Science Magazine Podcast

Exploring radical alternatives to the traditional family home, India's efforts to combat climate-induced heat in cities, and the mystery of ancient Amazonian 'dark earth' are discussed in this podcast.

A mathematician and an executive director discuss using math to analyze cartel violence in Mexico. They explore the complexity of cartels, recruitment strategies, and potential solutions. The podcast also covers a fall review of science books, video games, and movies, as well as exhibitions on the power of music and the Grand Egyptian Museum. They discuss the chilling implications of facial recognition technology and the impact of fire on the land.

"A dry desert environment doesn't stop cats from loving fish," says Online News Editor David Grimm. Cameron Aubin, a postdoc at Cornell, discusses using tiny explosions to power insect-size robots. Plus, the challenges of bringing scientific ideas to the market and the journey from scientist to entrepreneur.

The podcast discusses the aftermath of the Tonga volcanic eruption, including severed seafloor cables and challenges in modeling energy flow in the electrical grid. It also explores the detection and study of underwater volcanic eruptions, the damage to seafloor cables in Tonga, and the potential for predicting volcanic eruptions. Additionally, it highlights the international collaboration in studying ocean currents and the challenges of connecting renewable energy to the US grid, including permission issues and grid overload.

Laird Kramer, professor of physics at FIU, discusses improving calculus instruction and reducing calculus trauma. Science staffers share their own calculus struggles. Emily Mayhew, professor at Michigan State University, talks about teaching AI to predict smells based on chemical structure.

Lakshmi Pradeep Chitta, research group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, discusses the origin of solar wind and its relation to tiny jets in coronal holes. The podcast also includes stories on cyberattacks affecting telescopes, a water crisis in Uruguay, and a book on how institutions decide gender.

Online News Editor Mike Price joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss what killed off North America's megafauna, including dire wolves and saber-toothed cats, and how ancient wildfires may have played a role. Then, doctoral researcher Olena Shcherbakova explores how language complexity changes under different social and linguistic environments.

First up on this week’s show, we hear about the skewed perception of our own hands, extremely weird giant viruses, champion regenerating flatworms, and more from Newsletter Editor Christie Wilcox. Christie also chats with host Sarah Crespi about her work on a daily newsletter and what it takes to do it 5 days a week. Read more newsletters and sign up for your daily dose of Science and science. Next on the show, AAAS Intern Andrew Saintsing learns about why trees are repulsive—to one another. Michael Kalyuzhny, a postdoctoral fellow in the department of integrative biology at the University of Texas at Austin, discusses his Science paper on why trees of the same species avoid living close together in diverse habitats such as rainforests.   This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.   About the Science Podcast   Authors: Sarah Crespi, Andrew Saintsing, Christie Wilcox   Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk2064 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bringing together ancient DNA from a burial site and a giant database of consumer ancestry DNA helps fill gaps in African American ancestry, and a reckoning for Philadelphia’s Mütter Museum   First up on this week’s show, ancient DNA researchers and ancestry giant 23andMe joined forces to uncover present day ties to a cemetery at the Catoctin Furnace ironworks in Maryland, where enslaved people were buried. Contributing producers and hosts of the Dope Labs podcast Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley spoke with authors Éadaoin Harney and David Reich about the historical significance of this work and how it may help some African American communities recover parts of their lost genealogy. Our News team also covered the paper here.   Next we have a conversation with Staff Writer Rodrigo Pérez Ortega about Philadelphia’s famously creepy Mütter Museum. He talks to producer Kevin McLean about his recent story on the ethics of showcasing the various medical curiosities that the museum is known for.   This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.   About the Science Podcast   Authors: Sarah Crespi, Kevin McLean, Titi Shodiya, Zakiya Whatley, Rodrigo Pérez Ortega   Episode page: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk1038  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s show: evaluating scientific collaborations between independent scholars and industry, farming in ancient Europe, and a book from our series on sex, gender, and science.   First up on this week’s show, a look behind the scenes at a collaboration between a social media company and 17 academics. Host Sarah Crespi speaks with Michael Wagner, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication who acted as an impartial observer for Meta’s U.S. 2020 election project. Wagner wrote a commentary piece about what worked and what didn’t in this massive project, which will spawn more than 15 papers, three of them out this week in Science.   Then, producer Meagan Cantwell speaks with Silvia Valenzuela Lamas about her talk about how sociopolitical changes shaped livestock in ancient Europe. Her talk was part of a session on migrations and exchanges in ancient civilizations from this year’s AAAS Annual Meeting.   Also this week, the latest in our book series on sex, gender, and science. Host Angela Saini talks with author Amanda Lock Swarr about her book: Envisioning African Intersex: Challenging Colonial and Racist Legacies in South African Medicine.   This week’s episode was produced with help from Podigy.   About the Science Podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices