The Sound of Science
Episodes
The scurfy gene: From the Mouse House to the Nobel Prize
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
A sickly mouse in a 1940s lab at Oak Ridge National Laboratory didn’t look like a breakthrough. But that unexpected mutation — known as scurfy —...
Nuclear Is Here
18 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
From the world’s first continuously operating nuclear reactor to today’s next-generation designs, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has helped shape n...
Celebrating 80 Years: A Lab for a New Era
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
By the early 1990s, Oak Ridge National Laboratory had transformed into a scientific institution with a diverse research portfolio that went well beyon...
Celebrating 80 Years: Meeting the Needs of a Changing World
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first part of our 80th anniversary series, you heard how the Manhattan Project helped end World War II with the development and use of the worl...
Soundbite: Lessons and Legacy - Oppenheimer and The Manhattan Project
20 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As you heard in the last episode, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The lab was born out of the Manhattan Project, a ...
Celebrating 80 Years: Top-Secret Science
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eighty years ago, the U.S. government embarked on a secret mission that would change the world. The Manhattan Project was a massive effort that result...
HFIR: Leading the World in Isotopes and Science
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly six decades, the High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIR, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been one of the world’s most powerful research ...
FRIB: Bringing Cosmic Elements to Earth
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the universe was formed billions and billions of years ago, the building blocks of life were forged with it. Hydrogen, carbon, iron, nitrogen, ca...
Exascale: The New Frontier of Computing
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In May 2022, history was made at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Frontier, the lab’s newest supercomputer, officially did what no other computer in t...
Charging Up The Future of Transportation
23 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Electrifying transportation is key to cutting carbon emissions. However, cumbersome cables, lengthy charge times and range anxiety have some potential...
Soundbite: MPEX: Power, particles and plasma
20 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Soundbite: In our last episode, you heard about how scientists are working to harness the power of the sun on earth with...
Fusion: Energy at the Extreme
06 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Building a sun on Earth to produce unlimited, carbon-free energy may sound like science fiction, but it's not. It's a nuclear process called fusion, w...
Soundbite: Meet FRED — Your Friendly Root Resource
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Soundbite: Have you met FRED? The Fine Root Ecology Database — also known as FRED — is a collection of root trait data from research performe...
SPRUCE: Welcome to a Warmer Future
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Deep in the forests of northern Minnesota, lies something that looks a little out-of-this-world. Long boardwalks connect a series of octagonal pods th...
The Unseen World of Climate Change
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Arctic tundra of Alaska features a picturesque landscape, teeming with plants and wildlife. But below ground lies a significan...
Soundbite: Quantum security for the grid
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Soundbite of "The Sound of Science": In the last episode, we discussed the strange world of quantum mechanics. The laws of quantum mechanics...
Quantum science: Exploring subatomic weirdness
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Quantum mechanics. Does the term alone make your brain hurt a little? If so, you’re not alone. It’s a very complex branch of physics where things ...
TCR: Printing the future of nuclear
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Since 1943, Oak Ridge National Laboratory has built 13 nuclear reactors — now it's preparing for its 14th, the Transformational Challenge React...
In the fight against COVID-19
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In just a few short months, COVID-19 has upended daily life around the globe. However, one thing that hasn't changed is the scientific community’...
Chromosomes, conservation & chocolate: The life of Liane Russell
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Learn about the remarkable life and legacy of the late Liane B. Russell, one of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's most renowned scientists. She was a pi...
GIS: More than a map
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Geographic information systems are powerful mapping tools that we use on a daily basis without realizing it. Apps for navigation and weather are just ...
Far out: Fueling the future of space exploration
31 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Plutonium-238 is critical to deep space exploration. The special isotope has powered missions that have enabled us to explore the atmosphere of S...
The human element: Expanding the periodic table
19 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Inventing the future: AI for science
15 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence is no longer just a subject of science fiction. From personal assistants to self-driving cars, AI is revolutionizing everyday ...