December 22, 2023
For decades, panda policy has guided conservation advancements. Now, pandas in the US are being returned to China. Plus, scientists have recovered the DNA of thousands of new species of fungi from the environment, but they aren’t eligible for scientific names. And, researchers looked at how shifts in emotion influenced participants’ memory formation.
December 15, 2023
Powerful cosmic rays like the “Amaterasu” particle are typically caused by celestial events, but this one’s source is unknown. Plus, while they’re nesting, chinstrap penguins take thousands of seconds-long naps a day. And, Dr. Carlotta Berry writes romance novels about Black women in the sciences to encourage more people to go into the field.
December 8, 2023
Birders across the world band together to record the number of birds in their communities. Plus, a new theory pins the throbbing pain of a red wine headache on quercetin, an antioxidant in grape skins. And, astronaut Mike Massimino reflects on his time in space, and what it taught him about succeeding on Earth.
December 1, 2023
Dr. Fei-Fei Li of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI discusses the promise and peril of the ground-breaking technology. Plus, research tracking adults over 50 shows that social activity, intimacy, and personal connections are key to good health as we age. And, new analysis of remains and burial items suggests women and men did both parts of hunting and gathering in the Paleolithic era.
November 24, 2023
In an interview from 2002, Jane Goodall gave Ira a lesson in how to speak with chimps. Plus, highlights from the 33rd First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, which celebrate the silly side of science. And, stories that share the research of a few Ig Nobel winners.
November 17, 2023
An editor and a children’s author weigh in on this year’s best STEM books for kids. Plus, researchers examined four popular chatbots and found they perpetuated debunked, harmful ideas from race-based medicine. And, a textile professor and knit expert explains why many sweaters today are of poorer quality than sweaters in the past.
November 10, 2023
Chef Dan Souza from Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen answers your cooking questions. Plus, how AI is transforming education, and students and faculty alike can use it responsibly. And, an engineering professor and author explains how modern life depends on vast, complicated systems you probably never think about.
November 3, 2023
Carl Sagan introduced the world to the idea of nuclear winter caused by nuclear weapon fallout. Is it still a threat? Plus, a deaf advisory group worked with a hospital to improve how it cares for them. And, is the secret to life really just within five elements? Author Stephen Porder explains in a new book.
October 27, 2023
Understanding the placenta and its relationship to pregnancy loss. Plus, phenylephrine, listed as a decongestant in many cold medicines, doesn’t work. What can you use instead? And, the new book ‘Most Delicious Poison’ explores how common toxins have shaped life on Earth.
October 20, 2023
Astrobiologist Dr. Aomawa Shields describes how a quest for life in the cosmos helped her find meaning on Earth. Plus, an aerodynamicist breaks down the recent engineering changes to F1 cars. And, paleontologists pieced together a food chain from Paja Formation fossils, showing an additional level of apex predators.