Science Talk
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
How You Gonna Keep Flu Down on the Farm?: Pig Farms and Public Health
22 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist Helen Branswell discusses her January Scientific American article, "Flu Factories," about the attempts to monitor new strains of flu that c...
Anna Deavere Smith: Let Me Down Easy
20 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Actor, playwright and journalist Anna Deavere Smith talks about the health care crisis and her play about people dealing with illness, health and the ...
The Spewings of Titan (and More from the AGU Meeting)
16 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American editor Davide Castelvecchi joins us from San Francisco to talk about some of the highlights of the meeting of the American Geophys...
Let's Talk Stuffing--Your Face
25 Nov 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Cornell University's Brian Wansink talks about eating behavior and how mindless eating has us consuming way more calories than we suspect Learn more a...
Let's Talk Turkey!
24 Nov 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Turkey scientist Rich Buchholz talks about the turkey on your plate and his own turkey research Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a...
Why Do Women Live Longer Than Men?
19 Nov 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and podcast host Steve Mirsky talk about longevity differences in the sexes, the importance o...
Physics Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg
15 Nov 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Nobel physicist Steven Weinberg spoke to an audience of science journalists, and then to podcast host Steve Mirsky Learn more about your ad choices. V...
Photograph 51: Rosalind Franklin and the Race For The Double Helix of DNA (Part 2 of 2)
05 Nov 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Photograph 51 is a new play about Rosalind Franklin, Watson and Crick, and the race to determine the structure of DNA, at the Ensemble Studio Theatre ...
Photograph 51: Rosalind Franklin and the Race for the Double Helix of DNA, Part 1 of 2
03 Nov 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Photograph 51 is a new play about Rosalind Franklin, Watson and Crick, and the race to determine the structure of DNA, at the Ensemble Studio Theatre ...
The Quest for the Giant Pumpkin
29 Oct 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Susan Warren, author of the book Backyard Giants, talks about "the passionate, heartbreaking and glorious quest to grow the biggest pumpkin ever." Plu...
Not Your Grandfather's <i>Scientific American</i>
20 Oct 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina talks about the new look and new outlook of Scientific American magazine and of ScientificAme...
The Harlem Science Renaissance
15 Oct 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Molecular geneticist Sat Bhattacharya talks about his creation, the Harlem Children Society, which gets underprivileged kids involved in scientific re...
Totally Bogus: The Science Talk Quiz
08 Oct 2010
Contributed by Lukas
In this special stand-alone edition, see if you know which of four science news stories is Totally Bogus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega...
Exactly When Is a Person Dead?
23 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning science journalist Robin Marantz Henig and podcast host Steve Mirsky discuss Robin's article in the September issue about organ donation...
Could Time End?
21 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American staff editor George Musser joins podcast host Steve Mirsky to discuss his article in the September issue about the possibility of ...
The End: Death, Endings and Things That Should End
14 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and issue editor Michael Moyer talk with podcast host Steve Mirsky about the September single-topic issue of Scie...
Cooking for Geeks: Jeff Potter on Experimenting in the Kitchen
03 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Potter, author of Cooking for Geeks: Real Science, Great Hacks and Good Food, talks with daily podcast correspondent Cynthia Graber, and podcast ...
Mary Roach Is Packing for Mars, Part 2
21 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast host Steve Mirsky talks with author Mary Roach about her new book "Packing For Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void." Part 2 of 2. (P...
Mary Roach Is Packing for Mars, Part 1
20 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast host Steve Mirsky recently attended a talk by author Mary Roach about her new book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. ...
When Humans Almost Died Out; Earthy Exoplanets; And <i>Scientific American</i>'s 165th Birthday
12 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast host Steve Mirsky talks with human evolution expert Kate Wong about the small group of humans who survived tough times beginning about 195,000...
Arguing with Non-Skeptics, Part 2 of 2
28 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
A panel discussion on arguing with non-skeptics at the recent Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism in New York City featured James Randi, Ge...
Arguing with Non-Skeptics, Part 1 of 2
27 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
A panel discussion on arguing with non-skeptics at the recent Northeast Conference on Science and Skepticism in New York City featured James Randi, Ge...
Whiz Kids: Intel Science Talent Search Documentary
19 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
The new documentary film Whiz Kids follows three high school student-scientists as they attempt to get their projects accepted into the prestigious In...
Will Your Plug-In Car Actually Be Coal-Powered? And Other July Stories
08 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and staff editor Michael Moyer join podcast host Steve Mirsky to talk about articles in the J...
Paul Dirac: "The Strangest Man" of Science, Part 2
25 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning writer and physicist Graham Farmelo talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about The Strangest Man, Farmelo's biography of Nobel Prize-win...
"The Strangest Man" of Science, Part 1
24 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning writer and physicist Graham Farmelo talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about The Strangest Man, Farmelo's biography of Nobel Prize-win...
Physics Now and Then: From Neutrinos to Galileo
15 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Theoretical physicist Lawrence Krauss, director of the Origins Initiative at Arizona State University, talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about neut...
The Big Dozen: 12 Events That Will Change Everything
02 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and news editor Philip Yam join podcast host Steve Mirsky to talk about the cover st...
Remembering Martin Gardner, with Douglas Hofstadter
24 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Martin Gardner died May 22nd at 95. He wrote the Mathematical Games column for Scientific American magazine for 25 years and published more than 70 bo...
More from MacMania: Kindle v. iPad, Mac v. PC and App Development
19 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
MacWorld editorial director Jason Snell and app developer Peter Watling talk with podcast host Steve Mirsky about the iPad, computer culture and apps,...
David Pogue on Tech, Twitter and Transgenic Goats
10 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
The ubiquitous David Pogue, author of the Missing Manual series and tech columnist for The New York Times, talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky aboard...
Your Inner Healers: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and More
01 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about the contents of the May issue, including articles ...
Bill McKibben's <i>Eaarth</i>, Part 2
22 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and activist Bill McKibben talks to Scientific American's Mark Fischetti about his new book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet. Part 2...
Bill McKibben's <i>Eaarth</i>, Part 1
21 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and activist Bill McKibben talks to Scientific American's Mark Fischetti about his new book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet Part 1...
Invisible Ink and More: The Science of Spying in the Revolutionary War
20 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
John Nagy, author of Invisible Ink: Spycraft of the American Revolution, discusses the codes, ciphers, chemistry and psychology of spying in the Ameri...
The Science of Staying in Love; and Scientists as Communicators--and Heroes
07 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and psychology researcher Robert Epstein, a contributing editor to Scientific American MIND m...
From Eternity to Here: Sean M. Carroll's Quest to Understand Time
30 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Sean M. Carroll, theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about his new book From Eternity...
Are We Pushing Earth's Environmental Tipping Points?
19 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Jon Foley, director of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment, talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about his article in the April...
The Science Talk Quiz: "Totally Bogus"
18 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Here are four science stories, but only three are true. See if you know which story is TOTALLY BOGUS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
Where's My Fusion Reactor?
17 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American staff editor Michael Moyer talks about his article "Fusion's False Dawn" in the March issue, and Editor in Chief Mariette DiChrist...
Algae, Art and Attitudes: A Roundtable about the AAAS Conference
27 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American staffers Mark Fischetti and Robin Lloyd talk with podcast host Steve Mirsky about sessions they attended--including those about al...
<i>The Poisoner's Handbook</i>: The Sinister Side of Chemistry
25 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Deborah Blum talks about her new work, The Poisoner's Handbook, a look at how easy it used to be to kill someone wit...
Ice, Ice, Baby: The Physics of Curling
18 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Shegelski of the University of Northern British Columbia talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about the physics of curling, currently taking its ...
Whaddaya Do with a Dead Whale?
10 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about some of the articles in the February issu...
Cleopatra's Alexandria Treasures
31 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Renowned archaeologist Franck Goddio talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about his efforts to recover artifacts from the ancient cities of Alexandria...
The Science Talk Quiz: "Totally Bogus"
25 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Here are four science stories, but only three are true. See if you know which story is TOTALLY BOGUS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
Creating Darwin's Biopic; and Consumer Electronics
23 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Science Talk correspondent John Pavlus talks with Jon Amiel, director of the new Darwin biography movie Creation, and with Randal Keynes, Darwin's gre...
The Science Talk Quiz: "Totally Bogus"
18 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Here are four science stories, but only three are true. See if you know which story is TOTALLY BOGUS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...
Mining for Online Game Gold and Other Amazing Stories
15 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina talks about the January issue, including articles on the chances of conditions condu...
Alan Alda's Human Spark, Part 2
08 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Alan Alda, host of the new PBS science series The Human Spark, talks to podcast host Steve Mirsky about his experiences as a fictional physican, a rea...
Alan Alda's Human Spark
07 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Alan Alda, star of stage, screen and science, talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about his new PBS science series The Human Spark as well as his str...
The Science Talk Quiz: "Totally Bogus"
29 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Here are four science stories, but only three are true. See if you know which story is TOTALLY BOGUS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphon...
Christmas Season Science
23 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American daily podcast contributor Karen Hopkin talks about a few recent studies related to the science of the Christmas season Learn more ...
Bonus Bogus Brainteaser
20 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
The Totally Bogus Quiz for this week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Copenhagen and Everywhere Else
18 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
ScientificAmerican.com's David Biello is in Copenhagen at the climate conference, and he'll tell us what's going on there. And the Wildlife Conservati...
World Changing Ideas: December's <i>Scientific American</i>
11 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and editor Michael Moyer talk about the "World Changing Ideas" feature as well as ot...
Bogus Brainteaser
04 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
The Totally Bogus Quiz for this week Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Darwin's Influence on Modern Thought
24 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
On the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Darwin's Origin of Species, we review Darwin's influence on the the modern world, as analyzed b...
Tree Ring Science and Tomorrow's Water
18 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Tree ring expert Kevin Anchukaitis, of the tree ring lab at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of Columbia University's Earth Institute, talks...
Human Evolution II: Recent Evolution; and "Becoming Human" <i>NOVA</i> Preview
03 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Anthropologist John Hawks of the University of Wisconsin - Madison talks about recent human evolution, especially of our ability to digest lactose. An...
Human Evolution: Lucy and Neandertals
23 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Anthropologist Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London talks about Neandertals. And Scientific American's Kate Wong, co-author with Don...
Brain Enhancement: October Issue of <i>Scientific American</i>
14 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina discusses the contents of the October issue of Scientific American, including articles on brain e...
New Nobel Laureate Jack Szostak and <i>Surrogates</i> Film Director Jonathan Mostow
05 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Jack Szostak, who just shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, talks about his latest research on the origin of life. And Scientific Am...
Clean Energy Contest; and Counting Crickets and Katydids
28 Sep 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American podcast correspondent Cynthia Graber talks about the M.I.T. Clean Energy Prize Competition. And we take part in the recent Cricket...
Where There Was Smoke, There's Science
08 Sep 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Wake Forest University School of Medicine neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin talks about the the Winston-Salem area's adoption of biomedical research as wel...
Origins of Everything: The September <i>Scientific American</i> Magazine
31 Aug 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina discusses the September special single-topic issue of Scientific American magazine, which cov...
Colony Collapse and Ruptured Ribosomes; Minding Darwin's Beeswax
25 Aug 2009
Contributed by Lukas
John Williams, the beekeeper at Down House in England, talks about Darwin's bees. And May Berenbaum, entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urb...
To Bee or Not to Bee
21 Aug 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In part 2 of our bee podcast, we talk with May Berenbaum, entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and inspiration for the X Fil...
Bee Afraid, Bee Very Afraid
14 Aug 2009
Contributed by Lukas
May Berenbaum, entomologist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and inspiration for the X Files fictional entomologist Bambi Berenbaum, ...
Swimming In Spacetime and Other Stories
31 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief Mariette DiChristina and staff editor Kate Wong talk about the contents of the August issue, including articles on...
Nuts, Bolts, Photons and Electrons of Solar Energy
23 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff Wolfe, the CEO and co-founder of groSolar, talks about solar energy's present and future. Plus, we'll test your knowledge of some recent science ...
Movie Magic (<i>Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs</i>), Part 3
14 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including th...
Movie Magic (<i>Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs</i>), Part 2
11 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including th...
Movie Magic (<i>Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs</i>), Part 1
10 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In this series of episodes, we talk to many of the scientists at Blue Sky Studios, which created the Ice Age series of animated features, including th...
Atul Gawande Redux
01 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
While Steve's at the conference of the World Federation of Science Journalists in London, we look ahead to some of the programming coming your way in ...
Hello Moon, Good-Bye Rennie
26 Jun 2009
Contributed by Lukas
We look at the contents of the July issue of Scientific American magazine, the last under outgoing Editor in Chief John Rennie, including an article b...
Panamania!: A Visit to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
17 Jun 2009
Contributed by Lukas
We take a walking tour of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island in Panama, with the STRI's Beth King and Harilaos Lessi...
The Truth about Cats and Dogs
29 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief John Rennie talks about the contents of the June issue, including articles on the evolution of cats and t...
High Achievement High Schoolers
19 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
High school scientists Sruti Swaminathan, Maia ten Brink, Alyssa Bailey, Moyukh Chatterjee and Fedja Kadribasic, all winners of state competitions spo...
Beauty Is Truth (and Science)
11 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Procter & Gamble scientists Greg Hillebrand and Jay Tiesman talk about scientific research related to beauty products and cosmetics. Plus, we'll test ...
People, Pan Troglodytes (Chimps) and Pigs
01 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American editor Christine Soares discusses the swine flu situation and Editor in Chief John Rennie talks about the May issue--topics includ...
Sherwin Nuland's Tales from the Bedside
23 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Surgeon and author Sherwin Nuland talks about his new book The Soul of Medicine: Tales from the Bedside, a Chaucerian take on doctors and their relati...
Life Goes on within You and without You: Health and the Environment
17 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we'll hear parts of three talks from the recent symposium, Exploring the Dynamic Relationship Between Health and the Environment, org...
Why People Believe What They Do
10 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
University of California, Berkeley, psychologist Tania Lombrozo talks about why people believe what they do, especially regarding evolution or creatio...
From Dark Energy to Lone Star Lunacy
02 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American magazine Editor in Chief John Rennie talks about articles in the April issue, covering dark energy, bee colony collapse and post-t...
What Shape Is Your Galaxy?
26 Mar 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Yale astrophysicist Kevin Schawinski talks about Galaxy Zoo, a distributed computing project in which laypeople can help researchers characterize gala...
Phrasing a Coyne: Jerry Coyne on Why Evolution Is True
13 Mar 2009
Contributed by Lukas
During a Scientific American cruise in the Caribbean, University of Chicago evolutionary biologist Jerry Coyne talks about his new book Why Evolution ...
From Spooky Action to Tiny Radios
04 Mar 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief John Rennie talks about the contents of the March issue of the magazine, including articles on quantum entanglemen...
Remarkable Creatures (and Getting Them Fixed)
25 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
University of Wisconsin evolutionary biologist Sean Carroll talks about his new book, Remarkable Creatures, which chronicles the derring-do of some of...
Stars of Cosmology, Part 2
19 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In part 2 of this podcast, cosmologists Alan Guth from M.I.T., Arizona State University's Lawrence Krauss, John Carlstrom from the University of Chica...
Stars of Cosmology, Part 1
18 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In part 1 of this podcast, cosmologists Alan Guth from M.I.T., Arizona State University's Lawrence Krauss, John Carlstrom from the University of Chica...
Darwin Day Special, Part 3: Origins of Paleontology and the Impact of Religion on the Development of Evolutionary Theory
13 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In part 3 of this special Darwin Day podcast, the Reverend Thomas Goodhue, executive director of the Long Island Council of Churches and author of the...
Darwin Day Special, Part 2: Evolutionary Psychology and Religion
12 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In part 2 of this special Darwin Day podcast, Hofstra University religion professor John Teehan discusses the study of religion from an evolutionary p...
Darwin Day Special: Bicentennial of the Birth of Charles Darwin
11 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In part 1 of this special Darwin Day podcast, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the birth of Darwin on February 12th, Richard Milner performs part ...
The Naked Singularity Meets Social Media
04 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief John Rennie talks about the content of the February issue, including naked singularities and the greenhouse hambur...
CO<sub>2</sub> Rising: Follow the Bouncing Carbon Atom
28 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientist and author Tyler Volk talks about his new book CO2 Rising: The World's Greatest Environmental Challenge. Plus, we'll test your knowledge abo...
Darwin: Ghostbuster, Muse and Magistrate
22 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Darwin historian Richard Milner shares some of the lesser known aspects of Darwin's life. And Scientific American columnist Michael Shermer talks abou...
From Astronomy to Zune
14 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American astronomy expert George Musser discusses the recent meeting of the American Astronomical Society and SciAm.com's Larry Greenemeier...
The Evolution of Evolution
07 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Scientific American Editor in Chief John Rennie discusses the special January issue of the magazine, which focuses on evolution--2009 being the 200th ...
The Manhattan Project and the Met
31 Dec 2008
Contributed by Lukas
The Metropolitan Opera's production of the new opera Doctor Atomic aired on PBS on December 29th. We'll hear from Manhattan Project veterans Roy Glaub...