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Launching Into Space — Sustainably!
Episode 883
In 1957, the Space Age began with the launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. Since then, the number of objects humans have hurled toward the stars has soared to the thousands. As those ob…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
News Round Up: Mammoth Meatballs, Stressed Plants And Apologetic Robots
Episode 882
In this Friday round up of science news we can't let go, not everything is as it seems. Meatballs are not made of fresh meat from the cattle range. Robots are keeping something from you. And plants h…
Published on 2 years, 8 months ago
Allergies Are Weird. So Are Cats
Episode 881
Katie Wu is a bona fide cat person. She has two of them: twin boys named Calvin and Hobbes. Every night, they curl up in bed with her, bonking their little noses together, rubbing their fur and whisk…
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago
Why We Should Care About Viruses Jumping From Animals To People
Episode 880
The phenomenon of zoonotic spillover — of viruses jumping from animals to people — is incredibly common. The question is: which one will start the next pandemic? NPR science desk correspondent Micha…
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago
Eunice Foote: The Hidden Grandmother Of Climate Science
Episode 879
Today, most climate science is done with satellites, sensors and complicated computer models. But it all started with a pioneering female physicist and two glass tubes. Eunice Foote, the woman behind…
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago
Why Scientists Just Mapped Every Synapse In A Fly Brain
Episode 878
To really understand the human brain, scientists say you'd have to map its wiring. The only problem: there are more than 100 trillion different connections to find, trace and characterize. But a team…
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago
Perennial Rice: Plant Once, Harvest Again And Again
Episode 877
Rice is arguably the world's most important staple crop. About half of the global population depends on it for sustenance. But, like other staples such as wheat and corn, rice is cultivated annually.…
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago
News Round Up: Algal Threats, An Asteroid With Life's Building Blocks And Bee Maps
Episode 876
After reading the science headlines this week, we have A LOT of questions. Why did the Virgin Islands declare a state of emergency over a large blob of floating algae? What can a far-off asteroid tel…
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago
Why Pandemic Researchers Are Talking About Raccoon Dogs
Episode 875
A few weeks ago, raw data gathered in Janaury 2020 from Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China — the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic — was uploaded to an online virology database. I…
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago
If ChatGPT Designed A Rocket — Would It Get To Space?
Episode 874
From text churned out by ChatGPT to the artistic renderings of Midjourney, people have been taking notice of new, bot-produced creative works. But how does this artificial intelligence software fare …
Published on 2 years, 9 months ago