Science Friday

Daniel Litt, an associate professor studying AI’s interaction with math, and Emily Riehl, a Johns Hopkins category theory researcher, discuss AI’s leap from flubbed arithmetic to contest-level wins. They debate AI-generated proofs, the rise of ‘vibe-proving,’ risks of bogus preprints, and the role of formal proof assistants. The conversation weighs changing workflows, verification standards, and what mathematicians will need going forward.

Christine Webb, primatologist and NYU environmental studies professor and author of The Arrogant Ape, explores why Punch the monkey captivated millions. She talks about how we see ourselves in primates, the pitfalls of anthropomorphism, and how research methods and human bias shape comparisons. The conversation examines continuity and difference between humans and other primates.

Dr. Seema Lakdawala, co-director of the Center for Transmission of Airborne Pathogens and an Emory professor who studies airborne virus spread at animal–human interfaces. She covers ongoing H5N1 circulation in birds and farms. She discusses limits of surveillance and on-farm air and manure as viral sources. She talks about marine mammal infections, vaccine choices for livestock, and practical precautions like avoiding dead birds and raw milk.

Dr. David George Haskell, biologist and author exploring how flowers shaped ecosystems and human life. He describes how floral innovations transformed landscapes. He explains signals like color and scent that coordinate with pollinators. He highlights grasses as hidden flowering powerhouses and uses orchids to show tight pollinator relationships and vulnerability to change.

David Pogue, tech journalist and author of Apple: The First 50 Years, traces Apple's rise from garage tinkering to a global tech force. He recounts Steve Jobs' magnetic leadership, Wozniak's engineering roots, the mouse and GUI from Xerox PARC, the iPhone’s risky multi-touch pivot, secret projects like Project Titan, and odd missteps such as the Paladin fax prototype.

Andy Weir, bestselling sci-fi novelist and producer of the film adaptation, shares on-set stories and creative choices. Mike Wong, astrobiologist and planetary scientist, reflects on truly alien life and scientific perspective. They discuss a sun-dimming microbial threat, designing a non-humanoid alien named Rocky, and how filmmakers build empathy for a faceless creature.

Dr. Julian Katzke, a postdoc at the Smithsonian who built the AntScan 3D ant imaging pipeline during his PhD, discusses making high-resolution, micrometer-scale X-ray scans of thousands of ants. He explains the fast synchrotron scanning setup, the stunning anatomical detail revealed, and how the open dataset can power science, art, and AI-driven research.

Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker staff writer and environmental author, reflects on insect declines, the tilt of worldview after witnessing the Great Barrier Reef, and community climate action like Samso’s carbon-neutral transition. She discusses the emotional toll of reporting on climate, debates around hope versus urgency, and the challenges of restoring reefs and scaling solutions.

Caroline Chung, a radiation oncologist and co-director of UT MD Anderson’s Institute for Data Science Oncology, discusses building medical digital twins. She explains how these evolving models could personalize radiation and chemo plans, origins from engineering, data limits, privacy and ownership challenges, and how hybrids of physics and AI might shape clinical decision making.

Lauren Guillette, cognitive ecology professor who studies zebra finch behavior. Liz Graznak, organic farmer running Happy Hollow Farm. Dean Regas, astronomer and Farmers’ Almanac contributor. They talk about who actually reads almanacs, their mix of nostalgia and usefulness, how climate shifts farm planning, and how zebra finch nest color choices reflect individual bias versus social influence.