#bigpicturescience — Public Fediverse posts

Big Picture Science for July 13, 2026: Cold Comfort

REPEAT

Another scorching summer has us blasting the AC and grabbing a chilled drink. Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC.

Guests:

* Nicola Twilley – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves”
* Erik Morrison – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts
* Stan Cox – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World”

Originally aired September 16, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/cold-comfort

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#AirConditioning #Refrigeration #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for July 13, 2026: Cold Comfort

REPEAT

Another scorching summer has us blasting the AC and grabbing a chilled drink. Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC.

Guests:

* Nicola Twilley – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves”
* Erik Morrison – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts
* Stan Cox – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World”

Originally aired September 16, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/cold-comfort

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#AirConditioning #Refrigeration #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for July 13, 2026: Cold Comfort

REPEAT

Another scorching summer has us blasting the AC and grabbing a chilled drink. Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC.

Guests:

* Nicola Twilley – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves”
* Erik Morrison – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts
* Stan Cox – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World”

Originally aired September 16, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/cold-comfort

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#AirConditioning #Refrigeration #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for July 13, 2026: Cold Comfort

REPEAT

Another scorching summer has us blasting the AC and grabbing a chilled drink. Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC.

Guests:

* Nicola Twilley – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves”
* Erik Morrison – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts
* Stan Cox – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World”

Originally aired September 16, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/cold-comfort

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#AirConditioning #Refrigeration #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for July 13, 2026: Cold Comfort

REPEAT

Another scorching summer has us blasting the AC and grabbing a chilled drink. Air conditioning and refrigeration may beat the heat, but they also present a dilemma. The more we use them, the more greenhouse gases we emit, the hotter the planet becomes, and the more we require artificial cooling. Can we escape this feedback loop? We look at the origins of these chilling technologies, tour the extensive chain of cold that keeps food from perishing, and consider how a desert city like Phoenix could not exist without AC.

Guests:

* Nicola Twilley – co-host of the Gastropod podcast, a contributing writer at The New Yorker, and the author of “Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves”
* Erik Morrison – Chief cooling engineer at Transaera, Somerville, Massachusetts
* Stan Cox – Lead scientist at the Land Institute, author of “Losing Our Cool: The Uncomfortable Truths about our Air-Conditioned World”

Originally aired September 16, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/cold-comfort

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#AirConditioning #Refrigeration #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for June 29, 2026: Skeptic Check: Blue Light Special

Many of us know the feeling: we intend to go to bed but pull out our phones for one last scroll. Setting them aside hours later, we’re wide awake, unable to fall asleep. For years, scientists have singled out blue light emitted from our devices as the key culprit behind our post-scrolling insomnia, but the scientific consensus is shifting. Although blue light signals to brains that its daytime, surprising new research suggests that our glowing screens may play a smaller role than previously thought.

We present the fascinating science around biological mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness, why circadian rhythms have more in common with your grandfather’s clock than you might think, and why scientists who question the role of blue light in causing nighttime restlessness, still don’t let our phones off the hook completely.

Guests:

* Michael Gradisar – clinical psychologist and sleep researcher, former professor at Flinders University in Australia. Currently serves a head of Sleep Science at Sleep Cycle, a sleep tracking app company
* Jay Dunlap – geneticist and molecular geneticist at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth who works the molecular basis of circadian rhythms
* Mariana Figueiro – photobiologist, Director of the Light and Health Research Center and Professor of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-blue-light-special

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BlueLight #CircadianRhythms #Sleep #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for June 29, 2026: Skeptic Check: Blue Light Special

Many of us know the feeling: we intend to go to bed but pull out our phones for one last scroll. Setting them aside hours later, we’re wide awake, unable to fall asleep. For years, scientists have singled out blue light emitted from our devices as the key culprit behind our post-scrolling insomnia, but the scientific consensus is shifting. Although blue light signals to brains that its daytime, surprising new research suggests that our glowing screens may play a smaller role than previously thought.

We present the fascinating science around biological mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness, why circadian rhythms have more in common with your grandfather’s clock than you might think, and why scientists who question the role of blue light in causing nighttime restlessness, still don’t let our phones off the hook completely.

Guests:

* Michael Gradisar – clinical psychologist and sleep researcher, former professor at Flinders University in Australia. Currently serves a head of Sleep Science at Sleep Cycle, a sleep tracking app company
* Jay Dunlap – geneticist and molecular geneticist at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth who works the molecular basis of circadian rhythms
* Mariana Figueiro – photobiologist, Director of the Light and Health Research Center and Professor of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-blue-light-special

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BlueLight #CircadianRhythms #Sleep #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for June 29, 2026: Skeptic Check: Blue Light Special

Many of us know the feeling: we intend to go to bed but pull out our phones for one last scroll. Setting them aside hours later, we’re wide awake, unable to fall asleep. For years, scientists have singled out blue light emitted from our devices as the key culprit behind our post-scrolling insomnia, but the scientific consensus is shifting. Although blue light signals to brains that its daytime, surprising new research suggests that our glowing screens may play a smaller role than previously thought.

We present the fascinating science around biological mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness, why circadian rhythms have more in common with your grandfather’s clock than you might think, and why scientists who question the role of blue light in causing nighttime restlessness, still don’t let our phones off the hook completely.

Guests:

* Michael Gradisar – clinical psychologist and sleep researcher, former professor at Flinders University in Australia. Currently serves a head of Sleep Science at Sleep Cycle, a sleep tracking app company
* Jay Dunlap – geneticist and molecular geneticist at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth who works the molecular basis of circadian rhythms
* Mariana Figueiro – photobiologist, Director of the Light and Health Research Center and Professor of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-blue-light-special

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BlueLight #CircadianRhythms #Sleep #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for June 22, 2026: Make Space For Animals

REPEAT
Long before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into space, Laika, a stray dog, crossed the final frontier. Find out what other surprising species were drafted into the astronaut corps.

They may be our best friends, but we still balk at giving other creatures moral standing. And why are humans so reluctant to accept the fact that we too are animals?

Guests:

* Jo Wimpenny - Zoologist and writer. Author of “Aesop’s Animals”
* Taylor Maggiacomo - Associate Graphic Editor at National Geographic
* Alexander Stegmaier - Freelance Graphic Editor at National Geographic
* Melanie Challenger - An author who writes on nature, environment and human history. Her latest book: “How to be Animal: A New History of What it Means to be Human”

Originally aired January 24, 2022

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/make-space-for-animals

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#Animals #Astronauts #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for June 22, 2026: Make Space For Animals

REPEAT
Long before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into space, Laika, a stray dog, crossed the final frontier. Find out what other surprising species were drafted into the astronaut corps.

They may be our best friends, but we still balk at giving other creatures moral standing. And why are humans so reluctant to accept the fact that we too are animals?

Guests:

* Jo Wimpenny - Zoologist and writer. Author of “Aesop’s Animals”
* Taylor Maggiacomo - Associate Graphic Editor at National Geographic
* Alexander Stegmaier - Freelance Graphic Editor at National Geographic
* Melanie Challenger - An author who writes on nature, environment and human history. Her latest book: “How to be Animal: A New History of What it Means to be Human”

Originally aired January 24, 2022

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/make-space-for-animals

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#Animals #Astronauts #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for June 15, 2026: Skeptic Check: Disclosure Day

The latest Hollywood romp through the world of aliens has landed in theaters. Steven Spielberg’s movie Disclosure Day suggests that our government has been hiding a cache of evidence about alien visitation that spans decades. It’s fun fiction but does it mesh with reality? Officials have made a series of public disclosures containing information about the government’s UAP program over the years, releasing massive amounts of declassified documents along with audio and video files. Will the most recent data dump finally provide evidence that aliens are here? We look at the extended history of public desire to believe in extraterrestrial visitation, plus the scientific efforts to detect intelligent or microbial life on other worlds.

Guests:

* Adam Kirsch – Senior editor at The Atlantic, and author of, “We Want to Believe: How Aliens Went Mainstream and Why It Matters”
* Sarah Rugheimer – Astrophysicist at the University of Edinburgh and author of “Searching for Extraterrestrial Life”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-disclosure-day

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#SkepticCheck #ExtraterrestrialLife #UFO #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for June 15, 2026: Skeptic Check: Disclosure Day

The latest Hollywood romp through the world of aliens has landed in theaters. Steven Spielberg’s movie Disclosure Day suggests that our government has been hiding a cache of evidence about alien visitation that spans decades. It’s fun fiction but does it mesh with reality? Officials have made a series of public disclosures containing information about the government’s UAP program over the years, releasing massive amounts of declassified documents along with audio and video files. Will the most recent data dump finally provide evidence that aliens are here? We look at the extended history of public desire to believe in extraterrestrial visitation, plus the scientific efforts to detect intelligent or microbial life on other worlds.

Guests:

* Adam Kirsch – Senior editor at The Atlantic, and author of, “We Want to Believe: How Aliens Went Mainstream and Why It Matters”
* Sarah Rugheimer – Astrophysicist at the University of Edinburgh and author of “Searching for Extraterrestrial Life”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-disclosure-day

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#SkepticCheck #ExtraterrestrialLife #UFO #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for May. 25, Skeptic Check: Cryptids

REPEAT
Bigfoot could get official status if proposed legislation passes making it the state cryptid of California. If nothing else, the effort shows that fascination with cryptids has an outsized footprint on our culture. We look at why mythical creatures continue to capture imaginations - as well as passions - of die-hard believers, despite no evidence for their existence. An author uncovers the origin of a beloved hoax in the American West and its unexpected ties to a real animal and historical medical breakthrough. But are we looking for creature delights in all the wrong places? A tally of Earth’s species reveals that far more remain unidentified than are currently known. Newly discovered critters such as the Yeti crab and an organism dubbed the Flying Spaghetti Monster are so strange, it challenges us to separate fauna fact from folktale.

Guests:

* Chris Rogers – Assemblymember, California’s 2nd Assembly District
* Benjamin Radford – Deputy Editor of Skeptical Inquirer Science Magazine, author, and co-host of Squaring the Strange podcast
* Michael Branch – Writer, humorist, and author of On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World’s Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer
* Boris Worm – Marine ecologist, Professor of Biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Originally aired April 14, 2025

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-cryptids

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#Cryptid #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for May. 25, Skeptic Check: Cryptids

REPEAT
Bigfoot could get official status if proposed legislation passes making it the state cryptid of California. If nothing else, the effort shows that fascination with cryptids has an outsized footprint on our culture. We look at why mythical creatures continue to capture imaginations - as well as passions - of die-hard believers, despite no evidence for their existence. An author uncovers the origin of a beloved hoax in the American West and its unexpected ties to a real animal and historical medical breakthrough. But are we looking for creature delights in all the wrong places? A tally of Earth’s species reveals that far more remain unidentified than are currently known. Newly discovered critters such as the Yeti crab and an organism dubbed the Flying Spaghetti Monster are so strange, it challenges us to separate fauna fact from folktale.

Guests:

* Chris Rogers – Assemblymember, California’s 2nd Assembly District
* Benjamin Radford – Deputy Editor of Skeptical Inquirer Science Magazine, author, and co-host of Squaring the Strange podcast
* Michael Branch – Writer, humorist, and author of On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World’s Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer
* Boris Worm – Marine ecologist, Professor of Biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Originally aired April 14, 2025

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-cryptids

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#Cryptid #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for May. 18, Allergy Reason

REPEAT
Runny nose. Itchy, watery eyes. Sneezing. If you don’t have allergies, you probably know someone who does. The number of people with allergies, including food allergies and eczema, is increasing. What is going on?

A medical anthropologist describes how our hygiene habits, our diets, and our polluted environment are irritating our bodies. Also, the case for skipping your shower. Is skin healthier when we stop lathering?

Guests:

* James Hamblin – Preventive medicine physician and a lecturer in public health at Yale and author of Clean: the New Science of Skin
* Theresa MacPhail – medical anthropologist, professor of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology and author of Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.

Originally aired July 3, 2023

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/allergy-reason

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#Allergy #Allergies #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for May. 18, Allergy Reason

REPEAT
Runny nose. Itchy, watery eyes. Sneezing. If you don’t have allergies, you probably know someone who does. The number of people with allergies, including food allergies and eczema, is increasing. What is going on?

A medical anthropologist describes how our hygiene habits, our diets, and our polluted environment are irritating our bodies. Also, the case for skipping your shower. Is skin healthier when we stop lathering?

Guests:

* James Hamblin – Preventive medicine physician and a lecturer in public health at Yale and author of Clean: the New Science of Skin
* Theresa MacPhail – medical anthropologist, professor of science and technology studies at Stevens Institute of Technology and author of Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World.

Originally aired July 3, 2023

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/allergy-reason

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#Allergy #Allergies #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for Dec. 29, 2025: Beyond the Periodic Table

REPEAT
You interact with about two-thirds of the elements of the periodic table every day. Some, like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, make up our bodies and the air we breathe. Yet there is also a class of elements so unstable they can only be made in a lab. These superheavy elements are the purview of a small group stretching the boundaries of chemistry. Can they extend the periodic table beyond the 118 in it now? Find out scientists are using particle accelerators to create element 120 and why they’ve skipped over element 119. Plus, if an element exists for only a fraction of a second in the lab, can we still say that counts as existing?

Guests:

* Mark Miodownik – professor of materials and society at the University of College London and the author of “It’s a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World.”
* Kit Chapman – Science historian at Falmouth University, author of “Superheavy; Making and Breaking the Periodic Table.”
* Jennifer Pore – Research Scientist of Heavy Elements at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Originally aired November 18, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/beyond-the-periodic-table

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#PeriodicTable #Elements #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for Nov. 03, 2025: Katrina and the River

REPEAT
“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. In this, our final episode marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we consider how efforts to control the Mighty Mississippi – a river engineered from its Minnesota headwaters to its Gulf Coast outlet – have responded to the devastating storm, and how New Orleans’ relationship to the river has changed. Can the city keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system, or is retreat the only viable response?

Plus, a wetland recovery project that aims to bolster protection from hurricanes and flooding in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Guests:

* Boyce Upholt – Journalist and author of “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River”
* Nathaniel Rich – Author of “Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade” and the New York Times Op-Ed, “New Orleans’ Striking Advantage in the Age of Climate Change”
* Harriet Swift – New Orleans resident
* Andrew Horowitz – Historian, University of Connecticut, author of "Katrina: A History, 1915-2015"
* Rashida Ferdinand – Founder and Executive Director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation, overseeing the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail in New Orleans
* Jason Day – Biologist, wetland Scientist, Comite Resources in Louisiana

Originally aired August 18, 2025

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/katrina-and-the-river

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #MississippiRiver #HurricaneKatrina

Big Picture Science for Nov. 03, 2025: Katrina and the River

REPEAT
“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. In this, our final episode marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we consider how efforts to control the Mighty Mississippi – a river engineered from its Minnesota headwaters to its Gulf Coast outlet – have responded to the devastating storm, and how New Orleans’ relationship to the river has changed. Can the city keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system, or is retreat the only viable response?

Plus, a wetland recovery project that aims to bolster protection from hurricanes and flooding in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Guests:

* Boyce Upholt – Journalist and author of “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River”
* Nathaniel Rich – Author of “Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade” and the New York Times Op-Ed, “New Orleans’ Striking Advantage in the Age of Climate Change”
* Harriet Swift – New Orleans resident
* Andrew Horowitz – Historian, University of Connecticut, author of "Katrina: A History, 1915-2015"
* Rashida Ferdinand – Founder and Executive Director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation, overseeing the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail in New Orleans
* Jason Day – Biologist, wetland Scientist, Comite Resources in Louisiana

Originally aired August 18, 2025

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/katrina-and-the-river

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #MississippiRiver #HurricaneKatrina

Big Picture Science for Nov. 03, 2025: Katrina and the River

REPEAT
“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. In this, our final episode marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we consider how efforts to control the Mighty Mississippi – a river engineered from its Minnesota headwaters to its Gulf Coast outlet – have responded to the devastating storm, and how New Orleans’ relationship to the river has changed. Can the city keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system, or is retreat the only viable response?

Plus, a wetland recovery project that aims to bolster protection from hurricanes and flooding in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Guests:

* Boyce Upholt – Journalist and author of “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River”
* Nathaniel Rich – Author of “Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade” and the New York Times Op-Ed, “New Orleans’ Striking Advantage in the Age of Climate Change”
* Harriet Swift – New Orleans resident
* Andrew Horowitz – Historian, University of Connecticut, author of "Katrina: A History, 1915-2015"
* Rashida Ferdinand – Founder and Executive Director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation, overseeing the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail in New Orleans
* Jason Day – Biologist, wetland Scientist, Comite Resources in Louisiana

Originally aired August 18, 2025

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/katrina-and-the-river

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #MississippiRiver #HurricaneKatrina

Big Picture Science for Nov. 03, 2025: Katrina and the River

REPEAT
“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. In this, our final episode marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we consider how efforts to control the Mighty Mississippi – a river engineered from its Minnesota headwaters to its Gulf Coast outlet – have responded to the devastating storm, and how New Orleans’ relationship to the river has changed. Can the city keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system, or is retreat the only viable response?

Plus, a wetland recovery project that aims to bolster protection from hurricanes and flooding in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Guests:

* Boyce Upholt – Journalist and author of “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River”
* Nathaniel Rich – Author of “Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade” and the New York Times Op-Ed, “New Orleans’ Striking Advantage in the Age of Climate Change”
* Harriet Swift – New Orleans resident
* Andrew Horowitz – Historian, University of Connecticut, author of "Katrina: A History, 1915-2015"
* Rashida Ferdinand – Founder and Executive Director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation, overseeing the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail in New Orleans
* Jason Day – Biologist, wetland Scientist, Comite Resources in Louisiana

Originally aired August 18, 2025

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/katrina-and-the-river

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #MississippiRiver #HurricaneKatrina

Big Picture Science for Nov. 03, 2025: Katrina and the River

REPEAT
“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. In this, our final episode marking the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we consider how efforts to control the Mighty Mississippi – a river engineered from its Minnesota headwaters to its Gulf Coast outlet – have responded to the devastating storm, and how New Orleans’ relationship to the river has changed. Can the city keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system, or is retreat the only viable response?

Plus, a wetland recovery project that aims to bolster protection from hurricanes and flooding in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Guests:

* Boyce Upholt – Journalist and author of “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River”
* Nathaniel Rich – Author of “Second Nature: Scenes From a World Remade” and the New York Times Op-Ed, “New Orleans’ Striking Advantage in the Age of Climate Change”
* Harriet Swift – New Orleans resident
* Andrew Horowitz – Historian, University of Connecticut, author of "Katrina: A History, 1915-2015"
* Rashida Ferdinand – Founder and Executive Director of Sankofa Community Development Corporation, overseeing the Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail in New Orleans
* Jason Day – Biologist, wetland Scientist, Comite Resources in Louisiana

Originally aired August 18, 2025

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/katrina-and-the-river

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

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Big Picture Science for Oct. 06, 2025: Skeptic Check: Health Fads

The tiny bean-shaped structures in your cells – mitochondria – are little powerhouses. Recent research suggests they may unlock overall good health, or, when they fail, cause diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s. How strong is the science for these claims and what, if anything, should we be doing to improve our mitochondrial health? Should we take a cue from influencers who suggest drinking an industrial dye called methylene blue? Meanwhile, there have been beefed up calls for adding protein to our diets by eating high protein ice cream, energy bars and huge slabs of meat. Protein builds muscles, but is the muscle of science behind these claims? This week, we consider recent health trends on Skeptic Check.

Guests:

* Martin Picard – Professor of behavioral medicine and mitochondrial psychobiology at Columbia University, where he runs the Mitochondrial Psychobiology Group.
* Howard LeWine – General internal medicine physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Chief Medical Editor at Harvard Health Publishing, and editor in chief of Harvard Men’s Health Watch.

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-health-fads

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

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#HealthFads #BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science

Big Picture Science for Sep. 22, 2025: Spare (Body) Parts

Big Picture Science: Spare (Body) Parts

Strapped-on brass noses, frog skin grafts, human organs grown in pigs: The world of replaceable body parts is both amazing and a bit unsettling. But who better give us a tour of the past and present of what medical engineering considers Plan B, than the inimitable science writer Mary Roach.

Guest:

* Mary Roach – Science writer and author of “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spare-body-parts

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #BodyParts #Transplants #Prosthetics #MedicalEngineering

Big Picture Science for Sep. 22, 2025: Spare (Body) Parts

Big Picture Science: Spare (Body) Parts

Strapped-on brass noses, frog skin grafts, human organs grown in pigs: The world of replaceable body parts is both amazing and a bit unsettling. But who better give us a tour of the past and present of what medical engineering considers Plan B, than the inimitable science writer Mary Roach.

Guest:

* Mary Roach – Science writer and author of “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spare-body-parts

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #BodyParts #Transplants #Prosthetics #MedicalEngineering

Big Picture Science for Sep. 22, 2025: Spare (Body) Parts

Big Picture Science: Spare (Body) Parts

Strapped-on brass noses, frog skin grafts, human organs grown in pigs: The world of replaceable body parts is both amazing and a bit unsettling. But who better give us a tour of the past and present of what medical engineering considers Plan B, than the inimitable science writer Mary Roach.

Guest:

* Mary Roach – Science writer and author of “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spare-body-parts

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #BodyParts #Transplants #Prosthetics #MedicalEngineering

Big Picture Science for Sep. 22, 2025: Spare (Body) Parts

Big Picture Science: Spare (Body) Parts

Strapped-on brass noses, frog skin grafts, human organs grown in pigs: The world of replaceable body parts is both amazing and a bit unsettling. But who better give us a tour of the past and present of what medical engineering considers Plan B, than the inimitable science writer Mary Roach.

Guest:

* Mary Roach – Science writer and author of “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spare-body-parts

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #BodyParts #Transplants #Prosthetics #MedicalEngineering

Big Picture Science for Sep. 22, 2025: Spare (Body) Parts

Big Picture Science: Spare (Body) Parts

Strapped-on brass noses, frog skin grafts, human organs grown in pigs: The world of replaceable body parts is both amazing and a bit unsettling. But who better give us a tour of the past and present of what medical engineering considers Plan B, than the inimitable science writer Mary Roach.

Guest:

* Mary Roach – Science writer and author of “Replaceable You: Adventures in Human Anatomy”

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/spare-body-parts

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #BodyParts #Transplants #Prosthetics #MedicalEngineering

Big Picture Science for July 14, 2025: Nuts and Bolts

REPEAT
How frequently do you think about fasteners like screws and bolts? Probably not very often. But some of them a storied history, dating back to Egypt in the 3rd century BC. They aren’t just ancient history. They help hold up our bridges and homes today. Join us as we dissect a handful of engineering inventions that keep our world spinning and intact.

Guests:

* Roma Agrawal - structural engineer and author of "Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way)"
* Ron Gordon - watchmaker, New York City

This repeat podcast originally aired on May 6, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/nuts-and-bolts

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #Nuts #Bolts #Screws

Big Picture Science for July 14, 2025: Nuts and Bolts

REPEAT
How frequently do you think about fasteners like screws and bolts? Probably not very often. But some of them a storied history, dating back to Egypt in the 3rd century BC. They aren’t just ancient history. They help hold up our bridges and homes today. Join us as we dissect a handful of engineering inventions that keep our world spinning and intact.

Guests:

* Roma Agrawal - structural engineer and author of "Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way)"
* Ron Gordon - watchmaker, New York City

This repeat podcast originally aired on May 6, 2024

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/nuts-and-bolts

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

#BigPictureScience #SETI #News #Podcast #Science #Nuts #Bolts #Screws