Science Talk

In this episode, Michigan State University historian of science Kristie Macrakis discusses the use of radioactive isotopes in the cloak and dagger world of cold war espionage, and what it tells us about the polonium poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko. We'll also hear a Christmas poem dedicated to the graduate students and postdocs who burn the midnight oil even on Christmas Eve. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include blog.sciam.com; www.sciam.com/podcast; www.sciam.com/news Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Nobel Prize winner Harold Varmus talks about the challenges facing the U.S. in science and technology competitiveness and some possible plans of action, related to the Brookings Institution's Hamilton Project. And the American Museum of Natural History's Jin Meng discusses a major new fossil find, a flying mammal some 130 million years old. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com/podcast; www.sciam.com/news; www.sciamdigital.com; www.hamiltonproject.org; www.amnh.org/science; www.nature.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Leiden University bird song expert Hans Slabbekorrn notes the changes in bird vocalizations when they move from the forest to the city. And we wrap up our series on Scientific American magazine's "SA 50" citations with Ivo Menzinger, managing director of sustainability and emerging risk management for the reinsurance company Swiss Re. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com/podcast; www.sciam.com/news Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, MIT Communications Forum Director David Thorburn discusses the future of newspapers and news in light of new technology. Scientific American editor Steve Ashley talks about the magazine's "SA 50" picks in the areas of automobile and fuel technology advances. And we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com/podcast; web.mit.edu/comm-forum; web.mit.edu/comm-forum/forums.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American's "SA 50" research leader of the year, MIT's Angela Belcher, discusses her work using viruses and other organisms to help create nanoelectronics. Animal behaviorist and turkey expert Richard Buchholz brings us up to date on some turkey science. And we'll test your knowledge of some recent turkey science in the news and outer boroughs. Websites mentioned on this episode include http://home.olemiss.edu/~byrb; www.sciam.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American editor-in-chief John Rennie talks about the World Science Forum, held in New York City last week. Forum speaker Mike Roco, nanotechnology advisor to the National Science Foundation, shares some thoughts about our tiny tomorrow. Chemist Roald Hoffmann reads his own poetry and discusses the importance of fuzzy thinking in science. And we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include blog.sciam.com; www.sciam.com/podcast; www.hsm-us.com/wsf; www.roaldhoffmann.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American Mind executive editor Mariette Dichristina talks about a special section of the magazine devoted to the roles of gestures and facial expressions in communications. A panel discussion of government secrecy at the annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Journalists featured climate researcher James Hansen; we'll play some highlights from his comments regarding secrecy and science. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciammind.com; www.sciam.com/news; www.sciam.com/podcast; http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, journalist Larry Tye talks about his new book, SHOCK, written with electroshock patient Kitty Dukakis, wife of former governor and presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. Following Tye, Charles Welch, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital electroconvulsive therapy program, discusses the treatments knowns and unknowns. Then Scientific American editor Christine Soares shares some insights about an unusual stem cell research conference held last week in New York City. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.egrandslam.com; www.sciam.com/news; blog.sciam.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, evolutionary biologist Sean Carroll talks about his new book, "The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution." Even without fossils or comparative anatomy, vast amounts of evidence for evolution and its mechanisms exist in the genomes of the organisms alive today. Carroll discusses immortal genes, fossil genes and repetition in evolution, as well as environmental issues in light of evolutionary understanding. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.seanbcarroll.com; www.egrandslam.com; www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/babies; www.sciam.com/news; www.sciam.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, journalist Robin Marantz Henig discusses a TV program airing on October 23 based in part on Pandora's Baby, the title of her book and Scientific American article about the early days of In Vitro Fertilization. JJ Mirsky talks about the technology of early radios. And we'll look at what happens when a company's name or url becomes detrimental overnight because of some coincidental association with another name. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include blog.sciam.com; www.sciamdigital.com; www.egrandslam.com; www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/babies Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, journalist Philip Ross discusses his article in the October Scientific American, called "Viral Nanoelectronics," about wires, batteries and microchips constructed out of viruses. New Jersey Institute of Technology mathematics professor Bruce Bukiet talks about his probability estimates for the first round of major league baseball's playoffs and how he managed to miss all four series winners while still being correct in his calculations. Scientific American magazine news editor Philip Yam recounts how he boldly went to the Star Trek memorabilia auction last week in New York City. Plus we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com/news; blog.sciam.com; www.egrandslam.com; http://m.njit.edu/~bukiet/playoffs.htm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Court cases increasingly deal with complex science and technical issues. And the last time some judges were in a science classroom was before Watson and Crick published the structure of DNA (or at least before the beginning of the Human Genome Project). We'll talk about bringing judges up to science speed with Franklin Zweig and Robert Bell, the chief judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland. Zweig is the president and Bell is chairman of the board of directors of the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource, an organization devoted to training judges in science (and the product of a Congressional mandate accompanying the Human Genome Project). Then, in the Ask A Scientist segment, the Wildlife Conservation Society's Paul Calle responds to a listener query about how some animals seemingly eat just about anything without any dire consequences. And we'll take a quick trip through a batch of other questions submitted by listeners. Websites related to this episode include www.einshac.org; www.wcs.org; www.sciam.com/news; blog.sciam.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Last week, the National Academy of Sciences and other institutions released a report titled Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering. Maria Zuber, head of the department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was one of the members of the committee that prepared that report. We talk to her about the findings and recommendations of the committee. She also discusses her research mapping Mars, Mercury and the Moon. Scientific American reporter JR Minkel chats about his web article called That's Debatable: Six Debates at the Frontier of Science. Plus, we'll test your knowledge of some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.nap.edu; www.tinyurl.com/qa6bz; www.sciam.com/news; www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0005726E-214A-1514-A14A83414B7F013F Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A major paleoanthropological fossil find was announced on September 20th. Donald Johanson is the director of the Institute of Human Origins and professor of human origins at Arizona State University, and is the discoverer of the famous Lucy fossil more than three decades ago. In this episode, he talks about the new finding and what it means for our understanding of human evolution. We also hear recent comments by John Hofmeister, the president of the Shell Oil Company, that might sound surprising coming from a person in his position. And we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com; www.sciamdigital.com; www.sciam.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, MIT physicist Ernest Moniz discusses the future of nuclear energy and the article he co-authored in the September issue of Scientific American called The Nuclear Option. David Holmes of Manchester Metropolitan University talks about the reality of mouse food preferences and whether or not cheese is included. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com; http://web.mit.edu/nuclearpower; www.cheese.com; http://www.defensetech.org/archives/2006_09.html. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, MIT astrophysicist Paul Schechter offers some perspective on recent research about the universe's mysterious "dark matter." Journalist Karen Hopkin and host Steve Mirsky talk about the new daily Scientific American podcast, called "60-Second Science." And Scientific American magazine contributing editor Sarah Simpson shares some thoughts about the late Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter." Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com, www.sciam.com/podcast, www.sciam.com/news and Paul Schechter's home page, http://tinyurl.com/r9yg6. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, journalist Leslie Sabbagh discusses the teen brain, the subject of her cover story in the August/September issue of Scientific American Mind. Geologist Kip Hodges, the director of the Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration, answers a listener's question about the earth's fickle magnetic poles. Plus we'll test your knowledge about the status of Pluto and other science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include www.sciam.com and www.sciammind.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American editor-in-chief John Rennie talks about the September, single-topic issue of the magazine, the focus of which is Energy's Future: Beyond Carbon. He also explains the Emmy Award in his home. And University of East Anglia School of Medicine professor Christopher Cowley discusses his proposal of new requirements for medical school candidates. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include, www.sciam.com; www.sciamdigital.com; and Professor Cowley's article at http://tinyurl.com/nlkns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American editor George Musser explains recent research that could mean that the entire universe is 15 percent bigger and about two billion years older than previously thought. Plus, Pluto expert and MIT professor Richard Binzel, a member of the Planet Definition Committee of the International Astronomical Union, discusses the status of Pluto. And amateur astronomer and Plutophile Ari Mirsky shares his thoughts. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this episode include blog.sciam.com, www.sciam.com and www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, journalist Paul Raeburn talks about how the Environmental Protection Agency has been taking a long time, decades in fact, to figure out how to handle some potentially dangerous chemicals. And astronomer and geologist Peter Schultz talks about his chosen method of learning about the universe--smashing stuff. Websites mentioned on this podcast include www.paulraeburn.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Phil Ross talks about what scientists have learned is necessary to achieve expertise in virtually any field. Ross's article on the subject, The Expert Mind, is in the August issue of Scientific American. And Sheldon Schafer, who sports the title of Curator of the Solar System (a huge model of the solar system centered in Peoria, Illinois) discusses the Interplanetary Bicycle Ride, coming up on August 12 and 13. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include Spectrum.IEEE.org; www.lakeview-museum.org; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, geologist Kip Hodges discusses how climate and mountain evolution influence each other in the Himalayas, the subject of his article in the August issue of Scientific American. And former astronaut Dr. James Bagian, currently the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Patient Safety, talks about patient safety. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include the Arizona State University School of Earth and Space Exploration, www.sese.asu.edu; the National Center for Patient Safety, www.patientsafety.gov; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, former astronaut Dr. James Bagian, currently the director of the Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Patient Safety, talks about being in space and safety issues related to the shuttle. And Max Houck, director of the Forensic Science Initiative at West Virginia University and author of the July Scientific American article "CSI: Reality," talks about court challenges to fingerprint evidence. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include www.patientsafety.gov and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Max Houck, director of the Forensic Science Initiative at West Virginia University and author of the July Scientific American article "CSI: Reality," talks about the effect the CSI shows have had in the real world and about real crime scene investigation versus what's portrayed on TV. And John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest, talks about the recent Coke/Pepsi espionage case and the realities of secret soda formulas in the age of high-tech chemistry labs. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Websites mentioned on this podcast include www.beverage-digest.com; www.publicknowledge.org/node/497; www.tinyurl.com/LGL6P; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we go to the research and development facility of Ben and Jerry's in Vermont, to talk about the science of ice cream. We'll talk to Derek Spors, ice cream scientician (a.k.a. "senior product developer-food technology") and Eric Fredette, group leader of flavor development. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include http://www.benjerry.com; the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com; and http://technology.physorg.com/news70817487.html. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, science writer Karen de Seve shares her adventures in the Bering Sea; journalist Dr. John Miller talks about a radiation health conference; and taxonomist and paleontologist Scott Thomson discusses the late Harriet the tortoise. Plus we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the Liberty Science Center, www.lsc.org; Karen de Seve's blog, http://beringsea.blogspot.com; the American Statistical Association, www.amstat.org; Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriet; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, the special guest is renowned biologist and author Edward O. Wilson. First we'll hear clips from a talk he gave last week at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, in conjunction with the publication of his new book, Nature Revealed: Selected Writings 1949-2006. Then Scientific American podcast host Steve Mirsky talks to Wilson about a few specifics in biology and conservation. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the American Museum of Natural History, www.amnh.org; and the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, freelance reporter Beth Baldwin talks about some of the goings-on at the recent annual meeting of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, entitled "Genomes, Evolution, and Bioinformatics." And Kate Wong, Scientific American's paleontology and anthropology expert, talks about recent findings in human evolution as well as a new, unusual dinosaur discovery. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution, http://www.smbe.org; the conference page, http://www.smbe.org/geb; the Paleoanthropology Society, http://www.paleoanthro.org; the Scientific American blog, blog.sciam.com; the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Liz Johnson and Felicity Arengo from the American Museum of Natural History take Scientific American podcast host Steve Mirsky for a walk in the park--Central Park--to talk about the spring bird migration and the role that Central Park and other green spaces plays in the lives of birds and other animals. Author Marie Winn also talks about the park and the wildlife it supports. Plus, we'll test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Organizations and websites mentioned on this podcast include the American Museum of Natural History, www.amnh.org; the Central Park Conservancy, www.centralparknyc.org; the New York City Audubon Society, www.nycaudubon.org; the Linnean Society, www.linnean.org; Marie Winn, www.mariewinn.com; the Scientific American blog, blog.sciam.com; the Scientific American Digital Archive, www.sciamdigital.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, the guest is Eric Kandel, recipient of the 2000 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. Kandel discusses his research, his personal background and their intersection. He talks about what kinds of scientific investigation he finds most interesting and worthwhile and where he would concentrate if he were beginning his research career today. These and other subjects are also themes of his new book, In Search of Memory, and his article in the current issue (April/May) of Scientific American Mind, called The New Science of Mind. After the interview, we'll also test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American editor Mark Alpert talks about his trip inside the Tevatron, the world's most powerful particle accelerator, at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the future of the Tevatron, specifically for neutrino research. Scientific American senior writer Wayt Gibbs reports on the recent CHI2006 conference. CHI is for computer human interface, and the conference is the largest annual meeting of computer scientists who study and invent the ways that humans and computers talk to each other. Wayt interviewed Ed Cutrell, from Microsoft Research's Adaptive Systems Interaction Group, and reviews some of the subjects he came across at the meeting. Finally, computer scientist and chemist Ehud Shapiro talks about DNA computers and his article on the subject in the May issue of Scientific American. Plus, test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Cambridge conservation scientist Andrew Balmford discusses the state of the world's birds; the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Rex Johnson talks about a new, strategic approach to conservation (both men were presenters at the recent conference "Conserving Birds in Human-Dominated Landscapes" at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City); and the Wildlife Conservation Society's Alan Rabinowitz describes his efforts to save the world's big cats. Plus, test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Nobel Prize winning physicist Frank Wilczek talks about his new book, Fantastic Realities, as well as his research and the current and future state of physics. His wife, Betsy Devine, talks about taking the phone call from Stockholm informing Professor Wilczek that he had been awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in physics. Plus, test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, physicist William Zajc talks about how the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at the Brookhaven National Laboratory is giving scientists a glimpse into what the universe was like in its first microseconds of existence; historian Joyce Chaplin discusses Benjamin Franklin the scientist and her book The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius; and Steve Mirsky talks about the recent "Teaching Evolution and the Nature of Science" conference in New York City, where he interviewed Jennifer Miller, biology teacher involved in the Dover intelligent design trial. Plus, test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, the conclusion of a two-part interview with anthropologist Carel Van Schaik about intelligence in animals; astronomer Steven Squyres talks about the current state of the Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity; and cardiologist Arthur Klatsky rebuts a recent meta-study that claims that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption confers no cardiovascular health benefits. Plus, test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, the first of a two-part interview with anthropologist Carel Van Schaik about the role of culture in boosting intelligence in animals; historian and writer William Lanouette discusses an upcoming History Channel program about the roles of Einstein and Leo Szilard in the beginning of the nuclear age; and Scientific American editor-in-chief John Rennie reports on a recent sustainable development conference. Plus, test your knowledge about some recent science in the news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American writer Gary Stix talks about the ingenious way researcher Floyd Romesberg is attacking the problem of antibiotic resistance; award-winning journalist Joel Shurkin discusses his new biography of controversial physics Nobel Laureate William Shockley; and genomics researcher Steven Salzberg raises questions about the way flu data is currently shared and disseminated among scientists and the effects on public health. Also, test your knowledge about current events in science with our quiz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, clinical psychologist and U.S. Army Captain Bret Moore discusses combat stress in Iraq and his article on combat stress in the February/March issue of Scientific American Mind; Intel Science Talent Search winner Shannon Babb talks about her winning project; and astronomer Stephen Pompea speaks about the GLOBE At Night worldwide science project taking place the week of March 22. Also, beer with us while you listen to our current events quiz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American.com editorial director Kate Wong talks about the anthropology community's latest take on the remains of tiny humans from Flores; chemist Jennifer Mass discusses how she uses her science background artistically; and journalist Paul D. Thacker reveals how what appear to be environmental groups may be wolves in sheep's clothing. Also, test your science knowledge with our current events quiz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, biologist Lenny Guarente talks about his Scientific American article on the genetics of aging; anthropologist Meredith Small discusses the "diaper-free movement"; and computer engineer M. Granger Morgan talks about the possible dangers to aircraft navigation posed by electronic devices used by passengers. Also: see if you can spot the fake science story in the batch we'll throw your way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, astrophysicist Eugene Parker talks about his Scientific American article on the threat that cosmic rays pose to astronauts; geneticist Dave Coltman discusses testing the DNA of an alleged sasquatch; and geochemist Don Siegel discusses how he became the author of a Chinese cookbook. Also: test your science smarts with our quiz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American senior writer Wayt Gibbs talks about what he learned at a major computer security conference, the RSA Conference 2006; physicist Mark Shegelski reveals some of the science secrets about the Olympic sport of curling; and frequent Scientific American contributor JR Minkel discusses a number of stories he picked up at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Also: test your knowledge with our science-in-the-news quiz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American staff editor Christine Soares talks about avian flu; Bruce Mirken discusses marijuana policy in the U.S. and England; and paleontologist Gregory Erickson describes the newfound long-lost cousin of T. rex. Also: test your science smarts with our quiz and hear how yesterday's comics might have handled today's news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Scientific American editor-in-chief John Rennie reflects on the Korean stem cell debacle; the National Inventors Hall of Fame announces this year's inductees; and evolution defender Eugenie Scott discusses the importance of the decision in the recent Dover evolution trial. Also: hear outtakes from the CSI show you're never going to see on TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices