Transistor

By PRX

What's Transistor about?

Transistor is podcast of scientific curiosities and current events, featuring guest hosts, scientists, and story-driven reporters. Presented by radio and podcast powerhouse PRX, with support from the Sloan Foundation.

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Transistor episodes:

11.13.2017
No Inoculation without Representation!
Vaccinations, in one form or another, have been around longer than the United States. In fact, during the Revolutionary War in 1776, future first lady Abigail Adams pursued the controversial scientific technique to protect her 5 children against a threat...
10.30.2017
Cosmic Ray Catchers
Cosmic rays from outer space sound like science fiction. They’re not—invisible particles flung from outer space pass through our bodies every minute. But not all cosmic rays are equal; Some are immensely powerful and very rare. For decades scientists have...
10.16.2017
Three Letters on Broom Bridge
Every October 16th hundreds of people gather in Dublin to celebrate Ireland's greatest mathematician, William Rowan Hamilton. And get this – It was his act of vandalism on Broom Bridge in 1843 that put him in the history books –...
10.02.2017
After A Flood
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma left devastation in their wake all across the southern United States as unimaginable quantities of water swallowed up small towns and cities alike. But what happens to that water and how can cities better prepare ahead...
09.18.2017
Bowl Tastes Delicious
What if the size of our dinner plate, its color, the material of our cutlery - even background sounds - all affect how our food tastes? In other words, what if it’s not just about what we cooked for dinner,...
09.04.2017
Hurry Up and Listen
Underneath our vrooms, beeps, and rumbles, natural sound may be more important than we think.
08.21.2017
A Job for the Bee Team
On May 2, 2015, beekeepers Pam Arnold and Kristy Allen got hit with a pesticide. They couldn't see it or smell it, but when they saw their bees writhing on the ground and dying they knew something was seriously wrong....
08.08.2017
An Ovarian Transplant Between Twins
Thirty-six-year-old twins Carol and Katy are physically identical in every way but one: Katy was born without ovaries, and wanted to start a family. The science and ethics behind ovarian transplants as a treatment for infertility.
05.17.2017
Tick Tock Biological Clock
The headlines are often full of advice for women about when they should have children. Marnie Chesterton goes digging into the fertility stats and myths for modern women. Prepare to be surprised.
04.28.2017
Owning the Clouds
Humans have always been interested in controlling the weather. In the past we used raindances and sacrifices; today we turn to science. Cloud seeding is practiced all over the world, but there's still a lot we don't know about it....
04.03.2017
Spotting Fake Art -- with Math
Visual stylometry is a branch of mathematics that can determine the style of a particular artist’s body of work.
03.09.2017
Engineering NYC from Below
Head underground to hear how the first subways were built and how they are built today.
02.07.2017
700 Fathoms Under the Sea
Something unusual happens about a half mile under the sea. Ocean physics create a special zone where sound travels for hundreds, even thousands of miles. Whales use it, and cold warriors plumbed its secrets. Listen in.
01.20.2017
Sidedoor from the Smithsonian: Shake it Up
For the next few episodes, we’re featuring the Smithsonian’s new series, Sidedoor, about where science, art, history, and humanity unexpectedly overlap — just like in their museums. In this episode: an astronomer who has turned the night sky into a...
12.09.2016
Sidedoor from the Smithsonian: Butting Heads
For the next few episodes, we're featuring the Smithsonian's new series, Sidedoor. This time, two besties turn into lifelong enemies over a dining room; a researcher embraces the panda craze; and why some dinosaur skulls were built to take a...
12.01.2016
Sidedoor from the Smithsonian: Masters of Disguise
For the next few episodes, we're featuring the Smithsonian's new series, Sidedoor, about where science, art, history, humanity and where they unexpectedly overlap -- just like their museums. Up first: tales of scientific deception and trickery.
11.11.2016
Dance: It’s Only Human
Dancing is something we see in almost every human culture. Yet we are the only animals that make such synchronized movements together to music. Why is that, and what is it about dance that gives us a feeling of togetherness?
10.20.2016
The Words are a Jumble
Vissarion Shebalin was not a great composer. But his music could unlock an important truth about how the brain processes music and language.
09.21.2016
The Art and Science of Polynesian Wayfinding
Ancient navigators traveled across the Pacific without the aid of maps or instruments. We'll hear from modern-day navigators in New Zealand, Hawai'i and North America about the techniques used to do so.
09.02.2016
Remaking the Science Fair
Schools are remaking science fairs to include more actual science and less papier-mâché volcanos.
08.06.2016
Peeing in Your Pants… In Your 30s
Some studies suggest that one out of 10 women in her 30s is peeing herself. Others say the numbers could be much much higher. But it’s tough to talk about. Producer Lauren Whaley shares her story and the scientific approaches...
07.21.2016
The Ghost in the MP3
What's lost when a song is compressed into an MP3? To the untrained ear, perhaps nothing. But to one composer, these "lost sounds" are a source for his stunning and ghostly musical compositions.
06.21.2016
Outside Podcast: Devil’s Highway, Part 2
Outside podcast Science of Survival, episode 4: In the spring 2001, a large group of men set out from Mexico to cross the border into Arizona through some of the harshest desert terrain anywhere. The tragic result helped researchers develop...
06.02.2016
Outside Podcast: Devil’s Highway, Part 1
Outside Podcast's Science of Survival, episode 3: In the heart of the Sonoran Desert is the remarkable story of Pablo Valencia, a gold prospector who spent six days wandering in 110-degree heat before stumbling into scientist William McGee’s camp.
05.19.2016
Outside Podcast: Struck by Lightning
Outside Podcast's Science of Survival, episode 2: Most of the time, when lightning makes the news, you’re hearing about it because something really unlikely has happened. Like the park ranger who was struck by lightning seven times. Or the strike...
05.05.2016
Trace Elements: The Musical
Birds of a feather may flock together -- but they don't sing together if they live in the city. It turns out birds that live in the city sing at higher frequencies, louder, and more often than their rural friends...
04.21.2016
Trace Elements: Mystery at the Lake
In the 1970s, a geochemist and a biologist banded together to solve a mystery at Lake Oneida in upstate New York. What they found is changing the way we think about human life, and where the origins of life come...
04.07.2016
Trace Elements: Upgrade
Third episode featuring Trace Elements. Hacking your hearing aid to implanting NFC tags into your hands — we are now in the age of DIY Bio. Dive into the growing underworld of body modification from the backrooms of tattoo shops...
03.30.2016
Outside Podcast: Frozen Alive
Brought to you by Outside Magazine and PRX, the Outside Podcast aims to apply the magazine’s long-standing literary storytelling methods to the audio realm. The podcast’s first series delves into the science of survival in some of nature’s most extreme...
03.24.2016
Trace Elements: Fooled Ya
Marco Tempest is not your average magician. He uses robots to do magic tricks on stage -- but the real trick is in how easily he can get an audience to believe that robot has personality and is almost human.
03.10.2016
Trace Elements: The Reset
Two hosts, one adventure: This episode marks the beginning of five weeks of special Transistor episodes featuring Trace Elements. Hosts and producers Cristina Quinn and Alison Bruzek take listeners on an off-road trip into the science that connects us. In...
02.29.2016
The Invention of the Home Pregnancy Test
We love a good backstory to a scientific invention that is ubiquitous today. Meet the women who got pregnancy tests out of labs and into homes.
02.12.2016
Rodney Learns to Fly
“Biophilia” refers to the instinctive affection humans have for nature. This story is about one such connection: Rodney grew up selling dope and guns. But he's always loved caring for birds. The drugs landed him in jail. The birds helped...
01.26.2016
Imagine All the People
Casey is just four, but he already has an imaginary grandson. What does science say about what imaginary friends do for kids and adults?
01.07.2016
Disease Detectives On the Case
Ebola, salmonella, even measles. All of these have a source, and disease detectives trained at the CDC know how to find the culprits. Join two rookies as as they solve the case of the nutty dish.
12.17.2015
Orbital Path: Must Be Aliens
Why are humans so quick to attribute unknowns to the work of aliens? Hosted by Michelle Thaller and featuring guest Phil Plait, the "Bad Astronomer".
12.07.2015
Bluegrass…for Wolves?
Do animals like music? Science might know.
11.20.2015
All By Myself…Maybe
“52 Hz” is the name given to a mysterious whale that vocalizes at a different frequency than other whales. Some refer to him as “The World’s Loneliest Whale,” but other scientists aren’t convinced that its unique call has left the...
11.05.2015
Nautilus special: “To Save California, Read Dune”
The sci-fi epic "Dune" takes place on a desert planet. There, the water in even a single tear is precious. Can "Dune" offer lessons for the drought-stricken California of 2015?
10.05.2015
The Indiana Jones of Math
Join us for a math adventure. Just bring your thickest jacket.
08.18.2015
Forensics in Flames
Over the past 20 years, there’s been a revolution in the science of arson investigations. Many of the clues that had been used for decades to determine that a fire was not accidental have been proven to be false. Reporter...
07.16.2015
That Crime of the Month
What does it mean when a woman commits a crime and attributes her actions to PMS? We revisit the court case for — and the science behind — the first use of the “PMS defense” in this country, back in...
07.06.2015
The Last of the Iron Lungs
Step inside an archaic machine on the brink of extinction: the iron lung.
06.29.2015
Where Math and Mime Meet
Math meets mime -- and the result is unforgettable.
06.11.2015
This is Crohn’s Disease
Told by the couple who lived it, this is a story of how Crohn’s disease can change lives when you least expect it. And it’s a story of how science can present multiple paths to — hopefully — relief or...
05.29.2015
Finding the Elusive Digital Stradivarius
In music, everything seems to have another digital, electric life. Pianists can play with different voicings on an electric keyboard. Guitarists can filter their instrument’s signal through a pedal or amp to create various effects. Why shouldn’t violinists be able...
05.22.2015
Totally Cerebral: Exercise and Your Brain
A scientific mentor can make or break your career. Dr. Wendy Suzuki introduces us to Dr. Marian Diamond, whose lively classes ushered Wendy into a career in neuroscience. And Wendy shares how she came to study how exercise profoundly affects...
05.14.2015
Science’s Blind Spots
One of the things we assign to science is that there are true, absolute facts. But scientists are human and, it turns out, as prone to blind spots in their thinking as the rest of us, especially when cultural assumptions...
05.07.2015
Early Bloom
When plant researcher David Rhoades found evidence that plants could communicate, it was a paradigm-shifting discovery. But it could not have come at a worse time.
04.23.2015
The Next Generation of Galapagos Scientists
What motivates young people to become scientists? Meet Maricruz Jaramillo and Samoa Asigau, two young women scientists from opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean, whose professional aspirations have taken them to the Galapagos Islands. Science reporter Véronique LaCapra joined Mari...

What's Transistor about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Transistor episodes:

No Inoculation without Representation!

Cosmic Ray Catchers

Three Letters on Broom Bridge

After A Flood

Bowl Tastes Delicious

Hurry Up and Listen

A Job for the Bee Team

An Ovarian Transplant Between Twins

Tick Tock Biological Clock

Owning the Clouds

Spotting Fake Art -- with Math

Engineering NYC from Below

700 Fathoms Under the Sea

Sidedoor from the Smithsonian: Shake it Up

Sidedoor from the Smithsonian: Butting Heads

Sidedoor from the Smithsonian: Masters of Disguise

Dance: It’s Only Human

The Words are a Jumble

The Art and Science of Polynesian Wayfinding

Remaking the Science Fair

Peeing in Your Pants… In Your 30s

The Ghost in the MP3

Outside Podcast: Devil’s Highway, Part 2

Outside Podcast: Devil’s Highway, Part 1

Outside Podcast: Struck by Lightning

Trace Elements: The Musical

Trace Elements: Mystery at the Lake

Trace Elements: Upgrade

Outside Podcast: Frozen Alive

Trace Elements: Fooled Ya

Trace Elements: The Reset

The Invention of the Home Pregnancy Test

Rodney Learns to Fly

Imagine All the People

Disease Detectives On the Case

Orbital Path: Must Be Aliens

Bluegrass…for Wolves?

All By Myself…Maybe

Nautilus special: “To Save California, Read Dune”

The Indiana Jones of Math

Forensics in Flames

That Crime of the Month

The Last of the Iron Lungs

Where Math and Mime Meet

This is Crohn’s Disease

Finding the Elusive Digital Stradivarius

Totally Cerebral: Exercise and Your Brain

Science’s Blind Spots

Early Bloom

The Next Generation of Galapagos Scientists