Science, Spoken

Latest Episodes:

This Seriously Hipster Bean Is Coffee’s Best Hope for Survival Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

Climate change is straining the world’s two favorite coffee species. Could a resilient 19th-century alternative solve the brew’s existential crisis?

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The Key to California's Survival Is Hidden Underground Jan 27, 2023

Show notes

The state is ping-ponging between severe drought and catastrophic flooding. The solution to both? Making the landscape spongier.

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Why the Search for Life in Space Starts With Ancient Earth Jan 26, 2023

Show notes

Need to estimate, from trillions of miles away, how likely another world is to host life? There’s a flowchart for that.

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The US Just Greenlit High-Tech Alternatives to Animal Testing Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

Lab animals have long borne the brunt of drug safety trials. A new law allows drugmakers to use miniature tissue models or "organs on chips" instead.

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What This Fearsome Weapon Reveals About Early Americans Jan 24, 2023

Show notes

The hottest West Coast tech 16,000 years ago was a “projectile point” for hunting game. Though tiny, the artifact tells an outsize tale.

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Meet the Earth’s Lawyers Jan 23, 2023

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ClientEarth helps shape new laws and enforce old ones to protect the planet and its most vulnerable inhabitants.

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Climate Enforcers Need Hard Evidence. Friederike Otto Has It Jan 20, 2023

Show notes

World Weather Attribution ties disasters and extreme conditions to climate change—providing crucial leverage for legal and policy battles.

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Why Do You Get Sick in the Winter? Blame Your Nose Jan 19, 2023

Show notes

A new study shows that as temperatures drop, nasal cells release fewer of the tiny protectors that bind and neutralize invading germs.

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Drug Shortages Aren’t New. The Tripledemic Just Made You Look Jan 18, 2023

Show notes

Flu meds and prescription drugs have been in short supply all winter—but the problem goes back over a decade.

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In the Next Pandemic, Let’s Pay People to Get Vaccinated Jan 17, 2023

Show notes

Data from Sweden and the US suggests cash incentives increase uptake without denting people’s trust in vaccines or future willingness to get them.

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