Episode – 0339 : Apollo–Soyuz: The End of the Space Race Transcript The space race officially began on October 4, 1957, at 7:28 PM Moscow Time. That was when Sputnik […]
Episode – 0335 : The Incredible Polgar Sisters
Episode – 0335 : The Incredible Polgar Sisters Transcript László Polgár was born just after World War II in Hungary. His field of study was the nature of human intelligence. […]
Episode – 0327 : The History of Mathematical Symbols
Episode – 0327 : The History of Mathematical Symbols Transcript One of the simplest mathematical statements possible is 2+2=4. While the concept is very easy to understand, when you write […]
Episode – 0324 : Bell Labs
Episode – 0324 : Bell Labs Transcript What do lasers, photovoltaic cells, the transistor, digital cameras, cell phone technology, the communication satellite, computer networking, radio astronomy, and the UNIX operating […]
Episode – 0323 : The 17-Year Cicada
Episode – 0323 : The 17-Year Cicada Transcript Every 17 years one of the grandest spectacles in nature takes place. Billions of insects in a seemingly coordinated fashion will emerge […]
Episode – 0319 : Scurvy
Episode – 0319 : Scurvy Transcript When Europeans began sailing the high seas on extended voyages, the most deadly thing they encountered wasn’t enemy navies, starvation, or even shipwrecks. It […]
Episode – 0313 : The Immortal Henrietta Lacks
Episode – 0313 : The Immortal Henrietta Lacks Transcript Henrietta Lacks was a mother of five who died of cervical cancer in 1951 at the age of 31. Before she […]
Episode – 0311 : Randomness
Episode – 0311 : Randomness Transcript Randomness is all around us. Many of you probably think that this podcast is pretty random given that you have no clue what each […]
Episode – 0298 : The Mount Tambora Eruption
Episode – 0298 : The Mount Tambora Eruption Transcript In 1815, one of the most catastrophic and deadly events in recorded human history occurred in Indonesia. A volcanic explosion took […]
Episode – 0297 : J. Harlen Bretz: Proving Theories Via Outliving Your Critics
Episode – 0297 : J. Harlen Bretz: Proving Theories Via Outliving Your Critics Transcript Many people have an idealized view of how science works. They think that someone makes a […]
Episode – 0291 : Longitude
Episode – 0291 : Longitude Transcript Navigation on the open ocean is extremely difficult. It is a skill that takes years to master. Even with years of skill, an experienced […]
Episode – 0284 : The Dodo Bird
Episode – 0284 : The Dodo Bird Transcript In 1598 the Dutch Empire acquired the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.There, they found a short, fat, flightless bird that […]
Episode – 0271 : The Incomparable Hedy Lamarr
Episode – 0271 : The Incomparable Hedy Lamarr Transcript Hedy Lamarr was one of the most beautiful women in the world. She was a Hollywood star who appeared in films […]
Episode – 0258 : The Svalbard Global Seed Vault
Episode – 0258 : The Svalbard Global Seed Vault Transcript Far above the Arctic Circle on the Norwegian island of Svalbard, built into the side of a mountain which is […]
Episode – 0247 : A History of Vaccines
Episode – 0247 : A History of Vaccines Transcript Right now vaccinations are all over the news. There are many companies that have developed vaccines for COVID-19 and there is […]
Episode – 0245 : The Mercury 13
Episode – 0245 : The Mercury 13 Transcript In the late 1950s, NASA recruited military test pilots to become the very first American Astronauts. They underwent an extensive battery of […]
Episode – 0242 : Darwin’s Other Theory
Episode – 0242 : Darwin’s Other Theory Transcript From December 1831, to October 1836, the HMS Beagle set out on a scientific expedition in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On […]
Episode – 0240 : The Deep Biosphere
Episode – 0240 : The Deep Biosphere Transcript Imagine taking all of the trees, grass, animals, insects, fish, coral, and bacteria on the surface of the Earth and in the […]
Episode – 0231 : Units of Measure
Episode – 0231 : Units of Measure Transcript Every day we are constantly using measurements. We have ways of measuring distance, temperature, time, light, pressure, energy….everything. Yet, why do we […]
Episode – 0230 : Mitochondrial Eve
Episode – 0230 : Mitochondrial Eve Transcript On January 1, 1987, a paper was published in the journal Nature which rocked the world of anthropology. Researchers Allan Wilson, Mark Stoneking, […]