PNAS Science Sessions - podcast cover

PNAS Science Sessions

PNAS•pnas-science-sessions-podcast.libsyn.com

Welcome to Science Sessions, the PNAS podcast program. Listen to brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in PNAS, plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.

Last refreshed: July 22nd, 2025 at 7:07 PM ⓘ

Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.

Follow on

Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app

Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Molecular contraception

Polina Lishko discusses the development of unisex contraceptives.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub

Joseph DeRisi describes the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, a new privately-funded medical research center in the Bay Area.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Early evidence of winemaking

Patrick McGovern describes evidence of winemaking in Georgia during the Neolithic period.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Bird feathers reveal past air pollution

Carl Fuldner and Shane DuBay describe how bird feathers preserve records of air pollution.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Vadim Backman

Vadim Backman describes a technique for high resolution imaging of biological molecules without labels.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Jonathan Sears

Jonathan Sears describes potential treatment strategies for retinopathy of prematurity.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Zebrafish avatars for cancer treatment

Rita Fior describes how zebrafish can make cancer treatment more efficient.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Sandu Popescu and Jeff Tollaksen

Sandu Popescu and Jeff Tollaksen explain how a fundamental principle of nature does not hold in quantum mechanics.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Yayoi Obata

Yayoi Obata describes the formation of mammalian egg cells in vitro.

Jun 11, 2019•5 min

The Deep Hot Biosphere after 25 years

John Spear discusses the legacy of Thomas Gold's "Deep Hot Biosphere" hypothesis.

Jun 11, 2019•5 min

Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Russell Graham

Russell Graham describes the extinction of woolly mammoths from St. Paul island.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

How Sherpas adapt to high altitudes

Andrew Murray describes metabolic adaptations of Himalayan Sherpas to low-pressure, low-oxygen conditions at high altitudes.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Fernando Colchero, Roland Rau, and Susan Alberts

Fernando Colchero, Roland Rau, and Susan Alberts describe the relationship between lifespan equality and average lifespan.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Oyster Harvest

Rowan Lockwood discusses the sustainability of Native American oyster harvesting in the Chesapeake Bay.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Improving endoscopy for disease diagnosis

Pelham Keahey describes how differential structured illumination microendoscopy can improve cancer diagnosis.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Fungicides and honey bee health

Entomologist May Berenbaum discusses the effects of agricultural fungicides on honey bee health.

Jun 11, 2019•5 min

Vision and transition to land

Malcolm MacIver describes how our aquatic ancestors may have become interested in land.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Self-driving cars

Jeff Schneider explains how self-driving cars use machine learning to learn the rules of the road.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Science for the general public

Steven Weinberg describes his experiences writing about science for a general audience.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Interview with 2017 Breakthrough Prize winner Steve Elledge

Steve Elledge discusses how cells sense and respond to damage to their DNA.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

DNA folding by loop extrusion

Erez Lieberman Aiden discusses a model of how DNA folds to fit inside a cell nucleus.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Maize domestication in Mexico

Researchers Jean-Philippe Vielle-Calzada and Miguel Vallebueno discuss 5,000-year-old partially domesticated maize.

Jun 11, 2019•5 min

Future of infectious disease research

Charles Rice and Robert Landford discuss the future of hepatitis C research without chimpanzees.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Honeybees and biofuel crops

Clint Otto discusses the impact of land-use changes on beekeepers in the Dakotas.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Recoding an organism

George Church, Matthieu Landon, and Michael Napolitano discuss the genetic replacement of arginine codons in E. coli.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Interview with 2016 Kavli Prize Winners Kip Thorne and Rai Weiss

Kip Thorne and Rai Weiss describe the detection of gravitational waves with LIGO.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

20th-century excess male mortality

Eileen Crimmins discusses the mortality difference between the sexes and its possible causes.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Remodelling brain function

Kavli Prize winner Eve Marder discusses flexibility and stability in neural circuits.

Jun 11, 2019•7 min

Climate change and irrigation water

Joshua Elliott discusses potential impacts of climate change on water availability for irrigation.

Jun 11, 2019•6 min

Modeling disease spread

Andrea Rinaldo explains how cell phone data can be used to model disease spread.

Jun 11, 2019•5 min

← Prev Next →

Hosted on Libsyn

For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android