Big Picture Science Radio

Produced by:

SETI Institute

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Big Picture Science is a weekly, one-hour radio show and podcast produced at the SETI Institute. Hosted by Seth Shostak, SETI Institute Fellow and Senior Astronomer, and science journalist Molly Bentley, Big Picture Science reports on modern science and technology with smart and humorous storytelling.

Themed episodes feature interviews with top scientists and technology innovators. All episodes try to answer the question, “so what?” Why does this research matter?

Big Picture Science topics range from the microbiome to virtual reality, from the physics of motion to the intelligence of animals. Every month one episode is devoted to critical thinking in "Skeptic Check", which separates fact from fiction in topics such as Bigfoot and UFOs.

And of course we cover science related to the work of the SETI Institute.

seti.org/bigpicturescience

Topic tags:

Global Affairs, Science/Technology

Streams:

KBOO Stream 1

Program status:

Current

Keeping Humans in the Loop

Airs at: Fri, 12/09/2022 at 11:00am - 12:00pm

Produced for: Big Picture Science Radio

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As our world becomes more challenging, can we maintain control of our own future? Threats arise not just from climate change or inventions such as artificial intelligence, but also from our digital aids: algorithms that classify and define our wants, our needs, and our b... Read more

Your Inner Tree

Airs at: Wed, 11/30/2022 at 11:00am - 12:00pm

Produced for: Big Picture Science Radio

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Declining biodiversity is a problem as fraught as climate change. Loss of habitat, monoculture crops, and the damming of waterways all lead to massive species extinction. They tear at life's delicate web, and threaten a balance established by four billion years of evolut... Read more

De-Permafrosting

Airs at: Tue, 10/25/2022 at 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Produced for: Big Picture Science Radio

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Above the Arctic Circle, much of the land is underlaid by permafrost. But climate change is causing it to thaw. This is not good news for the planet. As the carbon rich ground warms, microbes start to feast releasing greenhouse gases that will warm the Earth even more. A... Read more

The T-Rex Files

Airs at: Fri, 10/21/2022 at 11:00am - 12:00pm

Produced for: Big Picture Science Radio

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T-Rex is having an identity crisis. Rocking the world of paleontology is the claim that Rex was not one species, but actually three. It's not the first time that this particular dino has forced us to revise our understanding of the past. The discovery of the first T-Rex ... Read more

Skeptic Check: New UFO Evidence

Airs at: Wed, 09/21/2022 at 11:00am - 12:00pm

Produced for: Big Picture Science Radio

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It was a shocker of a story, splashed across the New York Times front page: The existence of a five-year long, hidden Pentagon investigation of UFOs. With two-thirds of the American public convinced that aliens are visiting Earth, could this study finally provide the pro... Read more