University of Michigan Museum of Natural History Podcast

Pollinators play a vital role in our food systems and are crucial to preserving the areas across the world being threatened by climate change and industrialization, but it takes more than just planting flowers to protect our pollinators.

In this episode, Dr. Michelle Fearon will walk us through the basics of pollination and pollinator health, former U-M Horticulture Supervisor Bill Kronberg will explain how the University is engaging in pollinator health through its new Bee Campus USA certification, and Matthaei Botanical Garden’s Natural Areas Specialist Steven Parrish will speak on what you can do in your very own backyard. Join host Lindsay Gooch as she speaks with these industry professionals to uncover and understand the complex and incredibly interesting world of pollinator health.

Sometimes scientists must go to the ends of the earth, and even deep underground, to see the unseen! Join us and meet two charismatic researchers from the U-M Department of Physics who do just that. Bjoern Penning studies dark matter a mile underground in the former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, using Lux-Zeplin, the world's most sensitive dark matter experiment. Marcelle Soares Santos contributed to the construction of the Dark Energy Camera on a mountaintop in Chile, one of the largest telescope cameras in the world, which she now employs to search for gravitational wave-emitting collisions of neutron stars and black holes. Bring your physics questions for this exciting conversation!

How can renewables such as wind and solar energy produce power for use when the sun isn't shining or the wind ebbs? How can we capture the carbon dioxide that is already in the atmosphere?

Join Charles McCrory of the U-M Department of Chemistry and David Kwabi of the U-M Department of Mechanical Engineering to discuss new research on renewable energy storage: using renewable electricity to charge batteries and produce chemical fuels like hydrogen that can be used for later energy generation.

We'll also discuss how renewable energy may be used to mitigate climate change by capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide, or converting it into useful products.

How does ocean biodiversity change over deep time? Join Matt Friedman, director of the U-M Museum of Paleontology, and Hernán López-Fernández, chair for collections and curator of fishes in the U-M Museum of Zoology. We will discuss how Matt uses old fossil fishes to answer new questions about biodiversity hotspots in ancient oceans. Hernán will help us consider how this research can shed light on the biodiversity changes we see today.

Originally recorded November 16, 2022

The James Webb Space Telescope increases the clarity and resolution of space photography, both within our galaxy and beyond. What do these photos tell us so far and what can we expect in the future? What does it take to put a project like this together? Join Professor and Chair Ted Bergin from the U-M Department of Astronomy as we celebrate the return of Science Cafés with an out-of-this-world conversation.

Originally recorded on October 26, 2022. 

Great Lakes fisheries are managed intensively to reduce nutrients from fertilizer runoff and to increase game fish populations such as trout and salmon. When you add invasive species such as non-native mussels and the possibility of carp, we have a very fragile system. Join us to discuss the past, present, and possible futures of Lake Michigan fisheries with Bo Bunnell of the U.S.G.S. Great Lakes Science Center and U-M School for Environment and Sustainability, Yu-Chun Kao of MSU's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability, and Ed Rutherford of the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab.

Originally recorded on February 19, 2020. 

If you stretched the DNA in one human cell all the way out, it would be about two meters long. How does all that DNA fit into one tiny cell? How does the way it is packaged matter for human health? Join Gyorgyi Csankovszki of the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology for a discussion of current research into basic cellular biology and the implications this research may have on human health. This Science Café is part of a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Originally recorded on January 22, 2020. 

Hidden in the feathers of museum specimens of birds is information on the air quality of past decades - very detailed information. These specimens also contain evidence of the impacts of recent climate change on birds. What do these birds have to say? Join Shane DuBay and Ben Winger of the U-M Museum of Zoology to discuss what bird specimens can tell us about air quality, climate change impacts, and what we can all do to help rapidly declining bird populations now.

Originally recorded on October 16, 2019.

Microbes in the water take carbon from the atmosphere, break down plastics, and even cause and prevent toxic algae blooms. Join Dr. Melissa Duhaime of the U-M's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and members of her lab team to discuss the ecology of aquatic microbes, and how what we learn about them now could have huge impacts on our future.

Originally recorded November 20, 2019.

For more information on future Science Cafes, please visit our website. 

Have you ever helped with research by doing a Christmas bird count, helping to identify photos for an online project, or participating in local water testing? Join us as we explore the potential roles of citizen and community science projects in scientific research and public policy. We’ll highlight some U-M projects, with opportunities for involvement. 

For more information on future Science Cafes, please visit our website.