Science, Spoken

Latest Episodes:

What Is a Wetland Worth? Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

As the Supreme Court considers the fate of American wetlands, Annie Proulx’s Fen, Bog, and Swamp offers an elegiac love letter to overlooked ecosystems.

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

How to Find Your Vaccine History—and Store It Safely Oct 03, 2022

Show notes

Worries about polio, monkeypox, and Covid-19 are rising. Here’s how toÂ gather your health information, even if you’ve lost the paper records.

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

There’s New Proof Crispr Can Edit Genes Inside Human Bodies Sep 30, 2022

Show notes

The technique had largely been limited to editing patients’ cells in the lab. New research shows promise for treating diseases more directly.

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

Lawns Are Dumb. But Ripping Them Out May Come With a Catch Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

Meticulous turf is environmentally terrible. Yet grass does have one charm: It “sweats,” helping cool the local area.

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

The Fungus That Killed Frogs—and Led to a Surge in Malaria Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

A global fungal pandemic wiped out amphibians, destroyed biodiversity, and ultimately increased human illness. Now a second similar pathogen is on the way.

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

The US Is Measuring Extreme Heat Wrong Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

Recent studies have revealed flaws in the heat index. With rising temperatures and humidity, maybe it’s time for a more holistic approach.

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

To Understand Brain Disorders, Consider the Astrocyte Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

Neurons get a lot of attention—butÂ researchers think this star-shaped brain cell type could hold the key to treating some disorders.

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

How to Design the Perfect Queue, According to Crowd Science Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

The line to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state is snaking across central London. Could it have been done better?

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

Teaching ‘Selfish’ Wind Turbines to Share Can Boost Productivity Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

A software update can help turbines become less disruptive to their neighbors and distribute the wind more efficiently.

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

New Reservoirs Could Help Battle Droughts, but at What Cost? Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

Storing more water to deal with climate change seems like a no-brainer, but such reservoirs are complex undertakings with environmental issues of their own.

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