Science Talk

Latest Episodes:

Different Minds: The Wide World of Animal Smarts Apr 29, 2016

Show notes

Primatologist Frans de Waal discusses his latest book, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? (Norton, 2016).

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The Perfect Bet: Taking the Gambling out of Gambling Apr 14, 2016

Show notes

Mathematician and author Adam Kucharski talks about his new book The Perfect Bet: How Science and Math Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling (Basic Books, 2016).

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Gorilla's Hum Is a Do-Not-Disturb Sign Feb 29, 2016

Show notes

If a socially prominent gorilla is in the midst of a meal, it may hum or sing to tell others nearby that it's busy at the moment and will get back to you later.

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Bill Gates Wants a Miracle Feb 25, 2016

Show notes

Scientific American's energy and environment editor, David Biello, met with Bill Gates on February 22 to discuss tackling carbon emissions while at the same time making necessary energy available to ever more of the globe’s growing population.

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From AI to Zika: AAAS Conference Highlights Feb 16, 2016

Show notes

Scientific American editors Mark Fischetti, Dina Maron and Seth Fletcher talk about the info they picked up at the just-concluded annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. Subjects covered include gravitational waves, whether there's really a war on science, the growing concern over Zika virus, sea level rise and advances in artificial intelligence.

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Gravitational Waves Found: Kip Thorne Explains Feb 11, 2016

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Scientific American's Josh Fischman talks with renowned astrophysicist and general relativity expert Kip Thorne about the discovery of gravitational waves by the LIGO Project, co-founded by Thorne.

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The Big Gath Dig: Goliath's Hometown Feb 10, 2016

Show notes

Freelance journalist Kevin Begos talks with archaeologist Aren Maeir, from Bar Ilan University in Israel, at his dig site in Gath, thought to be Goliath's hometown and a major city of the Philistine civilization.

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Roman Sanitation Didn't Stop Roaming Parasites Jan 12, 2016

Show notes

The University of Cambridge's Piers Mitchell, author of the 2015 book Sanitation, Latrines and Intestinal Parasites in Past Populations, talks about the counterintuitive findings in his recent paper in the journal Parasitology titled "Human parasites in the Roman World: health consequences of conquering an empire."

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Evolution Still on Trial 10 Years after Dover Dec 20, 2015

Show notes

Evolutionary biologist Nicholas Matzke talks about the Kitzmiller v. Dover evolution trial on the 10th anniversary of the decision. He advised the plaintiffs while working for the National Center for Science Education. He also discusses the continuing post-Dover attempts to get creationist narratives taught in public school science classrooms.

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Lifting the Visor on Virtual Reality Dec 15, 2015

Show notes

Ken Perlin, a New York University computer science professor and virtual reality pioneer, talks with Scientific American tech editor Larry Greenemeier about the state of virtual reality, its history and where it's heading

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