559 episodes

The surprising connections in science and technology that give you the Big Picture. Astronomer Seth Shostak and science journalist Molly Bentley are joined each week by leading researchers, techies, and journalists to provide a smart and humorous take on science. Our regular "Skeptic Check" episodes cast a critical eye on pseudoscience.

Big Picture Science SETI Institute

    • Science
    • 4.5 • 858 Ratings

The surprising connections in science and technology that give you the Big Picture. Astronomer Seth Shostak and science journalist Molly Bentley are joined each week by leading researchers, techies, and journalists to provide a smart and humorous take on science. Our regular "Skeptic Check" episodes cast a critical eye on pseudoscience.

    Skeptic Check: Asteroid Mining

    Skeptic Check: Asteroid Mining

    Asteroids are rich in precious metals and other valuable resources. But mining them presents considerable challenges. We discuss these, and consider how these spinning, rocky resources might be the key to a space-faring future. But an economist points out the consequences of bringing material back to Earth, and a scientist raises an ethical question; do we have an obligation to keep the asteroids intact for science?
     Guests:
    Jim Bell - Planetary scientist in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University.
    Martin Elvis - Astronomer and author of “Asteroids: How Love, Fear, and Greed Will Determine Our Future in Space.”
    Ian Lange - Economist and associate professor at the Colorado School of Mines and author of a paper on the feasibility of asteroid mining.
    Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake
    You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!
    Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.
     
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    • 54 min
    Feet Don't Fail Me

    Feet Don't Fail Me

    Standing on your own two feet isn’t easy. While many animals can momentarily balance on their hind legs, we’re the only critters, besides birds, for whom bipedalism is completely normal. Find out why, even though other animals are faster, we’re champions at getting around. Could it be that our upright stance made us human? Plus, why arches help stiffen feet, the argument for bare-footin’, and 12,000-year old footprints that tell a story about an Ice Age mother, her child, and a sloth. 
    Guests:


    Daniel Lieberman – Professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University.


    Jeremy DeSilva – Professor in the departments of anthropology and biological sciences, Dartmouth College, and author of “First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human.”


    Madhusudhan Venkadesan – Professor of mechanical engineering and materials science, Yale University School of Engineering.


    David Bustos – Chief of Resources at White Sands, National Park, New Mexico.


    Sally Reynolds – Paleontologist at Bournemouth University, U.K.

    Originally aired May 24, 2021
    Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake
    You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!
    Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.
     
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 54 min
    Lady Parts**

    Lady Parts**

    The Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe has ignited fierce debate about bodily autonomy. But it’s remarkable how little we know about female physiology. Find out what studies have been overlooked by science, and what has been recently learned. Plus, why studying women’s bodies means being able to say words like “vagina” without shame ... a researcher who is recreating a uterus in her lab to study endometriosis … and an overdue recognition of medical pioneer Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler.
    Guests:
    Melody T. McCloud - Obstetrician Gynecologist and Founder and Medical Director of Atlanta Women's Health Care; co-author of “Black Women's Wellness: Your ‘I've Got This!’ Guide to Health, Sex, and Phenomenal Living”
    Victoria Gall - Volunteer with the Friends of the Hyde Park Library and the Hyde Park Historical Society
    Rachel E. Gross - Science journalist and author of “Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage”
    Linda Griffith - Professor of Biological and Mechanical Engineering at M.I.T., Director of the Center for Gynepathology Research, and author of the Boston Globe article, “‘FemTech’ and a moonshot for menstruation science”
    Roshni Babal - Pediatric Asthma and Chronic Disease Program Coordinator at Boston Medical Center
    Perri Klass - Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics at New York University and Author of “The Best Medicine: How Science and Public Health Gave Children a Future”
    **Originally aired October 31, 2022
    Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake
    You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!
    Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.
     
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 1 hr
    Tomb with a View*

    Tomb with a View*

    A century ago, British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the only surviving intact tomb from ancient Egypt. Inside was the mummy of the boy king Tutankhamun, together with “wonderful things” including a solid gold mask.
    Treasure from King Tut’s crypt has been viewed both in person and virtually by many people since. We ask what about Egyptian civilization so captivates us, thousands of years later. Also, how new technology from modern physics allows researchers to “X-Ray” the pyramids to find hidden chambers.
    Guests:
    Emma Bentley – Postgraduate student in Archeology and Ancient Worlds at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K. 
    Sarah Parcak – Archaeologist and Egyptologist, University of Alabama, and author of “Archaeology From Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past.”
    Richard Kouzes – Physicist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
    Salima Ikram – Professor of Egyptology at The American University in Cairo and head of the Animal Mummy Project at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
    *Originally aired December 12, 2022
    Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake
    You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!
    Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.
     
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 54 min
    Lithium Valley

    Lithium Valley

    The discovery of a massive amount of lithium under the Salton Sea could make the U.S. lithium independent. The metal is key for batteries in electric vehicles and solar panels. But the area is also a delicate ecosystem. We go to southern California to hear what hangs in the balance of the ballooning lithium industry, and also how we extract other crucial substances – such as sand, copper and iron– and turn them into semiconductors, circuitry and other products upon which the modern world depends.
    Guests:
    Ed Conway – economics and data editor of Sky News and columnist for the Times in London. He’s the author of “Material World, The Six Raw Materials that Shape Modern Civilization“.
    Frank Ruiz – Audubon California Salton Sea Program Director. 
    Michael McKibben – Geologist, University of California, Riverside. 
    Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake
    You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!
    Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.
     
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 55 min
    Alien Says What?

    Alien Says What?

    Whales are aliens on Earth; intelligent beings who have skills for complex problem-solving and their own language. Now in what’s being called a breakthrough, scientists have carried on an extended conversation with a humpback whale. They share the story of this remarkable encounter, their evidence that the creature understood them, and how the experiment informs our Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. After all, what good is it to make contact with ET if we can’t communicate?
    Guests:
    Brenda McCowan – Research behaviorist at the University of California Davis in the School of Veterinary Medicine who studies the ecological aspects of animal behavior and communication. 
    Fred Sharpe – whale biologist and behavioral ecologist at Simon Fraser University and member of the Templeton Whale SETI Team. 
    Laurance Doyle – astrophysicist and information theory researcher at the SETI Institute. 
    Featuring music by Dewey Dellay and Jun Miyake
    You can get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!
    Big Picture Science is part of the Airwave Media podcast network. Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com to inquire about advertising on Big Picture Science.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    • 55 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
858 Ratings

858 Ratings

Pollyollygayotic ,

Love the pod!

I listened to the episode about the ocean genome and found it extremely interesting and informative! Way to go big picture science, can’t wait to hear more! Shannon rocks.

burnbizzle ,

One of the best science podcasts, keep up the good work!

This is one of the best science podcasts available. The hosts are excellent, they are always well versed on the topic, sprinkle their delivery with a tad of natural humor, always ask they key insightful questions, and cover the topics well.

It’s not often you get that combination, really exemplary work!

Very impressive, keep it up!

RW&ORR ,

BP OIL ADVERTISING

I have followed BPS for years, but after an excellent show about extreme heat caused by climate change they ran a British Petroleum add explaining how green they are. What a sell out. You should be ashamed!

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