Thank you for joining us this season. In this season 1 finale we take listener questions! 

What's the most dangerous experiment Taylor's ever done? How does lab glass work? What IS detergent? Those questions and more.

YouTube • Podcast • Website • Patreon

Giant Leap is a podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of Giant Leap, the search for elements beyond the end of the periodic table. Taylor and Joey visit the Heavy Element group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to learn more about the search for new superheavy elements. At the 88-inch Cyclotron, we take an inside look at the race to create new artificial elements and understand their chemistry. We explore the history and future of the quest to expand the periodic table and explore the implications for humanity if we finally discover the long-sought island of stability. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/ Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

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Featuring:

Jacklyn Gates: Group Leader, Heavy Element Group, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL

Scott Small: Operator, 88-inch Cyclotron, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL

Jennifer Pore: Research Scientist, Heavy Element Group, Nuclear Science Division, LBNL

Taylor Wilson: Nuclear Physicist, Host of Giant Leap

Joey Lovato: Journalist, Co-host Giant Leap

Giant Leap is a podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're wrapping up production of Giant Leap Season 1.

Before we go, we're taking listener questions at [email protected]

Audio or Video is preferred, but if you can send text too.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How are species are evolving in response to climate change, ecosystem loss and humanity as a whole? On this episode we speak with evolutionary biologist Shane Campbell-Staton about microevolution, animals responding to urban environments, and the effect of nuclear radiation on ecosystems like Chernobyl.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast

Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe

Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/

Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

Giant Leap is a podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality.

This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Keywords graph: This episode explores evolution and evolutionary biology through real examples of biodiversity, natural selection, and rapid evolution happening around the world today. We look at how urban ecology and human impact on nature drive species adaptation and microevolution, from tuskless elephants shaped by poaching to Chernobyl wildlife thriving in unexpected ways. The conversation dives into apex predators, invasive species, genetic adaptation, ecological resilience, and the growing challenges of climate change as ecosystems transform. Through stories of wildlife adapting to cities, evolutionary responses to pollution, and the complex pressures driving conservation, we uncover how human-caused evolutionary change influences species extinction, environmental pressures, and the future of life on Earth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Giant Leap, Joey and Taylor discuss Taylor’s recent trip to Carlsbad Caverns and why he was radioactive when he left. They discuss the element Radon, the physics of radioactive decay, the origins of Helium gas, and why people used to think radioactivity was actually good for you.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast

Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe

Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/

Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology.

This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What’s under the ice?

Trapped in the ice below the vast glacial ice fields, a frozen time capsule records the history of our planet’s atmosphere. From volcanic eruptions to the rise and fall of empires, the secrets to Earth’s past, and future, are recorded in pristine ice cores collected from some of the most remote locations on our planet. 

On this episode of Giant Leap, Taylor and Joey talk to one of the world’s leading ice core experts, Joe McConnell and the researchers of the Desert Research Institute’s Ice Core Laboratory. They visit the cold freezers where ice cores from around the world are carefully sampled and the ultra clean trace chemistry lab that collects data from these precious frozen time capsules. What are the big open questions in ice core science? How are we refining our understanding of earth’s climate past and future? What can ice cores tell us about the rise and fall of civilizations? And what mysteries lie locked in the ice? This episode explores the race against time to unlock the stories of our planet preserved under the ice.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast

Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe

Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/

Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology.

Also, a huge thank you to Tim Lenard for production support.

This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’ve all been told about the dangers of the element lead, but why is lead toxic and why is it so present in our environment? In this short episode of Giant Leap, Taylor and Joey answer a listener question about the toxicity of lead and explore the promise and peril of heavy metals.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast

Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe

Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/

Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology.

This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Keywords: Why is lead bad for us?, lead toxicity, lead poisoning, lead exposure, lead contamination, heavy metals in the body, toxic metals, environmental toxins, history of lead, lead paint dangers, lead in drinking water, leaded gasoline, health risks of lead, neurotoxins, brain damage from lead, environmental health, public health hazards, toxicology, lead in pipes, science podcast, Giant Leap podcast, Taylor Wilson, hidden dangers of lead, environmental pollution, chemistry of lead, how lead affects the body, science and history of lead, lead regulation, toxic substances, environmental science, health and science podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast

Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe

Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/

Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

Around noontime on the First of September 1859, the British astronomers Richard Carrington and Richard Hodgson noticed something spectacular erupting from the surface of our nearest star while observing a large sunspot group. 17 hours later Earth’s atmosphere would light up in a dazzling display of auroral light and telegraph operators would be stunned by sparks of electricity emanating from their wires. This event which would come to be known as the Carrington Event was the largest geomagnetic storm in the modern era, and serves as a warning to us today about the dangers of space weather. In this episode of Giant Leap Taylor and Joey explore the Future of Space Weather.

Will a Carrington scale event happen again in our lifetime? Will modern life irreparably grind to a halt? What can the past tell us about the future of these destructive events? How good are our space weather forecasts and how much warning will we have of future geomagnetic storms? And can we build defenses to survive the next Carrington Event?

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology, or more accurately, Joey will ask Taylor questions and Taylor will answer them.

This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Website | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Patreon

What can volcanoes tell us about our past, and future, as a species? Should we fear the destructive power of these portals to Earth’s interior? And how well can we predict future eruptions? In this episode of giant Leap Taylor and Joey dive into the topic of volcanoes with one of the world’s leading experts on the subject, Clive Oppenheimer. Clive discusses the science and cultural context of volcanology, exploring the myths and mysteries of these awe-inspiring geological wonders. They discuss future tools for studying volcanoes, the connection between volcanoes and origins of life, and even the promise of exploring extraterrestrial volcanic systems.

Available wherever you get your podcasts. Or subscribe to watch every episode in Taylor’s lab on YouTube.

Featuring:

Clive Oppenheimer - Volcanologist and Professor in the Department of Geology at the University of Cambridge

Taylor Wilson - Nuclear physicist and host of Giant Leap

Joey Lovato - Journalist and co-host of Giant Leap

"Mountains of Fire" by Clive Oppenheimer available here

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. Keywords: volcanoes, volcanic eruption, clive oppenheimer, volcanology, giant leap podcast, giant leap volcanoes, power of volcanoes, explosive volcanoes, history of volcanoes, deadly volcanoes, volcanic disasters, supervolcano, earth on fire, eruption science, volcanic ash, climate and volcanoes, pompeii eruption, history changing eruptions, why volcanoes erupt

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hear a lot about CO2 and it's warming effect on the Earth's climate. What about Methane? In this episode of Giant Leap, Taylor talks about the methane problem -- where it's coming from, what it's doing in the atmosphere and ways that we could curtail some of its ill effects.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GiantLeapPodcast

Podcast: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/subscribe

Website: https://www.giantleappodcast.org/

Patreon: https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast

Giant Leap is a new podcast hosted by nuclear physicist Taylor Wilson and journalist Joey Lovato. Shot in Taylor's lab, the show digs into hard science, big ideas and possible futures by speaking with the people making those futures reality. In between guest episodes, Taylor and Joey will talk about advances in science and technology, or more accurately, Joey will ask Taylor questions and Taylor will answer them. This podcast is made with listener support. Thank you this week to Adrian Davis and John Lawson. If you’d like to join the Giant Leap community, and get access to bonus content, Q+As and more, head to https://patreon.com/giantleappodcast to set up a monthly donation.

Keywords: methane climate change, methane emissions, methane vs CO2, greenhouse gases explained, climate science methane, giant leap methane, Taylor Wilson climate, global warming methane, methane sources, how methane warms the planet, methane in the atmosphere, methane solutions, reduce methane emissions, climate crisis, environmental science podcast, climate change 2025, cutting methane emissions, giant leap podcast climate, methane gas explained, future of the climate

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.