Science, Spoken

Latest Episodes:

What Good Is a Supercomputer If It Can't Show Off? Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

In Tampa, the conference center’s roof leaked. In Austin, the airport flooded. In Reno, conference organizers had to wait until a motorcycle rally was over before they could do some setup. During preparation for the SC Conference, a supercomputing meeting, there’s always something getting in the way of networking. But the conference, held annually in November, is perhaps more sensitive to water, delays, and herds of bikes than your average gathering.

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

This New Robot Will Help Keep Hearts Pumping Nov 27, 2017

Show notes

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

Is Trump's NASA Nominee Ready to Tackle Climate Change? Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

Science and the people who study it have taken a pretty big beating during the first year of the Trump administration. Trump has appointed climate science skeptics and outright deniers to head the Environmental Protection Agency (Scott Pruitt), the Department of Energy (Rick Perry), and the Council on Environmental Quality (Kathleen Hartnett).

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

Would You Put the Genetically Modified Arctic Apple in Your Pie? Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

On the last Monday of September, 32 field workers stepped onto a 15-acre experimental plot in an undisclosed part of Washington and made apple harvest history. The fruits they plucked from each tree were only a few months old. But they were two decades and millions of dollars in the making. And when they landed, pre-sliced and bagged on grocery store shelves earlier this month, they became the first genetically modified apple to go on sale in the United States.

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

Could Tesla Power Its Electric Truck With Solar Panels? Nov 22, 2017

Show notes

Tesla just keeps making cool things. On the top of the list is its newest addition to the lineup, an all-electric semitruck. Oh, that might sound like a dumb idea—but I don't think so. Just consider how much stuff is shipped back and forth across the country. Clearly a train would be more efficient, but trucks also play a large role. It seems like the Tesla semi might be able to make two improvements over a traditional truck.

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

This Next-Gen Satellite Will Scan for Storms Like Never Before Nov 21, 2017

Show notes

Prepping a satellite instrument for its journey into space can feel like getting ready to lift off yourself. The sensors on board are vulnerable to the slightest speck of contamination—so to get close, you have to suit up. Required clean room attire includes a hair net, face mask, paper suit, disposable boots, and surgical gloves. No notebooks allowed—only paper that doesn’t release fluff if you tear it—and no clicky ballpoint pens. They spit out tiny balls of ink.

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

California's Hepatitis A Outbreak Is the Future Poking Us in the Face Nov 20, 2017

Show notes

It wasn’t just that people were getting sick—it was who. And how many. Hepatitis A is a viral disease that primarily attacks the liver, and if it gets serious—as it can in the elderly and immune-compromised people—it can be fatal. But the graph of cases in the US over time looks like the second, fun half of a roller coaster ride. In the early 1970s, nearly 10,000 people a year got it. By the mid-1980s, the number was half that.

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

This Gene-Editing Tech Might Be Too Dangerous To Unleash Nov 17, 2017

Show notes

To get to work in the morning, Omar Akbari has to pass through a minimum of six sealed doors, including an air-locked vestibule. The UC Riverside entomologist studies the world’s deadliest creature: the Aedes aegypti mosquito, whose bite transmits diseases that kill millions each year. But that’s not the reason for all the extra security. Akbari isn’t just studying mosquitoes—he’s re-engineering them with self-destruct switches.

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

How to Hoist Yourself Out of a Hole With Physics Nov 16, 2017

Show notes

No one can deny that there are some great physics videos out there in the wild internet. Today, I found this one floating around—featuring what appears to be a worker that needs to get out of a cone-shaped hole. Oh sure, he could possibly climb up the side or maybe even use a rope as an assist. But no. This guy studied his physics. He knows a great trick to get out of this hole—by running in circle.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Science, Spoken

Related Podcasts

1

2

3

4

5

6