The Best of Our Knowledge

The Best of Our Knowledge

By Lucas WillardEducation
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The Best of Our Knowledge episodes

  • Understanding life’s origins and cheating chickadees
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.Scientists investigating the origins of life on Earth have made new discoveries about the earliest split in the tree of life.And we’ll learn about common backyard birds cheating on their mates.
    29 min
  • Urban mosquitos and a distant atmosphere
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.New research links pesky mosquitoes that thrive in urban areas to invasive plants.And scientists have confirmed an atmosphere on a distant planet in what’s called a habitable zone – they think it could potentially be home to life far outside our solar system.
    29 min
  • Too much TV and cancerous catfish
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.You may have been told when you were a kid, “If you keep watching that TV, you’ll rot your brain!”There might be some truth to that.And we’ll learn about a transmissible cancer found in a common catfish.
    29 min
  • PAC-MAN and signals from space
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.Tuberculosis is one of the deadliest diseases faced by humans. A team of researchers is using AI to potentially find more reliable treatments. And, as we listen for extraterrestrial radio waves, have we missed messages and should we change the way we scan for signals?
    29 min
  • Diagnostic gaming and ancient DNA
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.We’ll learn how researchers are using a video game to identify people experiencing depression.And a new study reveals human DNA can survive for thousands of years in underground caves.
    29 min
  • A new kind of bachelor’s degree
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.As prospective students weigh the cost and demands of achieving a college degree, the first three-year bachelor’s degree programs in Massachusetts are preparing for launch. We’ll speak with the state’s Commissioner of Higher Education about the effort to reimagine the college experience.
    29 min
  • Hidden math and a massive fungal network
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.A very common houseplant is revealing the secret math of plants.And scientists estimate an underground network of tiny fungal filaments would, if placed end-to-end, span 10 percent of our Milky Way galaxy.
    29 min
  • Sleeping fish and honey bee navigation
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.A new study finds that fish are similar to humans in how they sleep.And researchers used a drone to track honey bees. They found the insects have surprisingly precise flight patterns.
    29 min
  • Prehistoric squirrels and ancient graves
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.Scientists have analyzed the fossilized poop of prehistoric ground squirrels. The findings tell us a lot about life in North America 700,000 years ago.And an ancient gravesite found in modern-day Germany offers a new glimpse into the Bronze Age.
    29 min
  • Understanding linguistic bias in AI
    The Best of Our Knowledge explores topics on learning, education, and research.Not all answers given by artificial intelligence-powered chatbots are equal. It can be that, based on what language users might ask their question, a chatbot may give a different response.We’ll speak with a researcher who was part of a time that examined how government media control affects AI.
    29 min

About The Best of Our Knowledge

From the publisher's feed

Throughout the world, new discoveries are being made every day that shape our ways of thinking and redefine our understanding of today’s information-driven society. "The Best of Our Knowledge"…

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