AI hears hidden X factor in zebra finch love songs
In this episode:00:48 How mysterious skyrmions could power next-generation computersSkyrmions are tiny whirlpools of magnetic spin that some researchers believe have useful properties that could unlock new kinds of computing. However getting skyrmions to perform useful computational tasks has been tricky. Now researchers have developed a method to create and manipulate skyrmions in a way that is compatible with existing computing technology, allowing them to read and write data at a fraction of the energy cost of conventional systems. The team think this shows that skyrmions could be a viable part of the next generation of...
Source: Nature Podcast - March 20, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

The top online news from 2023, and using cough sounds to diagnose disease
Best of online news, and screening for tuberculosis using sound This week’s episode starts out with a look back at the top 10 online news stories with Online News Editor David Grimm. There will be cat expressions and mad scientists, but also electric cement and mind reading. Read all top 10 here. Next on the show, can a machine distinguish a tuberculosis cough from other kinds of coughs? Manuja Sharma, who was a Ph.D. student in the department of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Washington at the time of the work, joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about her project collecting a cough data set to p...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - January 4, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

The hunt for a quantum phantom, and making bitcoin legal tender
Seeking the Majorana fermion particle, and a look at El Salvador’s adoption of cryptocurrency First up on the show this week, freelance science journalist Zack Savitsky and host Sarah Crespi discuss the hunt for the elusive Majorana fermion particle, and why so many think it might be the best bet for a functional quantum computer. We also hear the mysterious tale of the disappearance of the particle’s namesake, Italian physicist Ettore Majorana. Next in the episode, what happens when you make a cryptocurrency legal tender? Diana Van Patten, professor of economics in the Yale University School of Management, discusses...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - December 22, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Exascale supercomputers amp up science, finally growing dolomite in the lab, and origins of patriarchy
A leap in supercomputing is a leap for science, cracking the dolomite problem, and a book on where patriarchy came from First up on this week’s show, bigger supercomputers help make superscience. Staff Writer Robert F. Service joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss how the first exascale computer is enabling big leaps in scientists’ models of the world. Next, producer Meagan Cantwell talks with the University of Michigan’s Wenhao Sun, professor of materials science and engineering, and graduate student Joonsoo Kim. They discuss solving the centuries-old problem of growing the common mineral dolomite in the lab. Finall...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - November 23, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

The state of Russian science, and improving implantable bioelectronics
First up on this week’s show: the future of science in Russia. We hear about how the country’s scientists are split into two big groups: those that left Russia after the invasion of Ukraine and those that stayed behind. Freelance journalist Olga Dobrovidova talks with host Sarah Crespi about why so many have left, and the situation for those who remain. Next on the show: miniature, battery-free bioelectronics. Jacob Robinson, a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at Rice University, discusses how medical implants could go battery-free by harvesting energy from the human body and many oth...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - November 9, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Turning anemones into coral, and the future of psychiatric drugs
Why scientists are trying to make anemones act like corals, and why it’s so hard to make pharmaceuticals for brain diseases First up on this week’s show, coaxing anemones to make rocks. Newsletter Editor Christie Wilcox joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the difficulties of raising coral in the lab and a research group that’s instead trying to pin down the process of biomineralization by inserting coral genes into easy-to-maintain anemones. Next on the show, a look at why therapeutics for both neurodegenerative disease and psychiatric illness are lagging behind other kinds of medicines. Steve Hyman, director of the...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - November 2, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Dealing with the consequences of removing the world largest dam, and building a quantum computer using sound waves
Restoring land after dam removal, and phonons as a basis for quantum computing   First up on this week’s show, planting in the silty soil left behind after a dam is removed and reservoirs recede. Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the world's largest dam removal project and what ecologists are doing to revegetate 36 kilometers of new river edge.   Next up on the show, freelance producer and former guest Tanya Roussy. She talks with Andrew Cleland, a professor at the University of Chicago, about a Science paper from this summer on using the phonon—a quantum of sound en...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - October 19, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

The consequences of removing the world largest dam, and building a quantum computer using sound waves
Restoring land after dam removal, and phonons as a basis for quantum computing  First up on this week’s show, planting in the silty soil left behind after a dam is removed and reservoirs recede. Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the world's largest dam removal project and what ecologists are doing to revegetate 36 kilometers of new river edge. Next up on the show, freelance producer and former guest Tanya Roussy. She talks with Andrew Cleland, a professor at the University of Chicago, about a Science paper from this summer on using the phonon—a quantum of sound energyâ€...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - October 19, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

The consequences of the world's largest dam removal, and building a quantum computer using sound waves
Restoring land after dam removal, and phonons as a basis for quantum computing  First up on this week’s show, planting in the silty soil left behind after a dam is removed and reservoirs recede. Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the world's largest dam removal project and what ecologists are doing to revegetate 36 kilometers of new river edge. Next up on the show, freelance producer and former guest Tanya Roussy. She talks with Andrew Cleland, a professor at the University of Chicago, about a Science paper from this summer on using the phonon—a quantum of sound energyâ€...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - October 19, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

'This doesn't just fall on women': computer scientists reflect on gender biases in STEM
In this Podcast Extra, two computer scientists, Shobhana Narasimhan and Sana Odeh, join Nature's Anne Pichon to discuss the barriers that women and gender-diverse people still face when working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.They share their experiences and perspectives on the challenges facing women in research, and reflect on potential ways to move forward.Subscribe to Nature Briefing, an unmissable daily round-up of science news, opinion and analysis free in your inbox every weekday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. (Source: Nature Podcast)
Source: Nature Podcast - October 10, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

Reducing calculus trauma, and teaching AI to smell
How active learning improves calculus teaching, and using machine learning to map odors in the smell space   First up on this week’s show, Laird Kramer, a professor of physics and faculty in the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University (FIU), talks with host Sarah Crespi about students leaving STEM fields because of calculus and his research into improving instruction.   We also hear from some Science staffers about their own calculus trauma, from fear of spinning shapes to thinking twice about majoring in physics (featuring Kevin McLean, Paul Voosen, Lizzie Wade, Meagan Cantwell, and FIU s...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - August 31, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Reducing calculus trauma, and teaching AI to smell
How active learning improves calculus teaching, and using machine learning to map odors in the smell space   First up on this week’s show, Laird Kramer, a professor of physics and faculty in the STEM Transformation Institute at Florida International University (FIU), talks with host Sarah Crespi about students leaving STEM fields because of calculus and his research into improving instruction.   We also hear from some Science staffers about their own calculus trauma, from fear of spinning shapes to thinking twice about majoring in physics (featuring Kevin McLean, Paul Voosen, Lizzie Wade, Meagan Cantwell, and FIU s...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - August 31, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Brain-reading implants turn thoughts into speech
In this episode:00:47 The brain-computer interfaces that help restore communicationPeople with certain neurological conditions can lose the ability to speak as a result of facial paralysis. This week, two teams demonstrate the potential of devices called brain-computer interfaces to help people in these situations communicate. These interfaces work by identifying the brain activity associated with the intent to say words, and converting this activity into speech-related outputs, such as text or audio. Both devices show marked improvements compared with previous interfaces, and show that the technology could represent a way...
Source: Nature Podcast - August 23, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

What IBM's result means for quantum computing
In this episode:00:47 How to make quantum computers ready for real world applicationsQuantum computers have long held the promise of being able to perform tasks that classical computers can’t. However, despite this promise, there have been few applications that can only be accomplished by a quantum computer. Now though, researchers show that a quantum computer can resolve a physics problem concerning the orientation of quantum particles in a 2D material, which is difficult to accomplish with a ‘regular’ machine. They hope that this shows how quantum computers could be applied in real world research applications in th...
Source: Nature Podcast - June 14, 2023 Category: Science Authors: Springer Nature Limited Source Type: podcasts

Plant Intelligence with Paco Calvo (BS 206)
Paco calvo (L click to play audio, right click to download mp3) This month's episode of Brain Science is an intriguing interview with Dr. Paco Calvo from the Minimal Intelligence Laboratory at the University of Mercia in Spain. We talk with him about his new book Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Intelligence.We discuss the scientific evidence for plant intelligence while acknowledging that intelligence and consciousness are different phenomena. It is interesting to think of plants as demonstrating embodied cognition in contrast to the "intelligence" demonstrated by computer software....
Source: the Brain Science Podcast and Blog with Dr. Ginger Campbell - March 24, 2023 Category: Neuroscience Authors: Ginger Campbell, MD Tags: Embodiment Interviews Podcast Show Notes Source Type: podcasts