Podcast Episodes

Nature Quest: The Earthquake Prediction Problem

Episode 1384

Their whole life, producer Hannah Chinn has known about the Big One: a massive earthquake forecasted to hit the West Coast. Scientists say it’ll destroy buildings, collapse bridges, flood coastal tow…

Published on 1 month ago

SNAP Delays: The Science Of Hunger And Food Insecurity

One in every eight households in the U.S. isn’t always sure where the next meal will come from. Limited food access can spell hunger – and that can affect the body and mind. So can cheaper, less nutr…

Published on 1 month ago

What's Up With Nightmares?

Episode 1382

Dreams of flying? Nightmares of teeth falling out? Falling off a cliff? As a sleep scientist at the University of Montreal, Michelle Carr has pretty much heard it all. In Michelle’s new book Nightmar…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

The Mystery Of Inner Monologues

Episode 1381

Emily Kwong is pretty sure she lacks an inner monologue, while the inner monologue of producer Rachel Carlson won’t stop chatting. But how well can a person know their inner self? And what does scien…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

An Apple Is An Ovary: The Science of Apple Breeding

What's your favorite apple? Maybe it's the crowd-pleasing Honeycrisp, the tart Granny Smith or the infamous Red Delicious. Either way, before that apple made it to your local grocery store or orchard…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Mental ‘Workouts’ Could Keep Your Brain Young

Episode 1379

Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines as people age. The results of this 10-week study back earlier …

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Are we cooked? How social media shapes your language w/ Adam Aleksic (from TED Tech)

This week, we’re sharing a special episode from TED Tech exploring Gen Z slang words like "unalive," "skibidi" and "rizz." Where do these words come from — and how do they get popular so fast? Lingui…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Data Centers, Icy Moons And Chameleons

It’s another news roundup! This time, we cover how, using data analytics – and ironically, some AI – a team at Cornell University has mapped the environmental impact of AI by state. They determined t…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

The Future Of Immune Health Might Be Here

David Ewing Duncan has spent the last 25 years being poked and prodded in the name of science. He’s signed up for hundreds of tests because, as a journalist, he writes about emerging health breakthro…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

What Space Dust Reveals About Earth's Ice Age

Episode 1376

Cosmic dust can tell scientists about how ice covered Earth during the last ice age. This dust is leftover debris from asteroids and comets colliding in space and this dust constantly rains down on o…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago