020

We ask Shilpa Lawande, a Data Engineer at Facebook Boston, all about data and its impact on our lives.

How Far Away is the Edge of the Universe? Nov 27, 2020

We answer all of your questions about how far away things are from Earth, from the Moon to the very edge of existence, and also discover how we know the distance to objects in space.

Who Engineers Biomedical Devices? Nov 21, 2020

We chat with Akshita Rao, an undergraduate at Tufts University, about her biomedical engineering research on the human heart.

What If the Dinosaurs Hadn't Gone Extinct? Nov 17, 2020

We chat with Becca, one of our museum educators, about the driving factors behind the disappearance of the dinosaurs.

How Can Half a Degree Ruin My Eggs? Nov 10, 2020

Harvard's Dr. Pia Sorensen tells us about her new book, Science and Cooking, and answers your questions about chemistry, physics, and biology in the kitchen.

What Water Makes the Best Beer? Nov 05, 2020

Shelley Smith, the Brewing Innovation Engineer at Sam Adams, talks about the science that goes into crafting a flawless pint.

Does the Moon Rotate? Nov 03, 2020

Talia from our planetarium answers some of the most common questions that museum visitors ask about the Earth-Moon-Sun system, covering everything from Moon phases to eclipses.

Do Spiders Have Personalities? Oct 27, 2020

Bats! Owls! Creepy-crawlies! For Halloween, we asked Liz from our Live Animal Care Center some of the best questions we've heard at the museum about spooky species.

What's Your Favorite Molecule? Oct 22, 2020

We asked two MIT graduate students in chemistry, Jessica Beard and Angela Lee, how they got into science and what they are looking forward to in the future.

How Can I Explore Chemistry at Home? Oct 20, 2020

We chat with Dr. Bassam Shakhashiri from the University of Wisconsin-Madison about his decades of experience creating safe, fun, and illuminating chemical experiments.

Had a Bad Day? Check Your Teeth Oct 15, 2020

Social and psychiatric epidemiologist Dr. Erin Dunn explains how stressful events leave a permanent record on our teeth and how we can potentially use our molars and canines to predict future mental health.

How Can Artificial Intelligence Help Create Maps? Oct 08, 2020

Benjamin Clark and Saikat Basu from Facebook tell us about their initiative to help identify roads using satellite images and deep learning.

Who Gets to Drive the Mars Rover? Oct 02, 2020

How do you drive a rover from 40 million miles away? In part two of our conversation, we asked NASA engineer Rich Rieber about how the newest robot to explore Mars will get around.

Mars Helicopter? Really? Sep 30, 2020

Part two of our look at Perseverance, the next Mars rover. We asked NASA engineer Rich Rieber what the mission hopes to accomplish on the red planet - searching for signs of ancient life, analyzing the geology of Mars, and even testing out a small helicopter.

How Do You Land a Robot on Mars? Sep 25, 2020

NASA's newest rover is on its way to Mars. We asked engineer David Way, who designed the landing system, how it will touch down safely on the red planet.

How Many Colors Are in the Rainbow, Really? Sep 19, 2020

You had lots of questions about our perception of color, and so we asked Zoe to tell us about rainbows, matching shades of black, and more.

How Do You Explore An Underwater Forest? Sep 08, 2020

We ask Dan Distel, a marine biologist at Northeastern, about an amazing discovery off the coast of Alabama: an ancient underwater forest.

How Do Astronomers Search for Exoplanets? Sep 01, 2020

Dr. Rob Zellem of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab answers questions about using citizen science to discover exoplanets.

Do Woodpeckers Get Headaches? Aug 25, 2020

One of the museum's resident birding enthusiasts returns to answer more questions all about our feathered friends.

How Do Scientists Predict Tornadoes? Aug 18, 2020

We talked with Elizabeth Smith, a meteorologist from the National Severe Storms Laboratory, to find out more about tornadoes.

How Can We Protect the Endangered Birds of Hawai'i? Aug 14, 2020

Biologist Hanna Mounce describes her team's efforts to conserve the native forest ecosystems of Hawai'i.

How Do You Sculpt a Bronze Heron? Aug 11, 2020

You can see bronze animal sculptures by artist Michael Alfano in the museum's exhibit halls. We asked him your questions about the intersection between science and art.

Food Insecurity During a Pandemic Aug 04, 2020

Sara Bleich, Professor of Public Health Policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health discusses the impact COVID has had on food insecure populations around the country, and our best steps forward to ensure an equitable recovery.

The Future of Accessible Learning Jul 31, 2020

Dr. Christine Reich, the museum's Senior Vice President of Exhibits and Research, sits down with Universal Design pioneer Dr. Richard Jackson to discuss inclusive education in the museum world.

How Do We Test Treatments for COVID-19? Jul 28, 2020

We ask Dr. Fiona Garner, a scientist working on testing treatments for COVID-19, to explain the important steps of that process.

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