A global treaty on plastic pollution, and a dearth of Black physicists
On this week’s show: The ins and outs of the first global treaty on plastic pollution, and why the United States has so few Black physicists First up, Staff Writer Erik Stokstad joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss the world’s first global treaty on plastics pollution–and the many questions that need answers to make it work. Read a related Policy Forum here. Up next, we hear from some of more than 50 Black physicists interviewed for a special news package in Science about the barriers Black physicists face, and potential models for change drawing on a 2020 report that documents how the percentage of under...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - March 3, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Securing nuclear waste for 100,000 years, and the link between math literacy and life satisfaction
On this week’s show: Finland puts the finishing touches on the world’s first high-level permanent nuclear repository, and why being good at math might make you both happy and sad First up, freelance science journalist Sedeer El-Showk joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss his visit to a permanent nuclear waste repository being built deep underground in Finland, and the technology—and political maneuvering—needed to secure the site for 100,000 years. Also this week, Pär Bjälkebring, a senior lecturer in the department of psychology at the University of Gothenburg, talks with Sarah on the sidelines of the 2022 annual...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 24, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Securing nuclear waste for 100,000 years, and the link between math literacy and life satisfaction
On this week’s show: Finland puts the finishing touches on the world’s first high-level permanent nuclear repository, and why being good at math might make you both happy and sad First up, freelance science journalist Sedeer El-Showk joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss his visit to a permanent nuclear waste repository being built deep underground in Finland, and the technology—and political maneuvering—needed to secure the site for 100,000 years. Also this week, Pär Bjälkebring, a senior lecturer in the department of psychology at the University of Gothenburg, talks with Sarah on the side...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 24, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

COVID-19 ’s long-term impact on the heart, and calculating the survival rate of human artifacts
On this week’s show: A giant study suggests COVID-19 takes a serious toll on heart health—a full year after recovery, and figuring out what percentage of ancient art, books, and even tools has survived the centuries  First up, Staff Writer Meredith Wadman talks with host Sarah Crespi about a new study that looked at more than 150,000 COVID-19 patient records and found increases in risk for 20 different cardiovascular conditions 1 year after recovery. Also this week we have Mike Kestemont, an associate professor in the department of literature at the University of Antwerp, talking about an estimate of how much of ant...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 17, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

COVID-19 ’s long-term impact on the heart, and calculating the survival rate of human artifacts
On this week’s show: A giant study suggests COVID-19 takes a serious toll on heart health—a full year after recovery, and figuring out what percentage of ancient art, books, and even tools has survived the centuries  First up, Staff Writer Meredith Wadman talks with host Sarah Crespi about a new study that looked at more than 150,000 COVID-19 patient records and found increases in risk for 20 different cardiovascular conditions 1 year after recovery. Also this week we have Mike Kestemont, an associate professor in the department of literature at the University of Antwerp, talking about an estimate of how...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 17, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Merging supermassive black holes, and communicating science in the age of social media
On this week’s show: What we can learn from two supermassive black holes that appear to be on a collision course with each other, and the brave new online world in which social media dominates and gatekeeps public access to scientific information First up, Staff Writer Daniel Clery talks with host Sarah Crespi about the possibly imminent merger of two supermassive black holes in a nearby galaxy. How imminent? We might see a signal as early as 100 days from now.  Also, this week we have a special section on science and social media. In her contribution, Dominique Brossard, professor and chair in the Department of Life ...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 10, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Merging supermassive black holes, and communicating science in the age of social media
On this week’s show: What we can learn from two supermassive black holes that appear to be on a collision course with each other, and the brave new online world in which social media dominates and gatekeeps public access to scientific information First up, Staff Writer Daniel Clery talks with host Sarah Crespi about the possibly imminent merger of two supermassive black holes in a nearby galaxy. How imminent? We might see a signal as early as 100 days from now.  Also, this week we have a special section on science and social media. In her contribution, Dominique Brossard, professor and chair in the Department ...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 10, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Building a green city in a biodiversity hot spot, and live monitoring vehicle emissions
On this week’s show: Environmental concerns over Indonesia building a new capital on Borneo, and keeping an eye on pollution as it comes out of the tailpipe First up this week, Contributing Correspondent Dennis Normile talks with host Sarah Crespi about Indonesia’s plans for an ultragreen new capital city on the island of Borneo. Despite intentions to limit the environmental impact of the new urban center, many are concerned about unplanned growth surrounding the city which could threaten rare plants and animals.   Also this week, John Zhou, professor of environmental engineering at the University of Technology Syd...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 3, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Building a green city in a biodiversity hot spot, and live monitoring vehicle emissions
On this week’s show: Environmental concerns over Indonesia building a new capital on Borneo, and keeping an eye on pollution as it comes out of the tailpipe First up this week, Contributing Correspondent Dennis Normile talks with host Sarah Crespi about Indonesia’s plans for an ultragreen new capital city on the island of Borneo. Despite intentions to limit the environmental impact of the new urban center, many are concerned about unplanned growth surrounding the city which could threaten rare plants and animals.   Also this week, John Zhou, professor of environmental engineering at the University o...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - February 3, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Fecal transplants in pill form, and gut bacteria that nourish hibernating squirrels
On this week’s show: A pill derived from human feces treats recurrent gut infections, and how a squirrel’s microbiome supplies nitrogen during hibernation First up this week, Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss putting the bacterial benefits of human feces in a pill. The hope is to avoid using fecal transplants to treat recurrent gut infections caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile. Also this week, Hannah Carey, a professor in the department of comparative biosciences within the school of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, talks with Sarah about how ground s...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - January 27, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Fecal transplants in pill form, and gut bacteria that nourish hibernating squirrels
On this week’s show: A pill derived from human feces treats recurrent gut infections, and how a squirrel’s microbiome supplies nitrogen during hibernation First up this week, Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to discuss putting the bacterial benefits of human feces in a pill. The hope is to avoid using fecal transplants to treat recurrent gut infections caused by the bacterium Clostridium difficile. Also this week, Hannah Carey, a professor in the department of comparative biosciences within the school of veterinary medicine at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, talks with Sarah about how ...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - January 27, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

A window into live brains, and what saliva tells babies about human relationships
On this week’s show: Ethical concerns rise with an increase in open brain research, and how sharing saliva can be a proxy for the closeness of a relationship Human brains are protected by our hard skulls, but these bony shields also keep researchers out. With brain surgeries and brain implants on the rise, scientists are getting more chances to explore living brains. Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the ethics of doing research on patients undergoing intense medical procedures, and the kinds of research being done. Also this week, Ashley Thomas, a postdoctoral researcher in the brain and...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - January 20, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

A window into live brains, and what saliva tells babies about human relationships
On this week’s show: Ethical concerns rise with an increase in open brain research, and how sharing saliva can be a proxy for the closeness of a relationship Human brains are protected by our hard skulls, but these bony shields also keep researchers out. With brain surgeries and brain implants on the rise, scientists are getting more chances to explore living brains. Staff Writer Kelly Servick joins host Sarah Crespi to talk about the ethics of doing research on patients undergoing intense medical procedures, and the kinds of research being done. Also this week, Ashley Thomas, a postdoctoral researcher in the brain...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - January 20, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Cloning for conservation, and divining dynamos on super-Earths
On this week’s show: How cloning can introduce diversity into an endangered species, and ramping up the pressure on iron to see how it might behave in the cores of rocky exoplanets First up this week, News Intern Rachel Fritts talks with host Sarah Crespi about cloning a frozen ferret to save an endangered species. Also this week, Rick Kraus, a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, talks about how his group used a powerful laser to compress iron to pressures similar to those found in the cores of some rocky exoplanets. If these super-Earths’ cores are like our Earth’s, they may have a protec...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - January 13, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts

Cloning for conservation, and divining dynamos on super-Earths
On this week’s show: How cloning can introduce diversity into an endangered species, and ramping up the pressure on iron to see how it might behave in the cores of rocky exoplanets First up this week, News Intern Rachel Fritts talks with host Sarah Crespi about cloning a frozen ferret to save an endangered species. Also this week, Rick Kraus, a research scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, talks about how his group used a powerful laser to compress iron to pressures similar to those found in the cores of some rocky exoplanets. If these super-Earths’ cores are like our Earth’s, they may h...
Source: Science Magazine Podcast - January 13, 2022 Category: Science Authors: Science Magazine Source Type: podcasts