Cool Science Radio

Jeffrey Cole, founding director of the Center for the Digital Future at USC Annenberg, explores how technological change reshapes society, why established institutions can be caught off guard and what decades of internet research reveal about America's changing relationship with technology.

Carleton University biologists Jennifer Bruin and Myriam Hoyeck discuss new research finding persistent environmental pollutants in the human pancreas and explore how these chemicals may affect insulin secretion and metabolic health.

Dr. Alexander Mossbrucker discusses how bioacoustics, artificial intelligence and digital monitoring tools are helping conservationists track endangered wildlife. From detecting Asian elephants by their vocalizations to training rangers in Sumatra, Mossbrucker explores how better data can strengthen efforts to protect animals and their habitats.

Caltech physicist and engineer Gabriele Vajente explains how LIGO detects the faint ripples in spacetime known as gravitational waves. He explores the engineering behind the world's most sensitive measuring instruments, what we've learned from black hole collisions and neutron stars, and what future observations could reveal.

University of Utah doctoral student Colin Domnauer discusses new research linking reports of vivid “tiny people” hallucinations to a single mushroom species — and what the discovery could reveal about an unidentified hallucinogenic compound.

MIT engineer Amos Winter discusses how to design affordable, high-performance products that can succeed in different global markets. Drawing on examples from eye care, prosthetics, mobility and clean water, Winter explains how engineers can create innovations that scale and make a lasting impact.

Gene-editing researcher Raj Chari discusses how CRISPR technology is being used to study cancer, develop potential new treatments, and explore the challenges of bringing gene-editing therapies from the laboratory into clinical care.

Bloomberg investigative journalist Kit Chellel explores the surprising history of gamblers who used mathematics, early computers, and engineering to beat casinos and sportsbooks, while helping pioneer technologies that would influence the modern computing and AI landscape.

Kalpana Pot, a self-proclaimed Space Nerd, mixes her unique brand of storytelling and humor to make complicated astrophysics topics entertaining and understandable in her new book, "Spaced Out: A Casual Approach To The Cosmos."

Carleton University neuroscientist Michael Hildebrand discusses new research revealing important differences in how mice, rats and humans process pain — findings that could help explain failed treatments and point to better therapies for chronic pain.