Stanford SciCast

Picture an active, bubbling volcano, or, if you can, a hydrothermal vent, or even perhaps a cauldron full of boiling hot water into which you now add some acid. Do you particularly associate this imagery with life? It’s hard to imagine that there could be living things in these conditions, yet there are microbes that eat, breathe, and flourish in these places. These bugs are extremophiles, literally, lovers of the extreme. How do they survive and thrive in their intense home environments?

In this podcast episode, Annika and Nana Ansuah interview Dr. Paula Welander, a Stanford professor whose research lies at the intersection of geology and microbiology, about her recently published paper on extremophiles called Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Her group showed for the first time that a modification in the membranes of Sulfolobus allows it to live in its extreme home--the hot acid soup you pictured above--and to survive when these conditions fluctuate. Dr. Welander also takes us through her path to geomicrobiology and how her work can inform investigations about life on the ancient earth.

Many thanks to Dr. Welander for the interview!

Image credit:

“Microbial mat” by Supercarwaar is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Music credits:

“Vivaldi Winter mvt 1 Allegro non molto - The USAF Concert.ogg” by Antonio Vivaldi performed by The USAF Concert Band and Singing Sergeants is licensed under CC-PD-Mark.

“jazzy whatever” by Annika Brakebill.

One of humankind’s most enduring and exciting mysteries is the origin of our universe. For most of history, we could only look up to the skies and speculate on how the world came into existence. Now, modern technology has given us astonishing insight into the universe’s beginnings, inspiring groundbreaking new theories. But what if all this knowledge has only produced deeper, philosophical questions about the world’s oldest question?

Renata Kallosh, a leading theoretical physicist at Stanford, spends her days peering into the early universe searching for the elusive theory of quantum gravity. In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, Micah and Jiren talk to Kallosh about what cosmology and physics can tell us about the origins of the universe, and what scientists hope to find in the future.

Next, Stanford philosopher of science Thomas Ryckman tells us about the challenges faced by those trying answering the deepest questions about the world. It turns out that trying to understand every aspect of nature is forcing philosophers and physicists to turn to creative and sometimes unsatisfying answers.

This episode is an interstellar journey both backward and forward in time. Along the way, we will discover that the origins of the universe are both more complex and more beautiful than we imagined.

Image of Helix Nebula, credit to NASA, NOAO, ESA, the Hubble Helix Nebula Team, M. Meixner (STScI), and T.A. Rector (NRAO)

Do you know the story of when you were born? Was it a perfectly planned out day that culminated in your unblemished birth? Or, was it riddled with unexpected curveballs. Maybe you surprised your parents a few weeks early? In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, Nomi and Margot discuss the causes and consequences of premature births through the lenses of microbiology, preeclampsia, and women’s health.

Today, they clear the air of any icky gut reactions you may have to discussing the vaginal microbiome. After explaining how it influences pregnancy health, they dive into the hot topic of women’s health research, analyzing its main driving forces and mysterious angles, including the not yet understood disease of preeclampsia.

Nomi and Margot were able to gather a diversity of perspectives on pregnancy and pinpoint the areas of research that merit more awareness and funding. Dr. Relman, Stanford Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Dr. Virginia Winn, Stanford Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Marcia Stefanick, Professor of Health Research and Policy, and Kellie Loretz all generously contributed to the body of knowledge that made this podcast possible.

Image Credit: sleeping baby by is Azfar Ahmad is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, Robel Daniel and Amanda Urke explore the many factors influencing how complicated and often controversial science is conducted, communicated to non-expert audiences, and perceived by the public. Through conversations with Stanford Bioengineering Professor Drew Endy and Stanford science writer Bruce Goldman, Robel and Amanda explore the philosophical basis and limitations of scientific communication and how it is achieved in today’s media.

Thank you to Stanford Bioengineering Professor Drew Endy and Stanford science writer Bruce Goldman for sharing their perspectives on science and how it’s communicated, and to Professor Jennifer Stonaker for her guidance in the production of this podcast. To learn more about Dr. Pasca’s research, visit his lab website at https://www.pascalab.org/.

Image credit: “Brain Human Anatomy” by sbtlneet is is licensed under the Pixabay license.

Music credit: “Perihelion” by Arvind Ranganathan, used with personal and explicit permission. His current SoundCloud is https://soundcloud.com/vinceranga/tracks, and “Perihelion” was retrieved from his older SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/maestroarvind/tracks.

Can you imagine a reality where you could explore the ocean without getting wet? How about flying through the clouds without leaving the ground? How might your perspective of swimming or flying change?

In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, Andrew Pollack, a CS major, and Hanna Payne and Laura Anderson, two marine scientists, explore the world of virtual reality and the impact of technology on environmental education. What are the benefits of VR experiences and can virtual “dives” increase care and understanding of the ocean?

As the team learns about the VR industry with Megan O’Connor of Unity Technologies and environmental education with Indira Phukan from Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, they see how technology and education can intersect. They also experience ocean VR with Talia Weiss and Geraldine Fauville at the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab and Erika Woolsey, an Ocean Design Fellow and CEO of The Hydrous.

From coral reefs to kelp forests, dive into the world of virtual reality and its potential as an environmental education tool.

Learn more about the Stanford SciCast at https://stanfordscicast.wordpress.com

Image and Music Credits:

vr by Mello is licensed under CC BY 3.0

“Orange Sunshine” by Rod Hamilton and Tiffany Seal is licensed under CC BY-ND 4.0

“What’s Later?” by Apache Tomcat is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

“Please Listen Carefully” by Jahzzar is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

“Mission Bucharest” by Pharaos is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

“Admin” by A.A. Aalto is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0

“Music Box and Chill” by Daniel Birch is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

“Underwater” by Meydan is licensed under CC BY 4.0

“Evening Journey” by TRG Banks is licensed under CCO 1.0

Preview for season 3 of the Stanford SciCast, the podcast bringing cardinal research news from Stanford scientists to you.

This podcast is produced by students in a course offered by Stanford’s Program in Writing and Rhetoric.

In this episode of Stanford SciCast, Nate Nunez and Kira Minehart break down the inner workings of California’s water management systems. They interview Leon Szeptycki, director of Stanford’s Water in the West research program. Szeptycki discusses the necessity of modernizing the state’s antiquated water management systems, some of which date back to the Gold Rush.

For more information visit stanfordscicast.wordpress.com

In this episode, Skylar Cohen and Raga Ayyagari discuss how scientists use big data analysis to predict and understand patterns in personality. They explore the science behind big data, its applications in personality analysis, and how this information changes how we interact with ourselves and others.

For more information visit stanfordscicast.wordpress.com

In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, Emma Hutchinson and Maria Doerr explore what it means to be a scientist studying issues relating to climate change. How did they start working on climate change? How do they see their role in the public sphere? How do they deal with opposition to the results of their studies?

Image Credit: Time is ticking out. by mao_lini is licensed under CC BY-SA-2.0; Music Credit: Podington Bear is licensed under CC BY-NC-3.0

In this episode of the Stanford SciCast, James Spicer and Laurie Rumker explore the nature of human altruism: how we define it, whether it is innate or learned, and what makes humans behave altruistically.

For more information visit stanfordscicast.wordpress.com