Science, Spoken

Latest Episodes:

What's So Special About Human Screams? Ask a Screamologist May 16, 2019

Show notes

I scream, you scream, we all scream. For ice cream, sure, but also for fear, excitement, sexual pleasure, pain, anger, and—if online commenters are to be believed—memes ðŸ˜±. Screaming is exhibited by many animals, but no species uses this extreme vocalization in as many different contexts as humans. Though we're pretty good at recognizing a scream when we hear one, the wide variety of screams makes it difficult to pin down what defines them.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Chernobyl Disaster Might Have Also Built a Paradise May 15, 2019

Show notes

Until the 19th century, the Pripyat River basin on the border between Ukraine and Belarus was wetland and forest. As usual, humans kind of ruined it. They burned down forest for pasture land, or cut down trees to sell as timber—or for fuel to make glass and vodka. By the middle of the 20th century, most of that industry was gone, and human-driven reforestation efforts had remade the Pripyat region anew.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Only Two Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Have a Climate Plan May 14, 2019

Show notes

This story originally appeared in The Guardian and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Of the nearly two dozen Democrats running for president, only two campaigns have so far laid out deadlines for transforming American life to slash the pollution that is warming the planet’s climate.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeff Bezos Unveils Blue Origin's Prototype of a Lunar Lander May 14, 2019

Show notes

When Robert Heinlein wrote his masterpiece of space age realism, The Man Who Sold the Moon, he had no way of knowing how prescient it would be. Published in 1950, it tells the tale of Delos D. Harriman, the “last of the robber barons,” who is hellbent on being the first man on the moon. Harriman drives himself to the brink of bankruptcy and madness chasing his lunar ambitions, which he feels can’t be left to the bumbling government bureaucracy to handle.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bad Air Linked To Dementia, Bezos' Lunar Lander, and More News May 13, 2019

Show notes

Air pollution is worse for us than we thought, the world's richest man unveiled his moon craft, and Mother's Day is around the corner. Here's what you should know, in two minutes or less. Today's Headlines Evidence suggests air pollution might cause dementia The health conscious among us can eat well, exercise plenty, and abstain vices, like smoking. But the worsening air quality in American cities is increasingly difficult to avoid.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Seafloor Maps Reveal Underwater Caves, Slopes—and Fault Lines May 10, 2019

Show notes

Larry Mayer is headed out this week on a ship to explore the Channel Islands off the Southern California coast. Well, he’s actually exploring seafloor formations near the islands, looking for evidence that ancient peoples might have camped out in the caves as they migrated south some 15,000 years ago, a time when the sea level was 600 feet lower than today.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scientists Save a Sick Teen, Hackers Steal $40 Million, and More News May 10, 2019

Show notes

Viruses from a freezer saved a dying teen, hackers stole millions, and Adam Savage has some organization tips for you. Here's what you should know, in two minutes or less. Today's Headlines Genetically tweaked viruses just saved a sick teen A teenage girl in London found herself in life-threatening peril from cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition where the lungs can’t clear mucus or disease-causing bacteria. She had already had double lung transplants and was running out of options.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Genetically Tweaked Viruses Just Saved a Very Sick Teen May 09, 2019

Show notes

In October 2017, Graham Hatfull received an urgent email from across the pond. A microbiologist colleague of his named James Soothill was desperately looking for a way to help two patients at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. The pair of teenagers, a girl and a boy, had cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition where the lungs can’t clear mucus or disease-causing bacteria. And they had both recently received double lung transplants as a result.The surgeries had gone well.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

China's Scientists Are the New Kids on the Arctic Block May 09, 2019

Show notes

For nearly a century, the Arctic has been a scientific playground for American, Canadian, and European researchers studying everything from magnetic fields to krill populations, as well as documenting rising temperatures and a changing climate. But with China increasingly expressing an interest in all things Arctic, a geopolitical storm is brewing. Traditional boundaries between science, commerce, and the military are melting as fast as the region’s sea ice.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Calculate the G’s of Using an Ejection Seat to Blast Out of a Jet May 08, 2019

Show notes

I've never been in a situation where I had to choose between the option of crashing in a jet or ejecting from the jet. I hope I would choose the ejection option, since it would more likely lead to a better outcome than crashing. That said, if you look at the ejection systems in modern military aircraft, they look brutal. The acceleration on ejection must be enormous. OK then—let's see if I can measure the acceleration of an ejection seat using video analysis.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected