The New York Academy of Sciences
Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Episodes
Virtual Humanity - Part 2
25 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In the world of online gaming, natural reality often blends and blurs with virtual reality. This November, anthropologist Thomas Malaby and game desig...
Virtual Humanity - Part 1
14 Dec 2011
Contributed by Lukas
In the world of online gaming, natural reality often blends and blurs with virtual reality. This November, anthropologist Thomas Malaby and game desig...
What Your Brain Can Tell You About Learning
21 Nov 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Cognitive neuroscientists are discovering new insights into how our brains learn all the time, but lab research doesn't always translate to real world...
Now Screening: Life in the Lab
11 Oct 2011
Contributed by Lukas
As a medium, film has the power to bring us into the inner world of science, breaking down misconceptions by creating an alternative narrative. Alexis...
Micronutrients Without Borders
22 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
This special podcast looks at the problem of folic acid delivery to women in the developing world, an issue the Academy's first annual Scientists With...
Healthy Hearts: Fighting an Epidemic
02 Sep 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Heart disease is the leading death for Americans today. In this special edition of the Science Physician-in-Chief of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, ...
Experimenting with Summer Science Ed
26 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
This year, the Academy launched its new "Summer Matters" mentoring program, which paired grad students with primary school kids for a hands-on brand o...
Exploring the Universe with Brian Cox
02 Aug 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Physicist Brian Cox talks about his new TV show Wonders of the Universe and the future of physics as the search for the Higgs Boson heats up at CERN's...
The Sustainable City: Farming Upwards
18 Jul 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Professor Dickson Despommier talks to Science and the City about the city, climate change and how his "big idea", the Vertical Farm, is becoming a rea...
An Alternative Fuel Future?
27 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Two researchers talk to Science and the City about petroleum dependence and the future of the automobile in the 21st century - from the new electric c...
Improv for Scientists
10 Jun 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Actor/director Alan Alda talks to us about problems in science communication today and why improv yes, improv can help scientists connect better with ...
On the Cutting Edge of Autism Research
27 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Two autism researchers offer a behind-the-scenes look at novel technologies and treatments that could redefine how we understand this developmental di...
Behind the Scenes with Cancer's Biographer
02 May 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Oncologist and acclaimed author Siddhartha Mukherjee takes us on a journey through the long and complex history of cancer, and discusses what it took ...
The Diabetes-Gum Disease Connection
14 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Good oral hygiene helps prevent tooth decay and gum disease, but the health of your mouth may have a big impact on the rest of your body too especiall...
The Sci/Tech Kitchen
05 Apr 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Scientist and award-winning chef Nathan Myhrvold came to the Academy this March as part of a whirlwind tour for his much anticipated new cookbook Mode...
Tales from the Brain
18 Mar 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Drawing on strange and thought-provoking case studies, eminent neurologist V. S. Ramachandran offers unprecedented insight into the evolution of the u...
Are You What You Eat?
18 Feb 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Harvard science historian Steven Shapin discusses the history of food science and the human view of nutrition from dietetics to modern moderation in t...
Your Brain, Now in Technicolor
18 Jan 2011
Contributed by Lukas
Carl Schoonover’s book Portraits of the Mind provides a stunning visual history of neuroscience through the ages, from the earliest, abstract concep...
This is Your Brain on Tech
03 Dec 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, presents a case for stepping away from your computer, now and then, i...
Science as a Modern Creation Story
29 Oct 2010
Contributed by Lukas
History professor David Christian's riveting account of the known world is acclaimed for synthesizing the history of everything, including the science...
What's So Personal about Personalized Medicine?
24 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Three experts who spoke at a recent Academy conference discuss what personalized medicine is, the technology behind it, and how it will change the pat...
What Makes Us Wise?
10 Sep 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Can we all be wise old owls? Science journalist Stephen Hall and neuroscientist Andre Fenton dissect what we call wisdom, from the neurons in our brai...
Better Brains
27 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Neuroscientist Richard Restak thinks with the right mental exercises, our brains can be much better. Today he teams with writer Susan Orlean to talk a...
How Prosperity Evolves
13 Aug 2010
Contributed by Lukas
With our economy a shambles and our environment threatened, is there any reason to be optimistic about the future? Matt Ridley says there's scientific...
Oxidative Stress
30 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Foods high in antioxidants are believed to fight oxidative stress. But what is oxidative stress? Two scientists from a recent NYAS conference break it...
Moon, Mars, and Beyond
16 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Neil deGrasse Tyson hosts the 2010 Isaac Asimov debate at the Hayden Planetarium. He and five panelists debate whether NASA should bother going back t...
What's that Smell?
02 Jul 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Biologist Stewart Firestein and world-renowned perfumer Christophe Laudamiel team up to tackle the science of smell.
The Secret Lives of Bees
18 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
New York City is home to more than 200 species of bees, and only one makes honey. Learn about them all from the experts, and hear about the Great Poll...
Between Earth and Sky
04 Jun 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Forest ecologist Nalini Nadkarni, the Queen of the Forest Canopy, explains what 30 years of exploration have taught her about the intimate connection ...
What Time Is It?
21 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Famed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and theoretical physicist Brian Greene dissect time as we know it. What is the smallest unit of time, and what does...
Why Him, Why Her?
14 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
What attracts us to a mate? Is "chemistry" really to blame for love at first sight? Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher explains the science behind...
How the Universe Got Its Spots
07 May 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Physicist Janna Levin and artist Laurie Anderson (NASA's first artist in residence) tackle the origins of our universe.
Adventures in Taxidermy
30 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Writer Melissa Milgrom has a thing for stuffed animals, and we're not talking about your child's teddy bears. She's the author of Still Life and she e...
Why Humans Have Sex
23 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Evolutionary psychologist David Buss explains the mating rituals and patterns of our quirky species. We might not have colorful peacock tails, but we'...
Does Chaos Have Meaning?
16 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning filmmaker Shekhar Kapur and astrophysicist Piet Hut discuss what chaos is and what it means when it comes to the universe.
Adventures with Sea Monsters
09 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Eugenie Clark (aka the Shark Lady), recounts her more than 60 years as an ichthyologist. This week, she delves into some of the most extreme sea 'mons...
More than a Yogurt Cup
02 Apr 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Delve into the world of prebiotic and probiotic science. We talk to three people in the field and learn why keeping the good microbes in our bodies ha...
Go Green Ideas
26 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
We visit the Go Green Expo and look at five interesting ways for city slickers to be eco-friendly.
Hypermusic: Ascension
19 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Harvard physicist Lisa Randall teamed with composer Hector Parra and visual artist Matthew Ritchie to produce an opera based on modern theoretical phy...
Meditating Health
12 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Can meditation have long-term beneficial effects on the plasticity of our brains? Bon meditation practitioner Alejandro Chaoul and oncologist Lorenzo ...
Where the Grizzly Bears Go
04 Mar 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Grizzly bears are showing up in an area of northern Manitoba where they've never been seen before. It's also an area inhabited by polar bears. Science...
What to Eat
25 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
NYU's food guru Marion Nestle gives you a lesson in decoding food labels, holding big food corporations accountable, and choosing food wisely. She spo...
Extreme Fear
19 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Science journalist and adventure-seeker Jeff Wise talks about his new book Extreme Fear: The Science of Your Mind in Danger.
Circadian Science
12 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Our circadian rhythms control everything from when we sleep and wake, to when we get hungry. Learn about what (literally) makes us tick, and hear abou...
Advances in Autism
05 Feb 2010
Contributed by Lukas
We talk to two scientists at Hunter College who research different aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD). Jason Dictenberg studies synapses in our ...
ADHD and the Brain
29 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Neuropsychologist Jeffrey Halperin is using behavioral therapy on preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He hopes to train...
The Silk Road
22 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Take an anthropological tour of the Silk Road exhibit at the AMNH with its curator, Mark Norell. The 4,600-mile trail was the most important trade rou...
Feeling the Light
15 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Researchers at Harvard have discovered why the headaches of some migraine sufferers worsen when the person is exposed to light. Rami Burstein, the stu...
The Science of Love and Whom We Choose
07 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist and chief scientific adviser for Chemistry.com, delves into the science of why we lust for some people and n...
The Science of Sushi
01 Jan 2010
Contributed by Lukas
Danish biophysicist Ole Mouritsen also happens to be an expert on, and lover of sushi. This week, we talk to him about his new book, Sushi: Food for t...
No Small Matter
18 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
We sit down with science photographer Felice Frankel and nanotechnology pioneer and Harvard chemist George Whitesides to hear about their new book on ...
150 Years of the Origin of Species
11 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Nobel Laureate and neurobiologist Gerald Edelman, psychologist Paul Ekman, and anthropologist Terrence Deacon tell us how Charles Darwin has influence...
Climate Change in the City
04 Dec 2009
Contributed by Lukas
According to the New York City Panel on Climate Change, global warming could have a big impact on the five boroughs. Three experts discuss the Panel's...
Great Science Reads
27 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Seven scientists and science-lovers Dean Kamen, Helen Fisher, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and more recommend their favorite science books, fiction and non, f...
The Man behind the Dioramas
20 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Quinn has crafted the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History for more than 35 years. Hear how these amazing displays of art and scie...
MIT's Math Maze
13 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Gioia De Cari went to MIT for her PhD in mathematics. What she, got in addition to a degree, was an unexpected experience and material for her latest ...
Antioxidant Science
06 Nov 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Foods high in antioxidants are believed to fight oxidative stress. But what is oxidative stress? Two scientists from a recent NYAS conference break it...
Extreme Mammals
30 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Tour the AMNH's Extreme Mammals exhibition with its curator, John Flynn. Hear about mammals that lay eggs, wear armor, and sport headgear, just to nam...
The Greatest Show on Earth
22 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Dawkins launches his newest book in the third Science and the City Provocative Thinkers in Science event. He argues evolution is an indisputab...
Looking for the Key in P53
16 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Visit the lab of Hunter College's Jill Bargonetti, a biologist researching cancer. Her team studies P53, a natural tumor-suppressor protein found in o...
Around the Americas
09 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In a 13-month journey, this 64-foot sailboat called Ocean Watch is sailing around North and South America to raise awareness of how our oceans are cha...
The End of Aging
01 Oct 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Hear how Aubrey de Grey, a British biomedical gerontologist, thinks science can help extend our lives by decades. De Grey spoke as part of Science and...
Diabetes Epidemic?
25 Sep 2009
Contributed by Lukas
One in every 13 Americans has diabetes. And ethnic minorities have a much higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes. Learn about the challenges, and some po...
The New Executive Brain
17 Sep 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Hear how your executive brain makes decisions from Elkhonon Goldberg, the first speaker in Science and the City's Provocative Thinkers in Science seri...
Metal Origami
11 Sep 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Go behind the scenes at Milgo Bufkin, a company using cutting edge technology and mathematics to create art and architecture from metal. The famous NY...
The Tangled Bank
03 Sep 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Science and the City chats with science writer Carl Zimmer about his newest book on evolution. Hear what's changed since Darwin.
Twisted Molecules
28 Aug 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Kent Kirshenbaum, an NYU chemistry professor, explains his team's recent discovery of how to make molecules with a twist - these molecules can fold in...
The Buzz About Bees
14 Aug 2009
Contributed by Lukas
New York City is home to more than 200 species of bees, and only one makes honey. Learn about them and all the others from the experts, and hear about...
DNA Barcoding Plants
07 Aug 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Damon Little, assistant curator of bioinformatics at the New York Botanical Garden, describes the recent agreement by scientists on a universal DNA ba...
Rocket Park
31 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Over a round of astrophysics mini-golf, learn what goes into creating a world-class science exhibit from Eric Siegel, Director of the NY Hall of Scien...
Greening Columbia
24 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In this podcast, Columbia University's Assistant VP of Environmental Stewardship, Nilda Mesa, talks about the process and challenges of greening up th...
Cryogen-etics
17 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
The National Park Service is now giving all endangered species tissue samples it collects to the cryogenic frozen tissue lab at the AMNH. In this podc...
Seismic Climate Change
10 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Seismic records from ocean wave patterns and iceberg behavior around the world are being analyzed for the first time. Geophysicist Rick Aster describe...
Painting the Genome
02 Jul 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Genetic research fuses with fine art when the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard brings Daniel Kohn, a Brooklyn-based painter, into their lab for a re...
From Animal to Person
26 Jun 2009
Contributed by Lukas
In a re-broadcast from 2007, Daniel Dennett, philosopher and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, describes the evolut...
Bridging Science and the Humanities
18 Jun 2009
Contributed by Lukas
The two-time Pulitzer Prize winner E.O. Wilson delivers his keynote address at Science and the City's symposium, The Two Cultures in the 21st Century,...
The ScentOpera
11 Jun 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Smells and sounds collide for the world premiere of "Green Aria," a synesthetic art and science fusion at the Guggenheim featuring two composers, a wr...
The Science of H1N1
05 Jun 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Top researchers offer an in-depth look at the science behind the global influenza outbreak, plus some of the work being done to keep us healthy.
Inventing Scientists
29 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Dean Kamen, one of the world's top inventors (think the Segway and portable dialysis machine), talks about his FIRST program designed to get high scho...
Go Fly a Kite
22 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Check out FlyNY, one of New York's kite flying showdowns, and the science, design, and history behind our earliest flying machines.
Taking Science to Congress
15 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Former Congressman John Porter offers concrete suggestions on how to get government thinking science, in one of the keynote lectures of our Two Cultur...
The Sweetest Sounds: What is Music to Your Ears?
08 May 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Perception expert Daniel Levitin joins Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Rosanne Cash at our Science of Hearing event to explore our sense of hearing -...
The Circuits of Life's Program
30 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
NYU scientist Richard Bonneau delves into the complex interactions in biological systems - using the genome as his map. Part of Science and the City's...
Go Green Solutions
24 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
We take you through NYC's Go Green Expo and find 5 easy ways for New Yorkers to green up.
Back Me Up
17 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Biologist Marie Filbin says new discoveries in spinal nerve regeneration are giving researchers hope in the race to cure spinal cord injuries.
Teaching Robots to See
09 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
NYU computer scientist Yann LeCun looks to biological models to create vision systems, and artificial intelligence in machines. From the Science and t...
Our Toxic World?
03 Apr 2009
Contributed by Lukas
"Experimental Man" David Ewing Duncan and toxicologist Matt Bogdanffy delve into the dangers (and myths) of toxins in our everyday environment.
From Planets to Plutoids
27 Mar 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Six leading planetary scientists debate whether Pluto is a planet in a broadcast of the Hayden Planetarium's 2009 Isaac Asimov lecture.
Naturally Obsessed
20 Mar 2009
Contributed by Lukas
A look at Carole and Richard Rifkind's latest documentary film on life in a crystallography lab. Learn the science and meet the characters.
Forget Me Not
13 Mar 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Columbia University neurologist Scott Small uses fMRI imaging on mice to research our aging brains. Turns out, you've got some control over how sharp ...
The Psychobiology of Genocide
06 Mar 2009
Contributed by Lukas
A multidisciplinary panel examine the psychobiology of human aggression and genocide at a recent roundtable at the Philoctetes Center.
Gold Medal Glory
27 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to Olympic gold medal times, humans have been improving steadily over the past 100 years. But is there a limit to how good we can get? L...
Test Your Tongue: The Science of Taste
19 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Two taste gurus deconstruct our sense of taste in Science and the City's Science of the 5 Senses series -- from the molecules that give us flavor to t...
An AMNH PhD?
13 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Meet the first 5 students at the new graduate school at the American Museum of Natural History -- the first museum in America awarding PhDs. The ...
Getting Cellular
06 Feb 2009
Contributed by Lukas
A Nobel Laureate delves into what we know about our cells - from their 4.5 billion year history, to modern-day mutations, and protein zip codes (cellu...
Egg and Nest
30 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Explore the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology's extraordinary collection of eggs and nests with two scientists from the foundation and the phot...
See What You've Been Missing
22 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
There's a lot more to vision than first meets the eye. An ex-magician and cognitive neuroscientist team and tackle the science of sight in Science and...
Playing Science
16 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Take a look at the Ensemble Studio Theatre Sloan Project, which aims to bring science stories and playwrights together, and preview their science fest...
A Pianocktail, Anyone?
09 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Take a tour of the Interactive Telecommunications Program's wacky and inventive Winter thesis show at NYU.
Carl Sagan's Search for God
02 Jan 2009
Contributed by Lukas
Hayden Planetarium director Tyson, Carl Sagan's widow, and Sagan's former colleague discuss the astrobiologist's perspective on science, the spiritual...