The sounds of science
The super science summary
Science TalkThey say: “Join host Steve Mirsky each week as he explores the latest developments in science and technology through interviews with leading scientists and journalists.”
We hear: There are several excellent science current-affairs digests out there, including the BBC World Service’s Science in Action, Science Magazine and Science Friday. The Scientific American one gets our vote because it’s the most in-depth, sometimes delivering full audio of major scientific events of news conferences, such as the New Horizons spacecraft flying past Pluto and the Royal Society’s announcement of Stephen Hawking and Yuri Milner’s initiative to find intelligent life in space.
Best listening for: When you have no time to read your latest Scientific American or New Scientist, this can help you bluff it. (Even more rushed? Try 60-Second Science.)
Sound bite: Stephen Hawking: “Experimental astronomy is always worthwhile. If a search of this scale and sophistication finds no evidence of intelligence out there, that is a very interesting result. It will not prove that we are alone, but it will narrow the possibilities and it’s likely to produce data that is fascinating in its own right.”
A guide to mindful digital living
Note To SelfThey say: “Host Manoush Zomorodi talks with everyone from big name techies to elementary school teachers about the effects of technology on our lives, in a quest for the smart choices that will help you think and live better.”
We hear: Thought-provoking investigations into the good, the bad and the algorithms of how technology affects us all—check out the Bored and Brilliant project.
Best listening for: Anyone who is fascinated, enamoured and overwhelmed by technology.
Sound bite: “It wasn’t really until the internet came along that we started doing non-linear reading … [our brains] find skimming so much easier … Slow reading, cracking open a book, stopping and thinking about a sentence, maybe going back and reading it again, giving each word its chance to wow … Is it possible to be a deep and thoughtful reader and also an efficient online reader? Why do [we] feel there is a battle going on between those two skills in our brains?”
This Is Your (Science) Life
People Behind the ScienceThey say: “Come with us on a journey through the lives and minds of today’s brilliant scientists. The People Behind the Science podcast is here to provide you access to engaging science stories, amazing insights, seasoned science career advice, and fascinating science research!”
We hear: Illuminating, inspirational and pleasantly discursive exchanges with scientists of every stripe (get even more from the excellent show notes on the website).
Best listening for: Fans of ABC Radio’s Conversations with Richard Fidler—it’s a great peek into the life journeys of all kinds of scientists.
Sound bite: “I was working for Mercedes Benz at one point, building controllers for a truck … part of the project was building a remote control for a full-scale truck and trailer, a 40-tonne truck … there’s the saying that engineers never grow up, just their toys get bigger!”
“For everyone who has a brain”
Brain Science PodcastBrain Science
They say: “The host of the Brain Science Podcast is Dr Ginger Campbell, an experienced emergency physician with a long-standing interest in mind-body medicine, the brain, and consciousness. In this podcast she shares recent discoveries from the world of neuroscience in a way that people of all backgrounds can enjoy. Dr Campbell believes that understanding how the brain works gives us insight into what makes us human. She is also committed to showing how the scientific method has unravelled many long-standing mysteries.”
We hear: Surprisingly accessible information about how our brains work and new discoveries in neuroscience, directly from the working scientists.
Best listening for: Just as Dr Ginger says in her introduction to each episode, this is “the show for everyone who has a brain”. We promise it will make you feel smarter.
Sound bite: “What CI [constraint-induced movement therapy] was doing, among other things, was increasing the neural representation of the stroke-affected arm or the arm affected by traumatic brain injury… The study that had the largest impact was published in ... the journal Stroke. We had been publishing the clinical results and people thought this, like a lot of other a lot of other reported miracle cures, was a flash in the pan. But when we were able to show [with fMRI data] that CI therapy resulted in a substantial change in the brain, then other investigators in the field said something must be there.”
The digestive track to science
GastropodThey say: “Gastropod looks at food through the lens of science and history. Co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley serve up a brand new episode every month, plus a bite-sized interlude and articles to tide you over in between. Each episode, we look at the hidden history and surprising science behind a different food and/or farming-related topic, from aquaculture to ancient feasts, from cutlery to chile peppers, and from microbes to Malbec. We interview experts, visit labs, fields, and archaeological digs, and generally have lots of fun while discovering new ways to understand the world through food.”
We hear: An eclectic and reliably fascinating smorgasbord of science and history, with some terrific technical sidesteps. It’s funny, too—and there’s lots of extra info, images and links in the show notes on the website.
Best listening for: Foodies with a scientifically curious palate.
Sound bite: “It floats around in the water for months and it changes colour from black to grey as the sun and saltwater cure it ... It’s ridiculously expensive. It’s been used for thousands of years for perfume and spice and even medicine. Today it’s hard to find—people can make thousands of dollars by randomly coming across a chunk on the beach … It is technically illegal in the United States...” (Go to around 13:00 minutes in the sound bite link if you want to know what ‘it’ is!)
Postscript: We of course assume you’re already listening to ABC Radio National’s The Science Show, now 40 years young. Read more about it and other great science and tech listening in our previous pro-podcast-post, Fire up the brain-food truck...
Visit the National Science Week site for science-celebrating events and activities in your local area.