Episodes Archive
Last Ape Standing #246
January 03, 2014
This week, we're learning about the past and the future of the human race on the planet we've come to dominate. Rachelle Saunders talks to Chip Walter, founder of AllThingsHuman.net, about his book "Last Ape Standing:The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived." And she speaks to University of Cincinnati paleoecologist Brooke Crowley about the evidence that human activity is the primary driver of change in our ecosystem. Read More
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Boozy Science #245
December 27, 2013
This week, we're discussing some science surrounding our favorite adult beverages. We'll revisit our interview with Dr. Charlie Bamforth, Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, about the chemistry of the brewing process. And we'll speak to researcher and winery owner Robert Hodgson, about his study exposing the shaky science of wine tasting. Read More
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Science Has A People Problem #244
December 20, 2013
This week, we're talking about the people, passions and personalities that shape the pursuit of science. Desiree Schell sits down with Dr. Morton Meyers, Distinguished Professor of Radiology and Medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, to talk about his 2012 book "Prize Fight: The Race and the Rivalry to be the First in Science." And she'll speak with linguists James Winters and Sean Roberts, about their study on the strange and sometimes spurious correlations between linguistic and cultural features. Read More
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Science Up Your Holidays #243
December 13, 2013
This week, we're helping add some science to your holiday season. We'll hear from some of our favorite past guests, and members of the Science for the People team, as they share their most-treasured science books from 2013, as well as classics to help fill out anyone’s science library. Physicist and author Aaron Santos joins us to run some fascinating Christmas-themed Fermi Equations. We'll speak to Rose Eveleth and Ben Lillie, creators of Science Studio, who'll help us stay entertained over the holidays with some of the best multimedia science on the web. And we'll share a list of science-based charities to help... Read More
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Time Warped #242
December 06, 2013
This week, we're learning more about the fourth dimension, with a look at the brain science and the physics of time. Desiree Schell speaks to BBC journalist Claudia Hammond about her book "Time Warped: Unlocking the Mysteries of Time Perception." And astrophysicist and blogger Ethan Siegel returns to talk to Rachelle Saunders about the physics of time travel. Read More
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Against Their Will #241
November 29, 2013
This week, we're looking at what happens when medical research clashes with basic ethics. Desiree Schell speaks to author Allen Hornblum about his book "Against Their Will: The Secret History of Medical Experimentation on Children in Cold War America." And she'll talk to science journalist Erika Check Hayden about the controversy over genetic tests for social traits. Read More
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Humorology #240
November 22, 2013
This week, we'll speak to a trio of online experts for a look at the lighter side of science. Desiree Schell welcomes favorite guest Scicurious, to talk about the 2013 IgNobel Prizes. Rachelle Saunders speaks to researcher and blogger Derek Lowe, about the chemicals that he refuses to work with. And we're joined by online video veteran Ze Frank to talk about his "True Facts" series. Read More
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Science and The Shutdown #239
November 15, 2013
When the United States Congress forced a 16-day government shutdown, nearly all government research funding was put on hold. Now that the latest budget impasse is over, we'll discuss the lingering effects of that funding gap. We're joined by Andrew Rosenberg, Director of the Center for Science and Democracy, John Sonntag, Instrument Team Lead for NASA's Operation IceBridge, J. Marshall Shepherd, Director for the Program in Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia, and Casey Dreier, Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator for the Planetary Society, to learn how long-term projects were disrupted by the shutdown, and how they're trying to recover. Read More
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Hypatia and Women in STEM #238
November 08, 2013
This week, we're looking back in history and to the modern day, to discuss women who defend and advance science and learning. Desiree Schell speaks to author Faith Justice, about her book "Hypatia: Her Life and Times," which examines the literary myths and primary sources on the life of the famours philosopher. And she's joined by Professor Zahra Hazari, to discuss her work on gender issues in science education. Read More
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The Melting World #237
November 01, 2013
This week, we're talking about how climate change is altering the face of the planet, and affecting the lives of the people who live here. Desiree Schell speaks to science writer and naturalist Christoper White, about his book "The Melting World: A Journey Across America's Vanishing Glaciers." And she's joined by sociology researcher Stephen Castles, to discuss the factors driving human migration, and how it could be affected by the shifting climate. Download "Foresight: Migration and Global Environmental Change" (2011), Final Project Report from the UK Government Office for Science, London. Download Stephen Castles' "concluding remarks on the climate change-migration nexus," from... Read More
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Fukushima #236
October 25, 2013
This week, Rachelle Saunders spends the hour discussing the disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear reactor. She'll examine the impacts on the environment, public health and the reputation of nuclear power, with Dr. Charles Ferguson, president of the Federation of American Scientists, and former project director of the Independent Task Force on U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, and Dr. Rob Tarzwell, specialist in nuclear medicine and psychiatry, and creator of the One Minute Medical School video series. Read More
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Food Sustainability #235
October 18, 2013
This week, we're exploring the technological, environmental and economic challenges of feeding the human race. Desiree Schell spends the hour with Valentine Cadieux, professor of Sociology and Geology at the University of Minnesota, and graduate researcher Emily Cassidy. They'll discuss the sustainability of current global food production, and look forward to how those systems can adapt to keep up with an expanding human population. And we'll speak to researcher and blogger Danielle N. Lee, about a recent controversy in the science blogosphere. Read More
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Science For The People #234
October 11, 2013
This week, Skeptically Speaking becomes Science For The People. Hosts Desiree Schell, Rachelle Saunders and Marie-Claire Shanahan discuss the new name, the motivation for the change, and how it conveys their vision for the show. We'll speak to researcher Alice Bell about the history and politics of the radical science movement of the 1970's. And researcher and blogger Scicurious gives us a preview of GirlGeekCon 2013. Read More
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Poop #233
October 04, 2013
This week, we’re skipping to the tail end of the digestive tract, to learn some fascinating facts about feces. Rachelle Saunders welcomes science journalist Maryn McKenna back to the show to discuss human gut bacteria, and the biome-boosting power of fecal transplants. Desiree Schell speaks to anthropologist Cecil Lewis about what studying ancient poo can tell us about the evolution of the human microbiome. And Rachelle speaks to zoologist Eric Warrant about how some species of dung beetles can navigate by the light of the night sky. Read More
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Food Science #232
September 27, 2013
This week, we’re exploring the everyday experiments that take place in our very own kitchens. Desiree Schell speaks to Guy Crosby, Science Editor for America’s Test Kitchen, about his book “The Science of Good Cooking.” And geneticist and science writer Torah Kachur returns to the show, to take a scientifically informed look at the future of food. Read More
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Thinking About Thinking #231
September 20, 2013
This week, we’re diving back into neuroscience, to learn how common conceptions of the brain stand up to real research. Desiree Schell speaks to neurologist and author Robert Burton, about his book A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind: What Neuroscience Can and Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves. She’s joined by neuroradiologist Jeff Anderson, to get the scientific perspective on the differences between the brain’s right and left hemispheres. And she’ll speak to cognitive scientist Gary Marcus, about the promise and peril of the push back against pop neuroscience. Read More
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Bug Music #230
September 13, 2013
This week, we’re jamming to the rhythm of the insect world. Desiree speaks to musician and philosopher David Rothenberg, author of the book Bug Music: How Insects Gave Us Rhythm and Noise, about the possible insect inspirations for human music. And she’s joined by entomologist Gwen Pearson, A.K.A. Bug Girl, to talk about the interesting ways that insects make sounds with their bodies. Read More
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The Way of Science #229
September 06, 2013
This week, we’re taking science out of the lab and into everyday life. Rachelle Saunders speaks to Dennis R. Trumble, Senior Biomedical Engineer and Instructor of Surgery at Allegheny General Hospital, about his book The Way of Science: Finding Truth and Meaning in a Scientific Worldview. Desiree Schell talks to Bobby Duffy, Managing Director of the Ipsos MORI Social Research Institute, about the top 10 mistakes the British public make about statistics. And Desiree speaks to Katie Gibbs of Evidence for Democracy, a group that advocates for the transparent use of science and evidence in Canadian public policy. Read More
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Monster Mash #228
August 30, 2013
This week, we’re telling spooky stories about monsters both real and imagined. We’ll speak to science writer and blogger Frank Swain about his book How to Make a Zombie: The Real Life (and Death) Science of Reanimation and Mind Control. And we’re joined by science writer Matt Kaplan to discuss his book The Science of Monsters, about the possible real-world inspiration for some of fiction's most enduring creatures. Read More
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Math on Trial #227
August 22, 2013
This week, guest host Rachelle Saunders explores the ways that math can help (and hinder) the pursuit of justice. She speaks to mathematician and University of Paris Professor Leila Schneps, co-author of the book Math on Trial: How Numbers Get Used and Abused in the Courtroom. And she’s joined by Patrick Ball, to talk about his work as Executive Director of the Human Rights Data Analysis Group. Read More
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