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Physics and Chemistry
Science December 20, 2022

The Poetry and Music of Science

Comparing Creativity in Science and Art

Tom McLeish

Hosted by Morteza Hajizadeh
What human qualities are needed to make scientific discoveries, and which to make great art? Many would point to 'imagination' and 'creativity' in the second case but not the first …

Physics and Chemistry

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Interviews with physicist and chemists about their new books.

Scholarly Communication December 7, 2022

Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words

David Lindsay

Hosted by Daniel Shea
Listen to this interview of David Lindsay, emeritus professor of the University of Western Australia. We talk about his book Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words (CSIRO Publishing, 2020) and how your …
Princeton UP Ideas Podcast November 28, 2022

Back to the Moon

The Next Giant Leap for Humankind

Joseph Silk

Hosted by Mark Klobas
Just over half a century since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface, a new space race to the Moon is well underway and rapidly gaining momentum. Laying …
Science November 2, 2022

"Well, Doc, You're In"

Freeman Dyson’s Journey through the Universe

David Kaiser

Hosted by Matthew Jordan
Freeman Dyson (1923–2020)—renowned scientist, visionary, and iconoclast—helped invent modern physics. Not bound by disciplinary divisions, he went on to explore foundational topics in mathematics, astrophysics, and the origin of life …
High Theory October 25, 2022

Halloween Special: Schrödinger’s Cat

A Discussion with George Gibson

George Gibson

Hosted by Kim Adams and Saronik Bosu
Kim talks with George Gibson about Schrödinger’s cat. This cat is a thought experiment proposed by Erwin Schrödinger, and taken up in correspondence with Albert Einstein, in the 1930s. Schrödinger’s …
Writ Large September 29, 2022

On Einstein's Discoveries

A Discussion with Peter Galison

Peter Galison

Hosted by Zachary Davis
Before Albert Einstein, our understanding of space, time, and gravity hadn’t really shifted from the theories that Sir Isaac Newton developed in the 1700s. But in 1905, Einstein published his …
Biology and Evolution September 8, 2022

Scent

A Natural History of Fragrance

Elise Vernon Pearlstine

Hosted by Miranda Melcher
Plants have long harnessed the chemical characteristics of aromatic compounds to shape the world around them. Frankincense resin from the genus Boswellia seals injured tissues and protects trees from invading …
Writ Large August 22, 2022

On Edwin Hubble’s "The Realm of the Nebulae"

A Discussion with Marica Bartusiak

Marica Bartusiak

Hosted by Zachary Davis
Until the publication of Edwin Hubble’s 1936 book, The Realm of the Nebulae, astronomers believed that the Milky Way was the only galaxy in the universe. Hubble infinitely expanded our …
Darts & Letters July 29, 2022

The Science Wars

Post-Truth and the Nature of Science

Hosted by Gordon Katic
Welcome to the final day of our weeklong deep dive into the politics of education. Today, we’ve got another episode of Cited for you. If you haven’t heard a Cited …
Medicine July 13, 2022

How to Sell a Poison

The Rise, Fall, and Toxic Return of DDT

Elena Conis

Hosted by Claire Clark
The story of DDT as you’ve never heard it before: a fresh look at the much-maligned chemical compound as a cautionary tale of how powerful corporations have stoked the flames …
History of Science July 6, 2022

Elusive

How Peter Higgs Solved the Mystery of Mass

Frank Close

Hosted by Galina Limorenko
On July 4, 2012, the announcement came that one of the longest-running mysteries in physics had been solved: the Higgs boson, the missing piece in understanding why particles have mass …
Science June 22, 2022

From Data to Quanta

Niels Bohr’s Vision of Physics

Slobodan Perovic

Hosted by Ana Georgescu
Niels Bohr was a central figure in quantum physics, well known for his work on atomic structure and his contributions to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. In From Data …
Science June 21, 2022

Plan S for Shock

Science. Shock. Solution. Speed.

Robert-Jan Smits and Rachael Pells

Hosted by Galina Limorenko
Plan S: the open access initiative that changed the face of global research.  Robert-Jan Smits and Rachael Pells's book Plan S for Shock: Science. Shock. Solution. Speed. (Ubiquity Press, 2022) tells …
Science June 15, 2022

Hidden in Plain Sight

The History, Science, and Engineering of Microfluidic Technology

Albert Folch

Hosted by Galina Limorenko
Hidden from view, microfluidics underlies a variety of devices that are essential to our lives, from inkjet printers to glucometers for the monitoring of diabetes. Microfluidics--which refers to the technology …
Grinnell College: Authors and Artists June 15, 2022

All About Dwarf Galaxies

A Conversation with Astronomer Charlotte Christensen

Charlotte Christensen

Hosted by Marshall Poe
Today I talked to astronomer Charlotte Christensen of Grinnell College. She studies (among other things) dwarf galaxies.  Dwarf galaxies, galaxies with masses about 10% that of the Milky Way or …
Science June 10, 2022

Spark

The Life of Electricity and the Electricity of Life

Timothy J. Jorgensen

Hosted by Galina Limorenko
When we think of electricity, we likely imagine the energy humming inside our home appliances or lighting up our electronic devices--or perhaps we envision the lightning-streaked clouds of a stormy …
Environmental Studies June 7, 2022

Geoengineering

The Gamble

Gernot Wagner

Hosted by Galina Limorenko
Stabilizing the world's climates means cutting carbon dioxide pollution. There's no way around it. But what if that's not enough? What if it's too difficult to accomplish in the time …
Environmental Studies May 31, 2022

Song of the Earth

Understanding Geology and Why It Matters

Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim

Hosted by Aspen Brown
In today’s podcast, Elisabeth Ervin-Blankenheim explains how understanding harmonics of the earth provides a forward-thinking methodology to confront the challenges presented by the massive changes in the climate. In …
Science May 30, 2022

Impact

How Rocks from Space Led to Life, Culture, and Donkey Kong

Greg Brennecka

Hosted by Galina Limorenko
The Solar System. Dinosaurs. Donkey Kong. What is the missing link? Surprisingly enough, it's meteorites. They explain our past, constructed our present, and could define our future. Impact: How Rocks …
Environmental Studies May 30, 2022

Economic Poisoning

Industrial Waste and the Chemicalization of American Agriculture

Adam M. Romero

Hosted by Eyad Houssami
The toxicity of pesticides to the environment and humans is often framed as an unfortunate effect of their benefits to agricultural production. In Economic Poisoning: Industrial Waste and the Chemicalization …