Science for the People

This week, we’re looking at science stories driving headlines and causing conversation. We’ll speak to particle physicist James Pinfold about recent experiments that cast doubt on a possible explanation for dark matter, and new research that he’s conducting at the world’s largest experimental facility, the Large Hadron Collider. On the podcast, molecular pharmacologist David Kroll returns to explain the connection between high-caffeine energy drinks and health complications. And we’ll get some insight on the tension between societal conceptions of gender and the more nuanced reality, from Joel Baum, Director of Education and Training at Gender Spectrum.

This week, we’re talking about a viral menace that’s one of the scariest – and deadliest – known to science. We’ll talk to WIRED editor Bill Wasik  and veterinarian Monica Murphy about their book Rabid: A Cultural History of the World’s Most Diabolical Virus. And on the podcast, we’ll speak to post-doctoral researcher Elisabeth Whyte, about a crowd-funded project to use computer games to help adolescents with autism improve social skills and face processing abilities.

This week, we’re listening back to an episode which examines the ways that society and science inform and influence each other. Frequent guest host Marie-Claire Shanahan, Professor of Science Education at the University of Alberta, and President of the Canadian Science Education Research Group, discusses how science fits into the broader framework of our common culture. And we talk to science writer Mike McRae, author of the book Tribal Science: Brains, Beliefs and Bad Ideas, which looks at how brains that evolved to maintain social connections can manage to make objective observations.

This week, we’re looking at the science of sexual orientation, where debates over nature vs. nurture have influenced law, policy and equal rights. We’re joined by neuroscientist and writer Simon LeVay, to talk about his research on the topic, and his book Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation. And on the podcast, astrophysicist Ethan Siegel returns to the show, to tell us about a new project using the information aggregation service TrapIt to improve learning in the classroom.

In almost any discussion of space exploration and observation, one question always arises. Why should we spend the money, when there are problems here on Earth? This week, we’re going to tackle this question, with a panel of people who know just how important the science of space actually is. Penny4NASA‘s John Zeller and Noisy Astronomer Nicole Gugliucci return to the show, along with Scientific American Associate Editor John Matson, and Cynthia Phillips, Senior Research Scientist at the SETI Institute. They’ll discuss the technological, social and economic benefits of exploring space, and what it really means to all of us.

We’re taking a break from live recording this week. On the podcast, we’re looking at the lighter side of science, both real and imagined. We’re joined by Marc Abrahams, editor and co-founder of the science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research, the father of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony and author of the new book This Is Improbable. Researcher and blogger Scicurious returns to share more of her favorite Friday Weird Science posts. And we’ll talk to Phil Edwards, author of the Fake Science blog and textbook.

No, not that C word. This week, we’re talking about Cancer; its myriad forms, many causes, and most promising treatments. We’re joined by engineering professor Brendan Harley, who works on making cancer research more effective, and Dr. David Gorski, surgical oncologist and prominent science blogger. And on the podcast, author Kayt Sukel returns to the show, to discuss the efficacy and application of screening for breast cancer, and what effect pink-saturated awareness campaigns actually have on research and treatment efforts.

This week, we’ll spend the hour talking about genetically modified foods, that are causing conversation among scientists, lawmakers and the public. Horticulture professor Kevin Folta returns to the show, along with Karl Haro von Mogel and Anastasia Bodnar, co-editors of Biofortified.org. They’ll give us the scientific perspective on the benefits, and possible dangers, in manipulating the genes of  common food crops.

This week, we’re looking at the science – and pseudoscience – that affects the healthcare decisions parents make for their children, and women make for themselves. We’re joined by Allison Hagood and Stacy Herlihy, to talk about their book Your Baby’s Best Shot: Why Vaccines are Safe and Save Lives. And we’re joined by Skepchick.org founder Rebecca Watson, to talk about pseudoscience that’s targeted and marketed specifically at women.

This week, we’re looking at two science stories making headlines and stirring debate. Science writer David Dobbs returns to the show, to discuss the controversial neuroscience in Naomi Wolf’s new book Vagina: a Biography. And genetics researcher Michael White joins us to sort out the science from the hype in the results of the ENCODE genomics project.