Podcast Episodes

mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise

Episode 1105

This month, the Department of Health and Human Services terminated almost $500 million in mRNA vaccine development grants and contracts. While HHS has said that these cuts won't affect mRNA cancer re…

Published on 2 weeks, 2 days ago

Can The Rise In Solar Power Balance Out Clean Energy Cuts?

Episode 1104

Since President Trump returned to office, his administration has been aggressive in rolling back clean energy initiatives. But that isn’t the whole story. Texas, California, and other states are brin…

Published on 2 weeks, 3 days ago

Decoding Fireflies’ Smelly Signals And Blinking Butts

Episode 1103

Fireflies’ magical blinking lights are tiny beacons in the warm dark night. Who can resist catching one? Not scientists.

Because their light comes from bodily chemicals, fireflies’ power of illuminati…

Published on 2 weeks, 4 days ago

The Uncertain Science Behind What We Understand As ‘Truth’

Episode 1102

Throughout history, humans have been on a search for truth. From the ancient Greeks and their belief in a universal truth, to our Founding Fathers writing, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, t…

Published on 2 weeks, 5 days ago

How Agatha Christie Used Chemistry To Kill (In Books)

Episode 1096

Did you know that murder mystery writer Agatha Christie had a background in chemistry? In about half of her stories, the murder is committed using poison—something she was very, very familiar with. S…

Published on 2 weeks, 6 days ago

What Do mRNA Funding Cuts Mean For Future US Research?

Episode 1101

On August 5, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Department of Health and Human Services would terminate almost $500 million in mRNA vaccine development grants and contracts, af…

Published on 3 weeks, 2 days ago

Breast Milk Is Understudied. What Are Scientists Learning Now?

Episode 1098

If you’ve found yourself scrolling through the breastfeeding world online, you know that people have a lot of strong opinions about breast milk. But what exactly do we know about the biology of it? D…

Published on 3 weeks, 3 days ago

When Headaches Are Ruining Your Life, Where Can You Turn?

Episode 1097

Science journalist Tom Zeller Jr. has suffered from debilitating cluster headaches for three decades. Like other cluster headache sufferers, his episodes would leave him unable to function, and the f…

Published on 3 weeks, 4 days ago

Remembering Apollo 13 Astronaut James Lovell

Episode 1099

Last week, astronaut James Lovell died at the age of 97. In April of 1970, he was the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which launched with three astronauts en route to the moon. While in space, ho…

Published on 3 weeks, 5 days ago

‘Underground Atlas’ Shows How Vulnerable Fungal Networks Are

Episode 1095

Fungal networks in the soil are arguably the basis of much of life on Earth, but they’re understudied and underappreciated in the conservation world. Scientists at the Society for the Protection of U…

Published on 3 weeks, 6 days ago