Science Magazine Podcast

By Science Magazine

What's Science Magazine Podcast about?

Weekly podcasts from Science Magazine, the world's leading journal of original scientific research, global news, and commentary.

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Visiting utopias, fighting ...

09.28.2023

A book on utopias and gender roles, India looks to beat climate-induced heat in cities, and how ancient Amazonians improved the soil First up on this week’s show: the latest in our series of books on sex, gender, and science. ...

Science Magazine Podcast episodes:

09.28.2023 Visiting utopias, fighting heat death, and making mysterious ‘dark earth’ A book on utopias and gender roles, India looks to beat climate-induced heat in cities, and how ancient Amazonians improved the soil First up on this week’s show: the latest in our series of books on sex, gender, and science. ...
09.21.2023 Reducing cartel violence in Mexico, and what to read and see this fall The key to shrinking cartels is cutting recruitment, and a roundup of books, video games, movies, and more First up on this week’s show: modeling Mexico’s cartels. Rafael Prieto-Curiel, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Complexity Science Hub in Vienna, ...
09.14.2023 Why cats love tuna, and powering robots with tiny explosions Receptors that give our feline friends a craving for meat, and using combustion to propel insect-size robots First up on this week’s episode, Online News Editor David Grimm joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about why despite originating from a ...
09.07.2023 Extreme ocean currents from a volcano, and why it’s taking so long to wire green energy into the U.S. grid How the Tonga eruption caused some of the fastest underwater flows in history, and why many U.S. renewable energy projects are on hold First up on this week’s show, we hear about extremely fast underwater currents after a volcanic eruption. ...
08.31.2023 Reducing calculus trauma, and teaching AI to smell How active learning improves calculus teaching, and using machine learning to map odors in the smell space First up on this week’s show, Laird Kramer, a professor of physics and faculty in the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University ...
08.24.2023 The source of solar wind, hackers and salt halt research, and a book on how institutions decide gender A close look at a coronal hole, how salt and hackers can affect science, and the latest book in our series on science, sex, and gender First up on this week’s show, determining the origin of solar wind—the streams of ...
08.17.2023 What killed off North American megafauna, and making languages less complicated Ancient wildfires may have doomed Southern California’s big mammals, and do insular societies have more complex languages? First up on this week’s show, what killed off North America’s megafauna, such as dire wolves and saber-toothed cats? Online News Editor Mike ...
08.10.2023 Why some trees find one another repulsive, and why we don’t know how much our hands weigh First up on this week’s show, we hear about the skewed perception of our own hands, extremely weird giant viruses, champion regenerating flatworms, and more from Newsletter Editor Christie Wilcox. Christie also chats with host Sarah Crespi about her work ...
08.03.2023 Tracing the genetic history of African Americans using ancient DNA, and ethical questions at a famously weird medical museum Bringing together ancient DNA from a burial site and a giant database of consumer ancestry DNA helps fill gaps in African American ancestry, and a reckoning for Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum First up on this week’s show, ancient DNA researchers and ...
07.27.2023 Researchers collaborate with a social media giant, ancient livestock, and sex and gender in South Africa On this week’s show: evaluating scientific collaborations between independent scholars and industry, farming in ancient Europe, and a book from our series on sex, gender, and science. First up on this week’s show, a look behind the scenes at a ...
07.20.2023 Adding thousands of languages to the AI lexicon, and the genes behind our bones A massive effort by African volunteers is ensuring artificial intelligence understands their native languages, and measuring 40,000 skeletons Our AI summer continues with a look at how to get artificial intelligence to understand and translate the thousands of languages that ...
07.13.2023 The AI special issue, adding empathy to robots, and scientists leaving Arecibo Science’s NextGen voices share their thoughts on artificial intelligence, how to avoid creating sociopathic robots, and a visit to a historic observatory as researchers pack their bags As part of a Science special issue on finding a place for artificial ...
07.06.2023 Putting the man-hunter and woman-gatherer myth to the sword, and the electron's dipole moment gets closer to zero Worldwide survey kills the myth of “Man the Hunter,” and tightly constraining the electric dipole moment of the electron First up this week on the show, freelance science writer Bridget Alex joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss busting the long-standing ...
06.29.2023 Putting organs into the deep freeze, a scavenger hunt for robots, and a book on race and reproduction On this week’s show: Improvements in cryopreservation technology, teaching robots to navigate new places, and the latest book in our series on sex and gender First up this week on the show, scientists are learning how to “cryopreserve” tissues—from donor ...
06.22.2023 A space-based telescope to hunt dark energy, and what we can learn from scaleless snakes On this week’s show: Euclid, a powerful platform for detecting dark energy, and a slithery segment on how snakes make scales First up on the show this week, we’re taking the hunt for dark energy to space. Staff Writer Daniel ...
06.15.2023 Why it’s tough to measure light pollution, and a mental health first aid course A special issue on light pollution, and first aid for mental well-being First up this week, cleaning up the night skies. As part of a special issue on light pollution, host Sarah Crespi talks with Stefan Wallner, a researcher at ...
06.08.2023 Contraception for cats, and taking solvents out of chemistry A single-shot cat contraceptive, and a close look at “dry” chemistry First up this week: an innovation in cat contraception. Online News Editor David Grimm talks with host Sarah Crespi about a nonsurgical pregnancy prevention technique for cats and why ...
06.01.2023 How we measure the world with our bodies, and hunting critical minerals Body-based units of measure in cultural evolution, and how the geologic history of the United States can be used to find vital minerals First up this week, we hear about the advantages of using the body to measure the world ...
05.25.2023 Talking tongues, detecting beer, and shifting perspectives on females Why it’s so hard to understand the tongue, a book on a revolutionary shift toward studying the female of the species, and using proteomics to find beer in a painting First on the show this week, Staff Writer Elizabeth Pennisi ...
05.18.2023 The earliest evidence for kissing, and engineering crops to clone themselves Cloning vigorous crops, and finding the first romantic kiss First up this week, building resilience into crops. Staff Writer Erik Stokstad joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss all the tricks farmers use now to make resilient hybrid crops of rice ...
05.11.2023 Debating when death begins, and the fate of abandoned lands A new approach promises to increase organ transplants but some question whether they should proceed without revisiting the definition of death, and what happens to rural lands when people head to urban centers First up this week, innovations in organ ...
05.04.2023 Building big dream machines, and self-organizing landscapes Builders of the largest scientific instruments, and how cracks can add resilience to an ecosystem First up this week, a story on a builder of the biggest machines. Producer Kevin McLean talks with Staff Writer Adrian Cho about Adrian’s dad ...
04.27.2023 The value of new voices in science and journalism, and what makes something memorable Science’s editor-in-chief and an award-winning broadcast journalist discuss the struggles shared by journalism and science, and we learn about what makes something stand out in our memories First up on the show this week: Science Editor-in-Chief Holden Thorp talks with ...
04.20.2023 Mapping uncharted undersea volcanoes, and elephant seals dive deep to sleep What does it mean that we have so many more seamounts than previously thought, and finding REM sleep in seals First up on the show this week: so many seamounts. Staff News Writer Paul Voosen joins host Sarah Crespi to ...
04.13.2023 More precise radiocarbon dating, secrets of hibernating bear blood, and a new book series Anchoring radiocarbon dates to cosmic events, why hibernating bears don't get blood clots, and kicking off a book series on sex, gender, and science First up this week, upping the precision of radiocarbon dating by linking cosmic rays to isotopes ...
04.06.2023 Why not vaccinate chickens against avian flu, and new form of reproduction found in yellow crazy ants Why some countries, such as China, vaccinate flocks against bird flu but others don’t, and male ants that are always chimeras First up this week, highly pathogenic avian influenza is spreading to domestic flocks around the globe from migrating birds. ...
03.30.2023 How the Maya thought about the ancient ruins in their midst, and the science of Braille On this week’s show: How people in the past thought about their own past, and a detailed look at how Braille is read First up this week, what did people 1000 years ago think about 5000-year-old Stonehenge? Or about a ...
03.23.2023 New worries about Earth’s asteroid risk, and harnessing plants’ chemical factories On this week’s show: Earth’s youngest impact craters could be vastly underestimated in size, and remaking a plant’s process for a creating a complex compound First up this week, have we been measuring asteroid impact craters wrong? Staff Writer Paul ...
03.16.2023 An active volcano on Venus, and a concerning rise in early onset colon cancer On this week’s show: Spotting volcanic activity on Venus in 30-year-old data, and giving context to increases in early onset colon cancer First up this week, a researcher notices an active volcano on Venus in data from the Magellan mission—which ...
03.09.2023 Compassion fatigue in those who care for lab animals, and straightening out ocean conveyor belts On this week’s show: Compassion fatigue will strike most who care for lab animals, but addressing it is challenging. Also, overturning ideas about ocean circulation First up this week: uncovering compassion fatigue in those who work with research animals—from cage ...
03.02.2023 Battling bias in medicine, and how dolphins use vocal fry On this week’s show: Researchers are finding new ways to mitigate implicit bias in medical settings, and how toothed whales use distinct vocal registers for echolocation and communication First up this week: how to fight unconscious bias in the clinic. ...
02.23.2023 Shrinking MRI machines, and the smell of tsetse fly love On this week’s show: Portable MRI scanners could revolutionize medical imaging, and pheromones offer a way to control flies that spread disease First up this week: shrinking MRI machines. Staff Writer Adrian Cho talks with host Sarah Crespi about how ...
02.16.2023 Earth’s hidden hydrogen, and a trip to Uranus On this week’s show: The hunt for natural hydrogen deposits heats up, and why we need a space mission to an ice giant First up this week: a gold rush for naturally occurring hydrogen. Deputy Editor Eric Hand joins host ...
02.09.2023 Using sharks to study ocean oxygen, and what ancient minerals teach us about early Earth On this week’s show: Shark tags to measure ocean deoxygenation, and zircons and the chemistry of early Earth First up this week: using sharks to measure ocean deoxygenation. Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall joins us to talk about a group of ...
02.02.2023 Visiting a mummy factory, and improving the IQ of … toilets On this week’s show: New clues to the chemicals used for mummification, and the benefits and barriers to smart toilets First up this week: What can we learn from a mummy factory? Contributing Correspondent Andrew Curry talks with host Sarah ...
01.26.2023 Wolves hunting otters, and chemical weathering in a warming world On this week’s show: When deer are scarce these wolves turn to sea otters, and chemical weathering of silicates acts as a geological thermostat First up on this week’s show we have a story about a group of Alaskan wolves ...
01.19.2023 Bad stats overturn ‘medical murders,’ and linking allergies with climate change Statisticians fight bad numbers used in medical murder trials, and the state of allergy science First up on this week’s show, we have a piece on accusations of medical murder. Contributing Correspondent Cathleen O’Grady joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss ...
01.12.2023 Peering beyond the haze of alien worlds, and how failures help us make new discoveries Data on hazes and clouds may be key to understanding exoplanets, and NextGen letter writers share the upside of failure Hazes and clouds could keep exoplanets’ secrets hidden, unless researchers can re-create them here on Earth. After celebrating JWST and ...
01.05.2023 A controversial dam in the Amazon unites Indigenous people and scientists, and transplanting mitochondria to treat rare diseases Keeping an eye on the largest hydroelectric project in the Amazon basin, and helping patients with deletions in their mitochondrial DNA We are starting off the new year with producer Kevin McLean and freelance science journalist Sofia Moutinho. They discuss ...
12.22.2022 Year in review 2022: Best of online news, and podcast highlights On this week’s show: A rundown of our favorite online news stories, and some of our favorite moments on the podcast this year This is our last show of the year and it’s a fun one! Dave Grimm, our online ...
12.15.2022 Breakthrough of the Year, and the best in science books On this week’s show: Science’s Breakthrough of the Year and runners-up, plus the top books in 2022 You might not be surprised by this year’s breakthrough, but hopefully you won’t guess all our runners-up. Producer Meagan Cantwell is joined by ...
12.08.2022 The state of science in Ukraine, and a conversation with Anthony Fauci On this week’s show: The impact of war on science in Ukraine, and a conversation with Anthony Fauci as he prepares to step down Some scientists in Ukraine have been risking their lives to protect scientific facilities, collections, and instruments ...
12.01.2022 A genetic history of Europe’s Jews, and measuring magma under a supervolcano On this week’s show: A medieval German cemetery yields clues to Jewish migrations in Europe, and supercomputers help researchers estimate magma under Yellowstone First up this week on the podcast, we explore the genetic history of Jewish people in Europe. ...
11.24.2022 Artificial intelligence takes on Diplomacy, and how much water do we really need? On this week’s show: Meta’s algorithm tackles both language and strategy in a board game, and measuring how much water people use on a daily basis First up this week on the podcast, artificial intelligence (AI) wins at the game ...
11.17.2022 Mammoth ivory trade may be bad for elephants, and making green electronics with fungus On this week’s show: The potentially harmful effects of prehistoric ivory on present-day elephants, and replacing polymers in electronics with fungal tissue First up this week on the podcast, we hear about the effect of mammoth and mastodon ivory on ...
11.10.2022 Kurt Vonnegut’s contribution to science, and tunas and sharks as ecosystem indicators On this week’s show: How sci-fi writer Kurt Vonnegut foresaw many of today’s ethical dilemmas, and 70 years of tunas, billfishes, and sharks as sentinels of global ocean health First up this week on the podcast, we revisit the works ...
11.03.2022 Cities as biodiversity havens, and gene therapy for epilepsy On this week’s show: How urban spaces can help conserve species, and testing a gene therapy strategy for epilepsy in mice First up on the podcast, we explore urban ecology’s roots in Berlin. Contributing Correspondent Gabriel Popkin joins host Sarah ...
10.27.2022 Space-based solar power gets serious, AI helps optimize chemistry, and a book on food extinction On this week’s show: Cheaper launches could make solar power satellites a reality, machine learning helps chemists make small organic molecules, and a book on the extinction of foods First up on the podcast, space-based solar power gets closer to ...
10.20.2022 Snakes living the high-altitude life, and sending computing power to the edges of the internet On this week’s show: How some snakes have adapted to the extremes of height and temperature on the Tibetan Plateau, and giving low-power sensors more processing power First up on the podcast, tough snakes reveal their secrets. Host Sarah Crespi ...
10.13.2022 Climate change threatens supercomputing, and collecting spider silks On this week’s show: Rising waters and intense storms make siting high-performance computer centers a challenge, and matching up spider silk DNA with spider silk properties (Main Text) First up on the podcast this week, News Intern Jacklin Kwan talks ...

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Science Magazine Podcast

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Science Magazine Podcast episodes:

Visiting utopias, fighting heat death, and making mysterious ‘dark earth’

Reducing cartel violence in Mexico, and what to read and see this fall

Why cats love tuna, and powering robots with tiny explosions

Extreme ocean currents from a volcano, and why it’s taking so long to wire green energy into the U.S. grid

Reducing calculus trauma, and teaching AI to smell

The source of solar wind, hackers and salt halt research, and a book on how institutions decide gender

What killed off North American megafauna, and making languages less complicated

Why some trees find one another repulsive, and why we don’t know how much our hands weigh

Tracing the genetic history of African Americans using ancient DNA, and ethical questions at a famously weird medical museum

Researchers collaborate with a social media giant, ancient livestock, and sex and gender in South Africa

Adding thousands of languages to the AI lexicon, and the genes behind our bones

The AI special issue, adding empathy to robots, and scientists leaving Arecibo

Putting the man-hunter and woman-gatherer myth to the sword, and the electron's dipole moment gets closer to zero

Putting organs into the deep freeze, a scavenger hunt for robots, and a book on race and reproduction

A space-based telescope to hunt dark energy, and what we can learn from scaleless snakes

Why it’s tough to measure light pollution, and a mental health first aid course

Contraception for cats, and taking solvents out of chemistry

How we measure the world with our bodies, and hunting critical minerals

Talking tongues, detecting beer, and shifting perspectives on females

The earliest evidence for kissing, and engineering crops to clone themselves

Debating when death begins, and the fate of abandoned lands

Building big dream machines, and self-organizing landscapes

The value of new voices in science and journalism, and what makes something memorable

Mapping uncharted undersea volcanoes, and elephant seals dive deep to sleep

More precise radiocarbon dating, secrets of hibernating bear blood, and a new book series

Why not vaccinate chickens against avian flu, and new form of reproduction found in yellow crazy ants

How the Maya thought about the ancient ruins in their midst, and the science of Braille

New worries about Earth’s asteroid risk, and harnessing plants’ chemical factories

An active volcano on Venus, and a concerning rise in early onset colon cancer

Compassion fatigue in those who care for lab animals, and straightening out ocean conveyor belts

Battling bias in medicine, and how dolphins use vocal fry

Shrinking MRI machines, and the smell of tsetse fly love

Earth’s hidden hydrogen, and a trip to Uranus

Using sharks to study ocean oxygen, and what ancient minerals teach us about early Earth

Visiting a mummy factory, and improving the IQ of … toilets

Wolves hunting otters, and chemical weathering in a warming world

Bad stats overturn ‘medical murders,’ and linking allergies with climate change

Peering beyond the haze of alien worlds, and how failures help us make new discoveries

A controversial dam in the Amazon unites Indigenous people and scientists, and transplanting mitochondria to treat rare diseases

Year in review 2022: Best of online news, and podcast highlights

Breakthrough of the Year, and the best in science books

The state of science in Ukraine, and a conversation with Anthony Fauci

A genetic history of Europe’s Jews, and measuring magma under a supervolcano

Artificial intelligence takes on Diplomacy, and how much water do we really need?

Mammoth ivory trade may be bad for elephants, and making green electronics with fungus

Kurt Vonnegut’s contribution to science, and tunas and sharks as ecosystem indicators

Cities as biodiversity havens, and gene therapy for epilepsy

Space-based solar power gets serious, AI helps optimize chemistry, and a book on food extinction

Snakes living the high-altitude life, and sending computing power to the edges of the internet

Climate change threatens supercomputing, and collecting spider silks

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