This week we have a human evolution double feature. First, special guest hosts Dr. Briana Pobiner from the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program and Ryan McRae from The George Washington University talk about the biggest discoveries from 2021 in human evolution. Next up, former guest turned returning champion Dr. Ellie McNutt returns to talk about her recent work at our favorite paleo pathway in Laetoli Tanzania. Also, be sure to check out our website, scinight.com, for tons of links t...
Jan 21, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week Prof. Adam Taylor of Lancaster Univ. is talking to us about his attempts to teach the people of Britain more about their bodies, and his work on a very rare disease. In the news, we’re talking about fish cars and a check-in with our favorite autonomous submarine. Our Guest Prof. Adam Taylor is the Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre & Professor in Anatomy at Lancaster Univ. He is an anatomist with a passion for understanding how the human body is formed and how it function...
Jan 14, 2022•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we talk to Dr. Jen Verdolin, the host of the Wild Connection podcast, about her work studying prairie dogs and her recent visit to Glasgow in an attempt to...SAVE THE WORLD. In the news, we talk about delayed launches, solar satellites, forgotten freezer DNA, and we tease a future interview about our favorite paleo pathway. Our Guest Widely regarded animal behavior scientist, author, and science communicator, Dr. Jennifer Verdolin has been a featured guest on BBC Earth Podcast, Nationa...
Dec 17, 2021•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast STRESS! Everyone experiences it, and most of us aren't the greatest at dealing with it. The question our guest, Dr. Zane Thayer from Dartmouth College, is trying to learn more about stress. Mainly how a history of stress can lead to long-term health effects. You'll also learn a few tips for dealing with stress in a healthy way. The news segment will definitely build those stress levels as we talk about bees that will make you think twice about where your honey comes from and a new biological rob...
Dec 03, 2021•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, our friend Bill Sullivan returns to talk about his book Pleased to Meet Me. We talk about how the world around you can cause a ripple effect down to the genetic level. In the news segment, we're talking about Martian tomatoes along with their many uses, and the chilling revelation of frog teeth. Our Guest: BILL SULLIVAN is a professor of pharmacology and microbiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, where he studies infectious disease and genetics. An awar...
Nov 19, 2021•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Cannabis continues to spark conversations as popular opinion shifts and its future legal status is debated. However, a long history of stigmatization that led to current federal regulations make it difficult to study. This week, we're talking to Dr. Barb Kaplan, an Associate Professor for Mississippi State University, whose research looks at how cannabis alters the immune response. In the news segment, we talk about the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) scheduling process that limits cannabis access...
Nov 05, 2021•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Beware dear listener, this episode of the Science Night podcast is much spookier than our typical offering. We begin our descent into the strange by talking about the scientific origins of the lore of our favorite monsters with special guest, Bill Sullivan (https://authorbillsullivan.com/). Later, the bravest among you can stay tuned for a dramatic reading of "Bit" from the twisted mind of Cody Sullivan (https://twitter.com/codyasullivan), host of fellow Riverpower Podcast Mill show, Pulp: From ...
Oct 29, 2021•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Science isn't political. But that doesn’t mean that scientists don’t have influence in politics. Join us for our conversation with Dr. Naomi Charalambakis, Associate Director of Science Policy at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, to learn about how animal research informs human health and why it’s important for scientists to advocate for increased federal funding for science. Plus, is greener air travel on the horizon? And can photosynthesis be harnessed to restore n...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr 11 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are plenty of stories about how social media can be used to popularize misinformation and create division. This week we’re taking a different approach and highlighting someone that is doing some great science communication on social media. Combining her passion for art with a talent for explaining science, Dr. Jen Ma (https://www.jenma.co/) has created Gentle Facts (https://www.gentlefacts.com/). This week, we talk to Jen about her work and her journey to compassionate science communicatio...
Oct 08, 2021•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're talking about all the ways humans express themselves including a stories about a recent find that may be the world's most ancient, and how the things we use to read affect our comprehension. The highlight is a conversation with David J. Peterson, a language creator that has helped build the languages that made the world your favorite shows and movies inhabit feel richer and more vibrant. The list of projects he has worked on is too long to list completely, but some of the highlig...
Sep 24, 2021•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Here's a quick bonus episode brought to you by our friends at Indiana Sciences (https://indianasciences.org/)! James talked about cryptids for the 2021 Science of Science Fiction panel from Gen Con. If you want to hear more (and you definitely do) check out the Indiana Sciences (https://indianasciences.org/) site to hear the rest. Also, be sure to support them by checking out all there other great content. Special Thanks: Indiana Sciences for all the hard work you do to make science more accesib...
Sep 18, 2021•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast Science news has been hot over the last couple of weeks, with announcements of major advances in fusion energy, a green alternative to fossil fuel energy. On this episode we sit down with Dr. Steffi Diem, a plasma physicist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and director of the Pegasus III (https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a1ef09de926642909d08c1b315372456) a fusion energy and plasma science experiment, to learn about the latest in fusion energy research and how she forged her own path...
Sep 10, 2021•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Science Night, reimagined. Season 3 debuts a new format for your favorite podcast where we focus on the coolest science the stories behind it: past, present, and future! Episode 1 features the latest science developments from protein folding to time crystals, a brief history of 19th Century evolutionary theorist Alfred Russell Wallace, and an attempt to answer the question, “What is Science?” We hope you enjoy the new look and sound of Science Night! Be sure to check out the rest of the Alfred W...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week I'm on my own and talking about the Rosetta Stone. Not the overpriced software but the large slab of granite from which the software gets its name. I'll talk about why the stone was made in the first place and it's role in our understanding of ancient Egyptian culture. I'll also talk about why should be returned to Egypt by the British Museum. Credits Edited and Mastered by James Reed Music AngloZulu by Kevin MacLeod | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7dhvLKwbjg Standard YouTube Licens...
May 21, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast What does it mean to be bipedal? How do we know what we know about this process in our own human lineage? How important is the continued reevaluation of fossil remains, and old hypotheses? To help answer these questions, we have the author of the new book First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human, Jeremy DeSilva Credits Edited and Mastered: James Reed Excerpt from First Steps: How Upright Walking Made Us Human By: Jeremy DeSilva Published By: Harper Collins Publishers, New York 2021 Music E...
Apr 30, 2021•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is the zombie apocalypse really possible? Worse yet, has it already started? Dr. Athena Aktipis stopped by to answer these questions and more. Athena Aktipis is a psychology professor at Arizona State University that studies cooperation in ways ranging from its evolution in human societies and all the way down to the cellular level with her work in researching how we think about cancer and potential new ways to treat it. She’s also really into the zombie apocalypse and zombification which is the...
Apr 16, 2021•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Who owns the past? Why should we care about this question? How annoyed can James make a guest by comparing them to Indiana Jones or Lara Croft? In this episode I talked with Gypsy Price, a bioarchaeologist, about a lot of things. Topics range from her work in Greece, cultural resource management, what to do with a degree in archaeology, and why Britain should return the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Learn more about the people that support Gypsy’s work in Greece at https://nemeacenter.berkeley.ed...
Apr 02, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why are painted turtles painted? What role does pigmentation play in biology? How little does our host know about this topic? Beth Reinke, an evolutionary ecologist at Northeastern Illinois Univ., stopped by to answer these questions and more on the newest episode of the podcast. Edited and Mastered: James Reed Music: Ditch Diggin’ by Jingle Punks | jinglepunks.com Standard YouTube License Germ Theory by Jeremy Korpas | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hviZFT06YI Standard YouTube License Turtlen...
Mar 19, 2021•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Sponsored in part by www.wildcatridgecoffee.com Visit our website at scinight.com Edited and Mastered: James Reed Music: Bug Catching by Emily A. Sprague | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx6KAGjiD7QOQD_ZqLdEUeQ Standard YouTube License Germ Theory by Jeremy Korpas | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hviZFT06YI Standard YouTube License Outlaw’s Farewell (part II) by Reed Mathis | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2lHxFyHL96NPhdU9XyXnPQ Standard YouTube License
Mar 04, 2021•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the final episode of season 1, I sat down with Ben Valentine to talk about fundraising and some of the limitations of academia. Edited and Mastered: James Reed Music: Germ Warfare by Jeremy Korpas | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hviZFT06YI Standard YouTube licencse
Nov 13, 2020•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the spookiest of seasons, we put together a special episode talking about death, body snatching, and being buried alive. Listen to the end for a dramatic reading of Edgar Allan Poe's "Premature Burial". Performances by: Chris Goulet, Davis McGraw, James Reed, and Cody Sullivan Editing and Mastering by: James Reed and Cody Sullivan Music Credit: Computations In A Snowstorm by Scott Buckley | https://soundcloud.com/scottbuckley Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Common...
Oct 30, 2020•53 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ellie is a biological anthropologist that studies bipedalism in humans and an anatomy instructor at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. She's also a good friend that I've been excited to introduce you all to!
Oct 02, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join us as we talk about miasma theory, the heroes of sanitation, and the development of medical masks. This is a clip from a live event that took place in the spring...when we were sure the pandemic would be over any minute.
Sep 25, 2020•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Patrick Glauthier is a classicist that studies the development of scientific writing in ancient Rome. While this differs from our normal episode in the sense that Patrick is not a scientist, it's always good to look back at how we got to this point.
Sep 04, 2020•54 min•Transcript available on Metacast Talking binocular vision in an audio only format is not the easiest task, but I tried my best. This is an extremely brief overview of the human visual system, specifically the part that gives us great depth perception. Head on over to scinight.com for lots of links to help you visualize the visual system.
Aug 28, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the audio from the Thursday 7/30 "Science of Science Fiction" panel. For video and the full Q&A make sure to check out the Indiana Sciences YouTube, and follow all of their social media.
Aug 06, 2020•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today's episode is a conversation with Emily Cooper. Emily is a neuroscientist that studies vision at UCal Berkeley. She also gets to implement her work into AR and VR technology.
Jul 31, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are the evolutionary lineages of apples and humans inescanbley linked? Find out how in this episode of Science Night!
Jul 17, 2020•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Special Guest: Jason Organ.
Jul 03, 2020•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast more info and show notes can be found at scinight.com
Jun 20, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
