When she was head of the US Geological Survey, Marcia McNutt led the federal response to the devastating Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Now the first female director of the National Academy of Sciences, she draws on that experience to ensure the Academy provides the government with what she calls “actionable science,” when, in a crisis, the stakes are high and time is short. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcia McNutt: When Science Matters Now

With support from The Kavli Foundation, Clear+Vivid presents this special series on the power of basic scientific research &ndash; from the pure to the practical. What is curiosity-driven research? Why does it matter? How does it play a role in transforming our lives? Where does basic research take place and by whom? Why is investing in basic research essential to society?
Host Alan Alda leads conversations with 10 guests discussing these topics and more, each sharing their point of view and experience about basic science and their personal stories &ndash; what got them interested in or involved in science. Science Clear+Vivid runs concurrent with Clear+Vivid Season 10 (October - November) and will be released each Thursday.

Science

A scientist fluent in the atomic properties of materials like glass and steel and wood, Anna Ploszajski wanted the hands-on experience of how craftspeople use them. The result is her book, Handmade: A Scientist’s Search for Meaning Through Making. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anna Ploszajski: When Science Meets Craft

You may not realize it, but you are subtly revising and updating your memories all the time – to keep them, as Daphna Shohamy puts it, “nimble,” and so better able to help you chart both the present and the future. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daphna Shohamy: Your Creative Memory

As a young Italian physics student, Caterina Vernieri was lucky enough to join the team hunting for the most elusive and highly-prized fundamental particle of all – the Higgs boson – just as it was found. She is now leading a team building the detector that may reveal the Higgs’ secrets. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Caterina Vernieri: Seeing What Can’t be Seen

Having helped develop and install a camera to gaze the heavens with unprecedented resolution, Marcelle Soares Santos was part of the team that used the camera to capture an unprecedented record of a massive cosmic explosion. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcelle Soares Santos: Capturing a Cosmic Explosion

An unknown but very clever cockatoo in Sydney Australia invented a novel way of raiding trash bins. Teaming with citizen scientists, Lucy Aplin and her team tracked how cockatoos throughout the city soon picked up the same trick. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/clearandvivid See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marcia McNutt: When Science Matters Now

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