In outer space, there are objects so powerful that nothing can escape their gravitational pull. They're called black holes. Bob McNees is a physicist at Loyola University who studies gravity, general relativity, and the physics of black holes. Bob joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to talk about quantum mechanics, the work of Stephen Hawking, and of course, black holes.
CryptoKitties is a game centered around breedable, collectible, and oh-so-adorable creatures called CryptoKitties! CryptoKitties is one of the world’s first games to be built on blockchain technology—the same breakthrough that makes things like Bitcoin and Ethereum possible. The creator of CryptoKitties, Dieter Shirley, joins Nate on this episode to talk about creating games on the blockchain. Find out more about CryptoKitties at: https://www.cryptokitties.co/
Verd has been growing food for as long as he can remember, beginning in his family’s backyard garden in Oak Park, Illinois. At age sixteen, he left home to live and work on a communal farm in Austin, Texas, where he stayed for ten years and met his future wife, Jeanne. In 2005, Verd and Jeanne started The Organic Gardener Ltd., a company that creates beautiful and productive organic edible gardens throughout the Midwest. Today, Verd lives on a little farm called Middlefork with Jeanne and family...
Manatees are large marine mammals found in shallow coastal waters near Florida, Brazil, and the west coast of Africa. Manatees are occasionally called sea cows, because, like cows, they are slow, peaceful, and graze on plants. Sheri Barton is a Senior Biologist at the Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in Florida, where she studies these fascinating creatures. On this episode of The Show About Science, Sheri joins Nate to talk about her research.
Did you know that there are tiny microbes that call our bodies home? These microorganisms live on and inside of us. You can even take a test to learn which ones make up your microbiome. Stefan Green is a microbial ecologist who runs the DNA Sequencing Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Stefan joins Nate to talk about what the microbiome is and why these tiny little microbes are so important for our health.
Jesse Schell is a video game designer and a professor of entertainment technology at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also the creator of “Happy Atoms,” a game that helps kids learn how atoms bond to form new molecules. Jesse joins Nate on this episode to talk about how “Happy Atoms” uses technology like augmented reality to teach kids about chemistry.
When organs like kidneys and livers fail, it can be scary—especially for kids. But the science of regenerative medicine, where new organs are created from a patient's own cells and tissue, is a promising new field in medicine. Dr. Anthony Atala is the Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and he joins Nate on this episode to talk about how new organs can be created in the lab using 3D printers.
Last summer, Nate was walking to the train when he spotted a giant wasp carrying a cicada. Later he discovered that the insect he saw was a cicada killer wasp. These insects will paralyze cicadas with their venomous sting, but luckily rarely sting humans. Blake Newton is an entomologist at the University of Kentucky. He joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to talk about these fascinating creatures.
David Shoesmith is a professor of electrochemistry and corrosion science at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to explain why metal rusts and how it corrodes. They also talk about an experiment that you can conduct at home to see rust form.
Kids can do amazing things. And if you need proof of that, look no further than this episode of The Show About Science! First up is kid inventor Allie Weber, the host of the YouTube channel Tech-nic-Allie Speaking. After that is the story of Sophia Spencer, who inspired the hashtag #BugsR4Girls and co-authored a research paper for Annals of the Entomological Society of America. Finally, Nate chats with Olivia Van Ledtje (better known as LivBit), who hosts The Kidlit Show on Pinna and is an Ambas...
What can we learning from studying teeth? As it turns out, quite a bit! Dr. Tanya Smith is working to understand how teeth grow, why they vary, and how this information can advance the field of human evolutionary biology. Dr. Smith joins Nate on this episode to talk about her work.
J Steele-Louchart is a Perceptual Navigation Instructor with World Access for the Blind. Blind from the age of 12, J began teaching himself Perceptual Navigation based on materials published online by World Access For The Blind Lead Founder and President Daniel Kish. Now J teaches others how to see the world around them using their ears and a technique called flash sonar. He joins Nate on this episode to explain how it all works.
What could be more fun than learning about the science of ice cream? Eating it of course! Rich Hartel is a professor and food engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he runs the Hartel Lab. He joins Nate on the show today to talk about the science behind everyone's favorite dessert.
A thermophile is an organism that thrives in very high temperatures. You can find them living in the hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. These geothermal pools draw visitors to the park each year because of their beautiful colors. Tim McDermott is a soil and environmental biologist at Montana State University who has been researching the thermophiles in Yellowstone for the past 20 years. He joins Nate on the show today to talk about these amazing microbes.
Tim Howard turned a vacation to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands into an amazing hour of great audio for WNYC's Radiolab. He now works as an editor on Reply All, a podcast about the internet. Tim joins Nate on this episode to talk about the science of audio storytelling, his trip to Galapagos and a mysterious NYC performance artist named Zardulu. Are Darwin’s finches being threatened by invasive species? Is “pizza rat” and “selfie rat” a hoax? Find out on this episode of The Show About Science....
Patrick Webster visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California as a young, curious kid. There he fell in love with the sea otters that called the aquarium home. After studying marine biology and volunteering with the otters for 4 and a half years, Patrick now works at the aquarium as a member of the social media team. On this episode, Patrick takes us on a behind the scenes look at the sea otter program at the aquarium. If you can’t make it to the aquarium in person, you can watch the live sea ...
A few months back, Nate spit into a tube and put it in the mail to have his DNA analyzed by a company called 23andMe. On this episode of The Show About About Science, Nate travels to the headquarters of 23andMe in Mountain View, California to learn more about his results and to discover what DNA can tell us about our ancestry. Joining Nate on this episode is Jhulianna Cintron, the Senior Product Specialist at 23andMe. You can learn more about 23andMe and order your own DNA kit at http://23andme....
Hey future ocean explorers! Do you dream of discovering new species of squids, octopuses and cuttlefish? Well stop dreaming, because on this episode of The Show About Science, we (virtually) go aboard the Nautilus, a deep sea exploration ship and the home of two robot operated vehicles (ROVs) called Hercules and Argus. Samantha Wishnak, the Digital Media Coordinator for the Ocean Exploration Trust, explains how kids can join the Nautilus scientists via their 24-7 live stream and help them make n...
Marc Berman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago. He recently conducted a study that looks at whether a walk in the park can actually improve memory and attention. The results may surprise you. In this episode, Nate talks to Marc about that study and learns how scientists study the brain. For more episodes of The Show About Science, try the Pinna iOS app for free today! Pinna is the home of quality audio stories and podcasts for kids ages 4-12 (a...
Larry Madin is a Senior Scientist and the Deputy Director and Vice President for Research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, MA. He’s also an expert on Salps, an amazing tube shaped sea creature that feeds on phytoplankton and uses a form of underwater jet propulsion to move around. On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate talks to Larry about these mysterious animals and their fascinating connection to humans. Make sure to check out this website on The Wate...
Every day, 42 families in the U.S. learn that their child or teen has cancer. Elizabeth A. Stewart, MD is a doctor at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital researching ways to improve pediatric cancer treatments. She joins Nate on The Show About Science to talk about her work and how kids can help. Learn more at https://www.stjude.org/. For more episodes of The Show About Science, try the Pinna iOS app for free today! Pinna is the home of quality audio stories and podcasts for kids ages 4-12 (an...
How do caddisflies use underwater tape to protect themselves from predators? What is a palm weevil and why are they destroying all of the palm trees in Southern California? How do baby dragonfly’s eat? These are just a few of the questions answered on the KQED YouTube Channel, Deep Look. Producer Josh Cassidy and host Lauren Sommer join Nate to talk about the amazing creatures featured in Deep Look and explore some big scientific mysteries by going incredibly small. Subscribe to Deep Look at htt...
Coral reefs are important for the health of our oceans and planet. These reefs produce much of the oxygen that we breath and provide a habitat for the fish we eat. Recently, there’s been a lot of reporting on how climate change is causing the widespread death of these ecosystems. Dave Vaughan is Executive Director of Mote's Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research & Restoration in Summerland Key, Florida. On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate talks to Dr Vaughan...
Maureen Wood studies chemical accident prevention for the European Union. On this episode of The Show About Science, she talks to Nate about how government scientists work to prevent dangerous accidents in factories and what a trip to the pool can teach us about chemical safety. For more episodes of The Show About Science, try the Pinna iOS app for free today! Pinna is the home of quality audio stories and podcasts for kids ages 4-12 (and their adults!). For unlimited access to ad-free, immersiv...
Since 1989, Professor Gizmo Gearloose (aka Christine Buik) has been providing programs to delight and inspire people of all ages with live animals, storytelling, music and audience participation. Christine joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to imagine what man made inventions may have been inspired by plants and animals. Plus, Nate visits the Sycamore Public Library to see Professor Gizmo Gearloose in action. Music on this episode was written by Jeffrey and Theresa Brooks. For ...
Jim Calcagno is a biological anthropologist with research and teaching interests in paleoanthropology, dental anthropology, primate behavioral ecology, and evolutionary anthropology. On this episode of the Show About Science, Nate talks to Dr. Calcagno about gorillas, anthropology and what makes us human. We also learn more about one of Dr. Calcagno’s former students with a connection to the show. For more episodes of The Show About Science, try the Pinna iOS app for free today! Pinna is the hom...
Emily Graslie is the the host of The Brain Scoop and the Chief Curiosity Correspondent at The Field Museum in Chicago. The Brain Scoop is an educational YouTube channel devoted to exploring all aspects relating to the curious world of natural history museums, and the culture of animal preservation. On this episode of The Show About Science, Emily gives Nate a behind the scenes tour of the Field Museum and introduces him to some of the scientists that work there. Music on this episode was written...
If you’re ever in a tropical forest in South or Central America, look up into the trees and you just might spot a sloth. But don’t go too early, these lazy creatures like to sleep late. On this episode, Nate talks about Sloths with Nadia Moraes-Barros, a researcher at CIBIO/InBIO, Laboratório Associado in Portugal and the Deputy Chair of the IUCN/SSC Anteater, Sloth and Armadillo Specialist Group. Find out more about Nadia’s work at: https://cibio.up.pt/people/details/nmbarros. For more episodes...
Frontiers for Young Minds is a scientific journal where the kids are in charge. Scientists submit research papers explaining their work and then kids do the peer review. Bob Knight is a professor at UC Berkeley with a research program focused on human neuroscience and the Field Chief Editor of Frontiers for Young Minds. On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate talks to Bob about the journal, the scientific process and how kids, scientists and PhD students can all get involved in the journ...
South Padre Island, Texas is home to some amazing wildlife! It is also home to Sea Turtle Inc., a sea turtle hospital with a mission to rescue and rehabilitate injured sea turtles. Each year, mama sea turtles return to the beaches of South Padre to lay their eggs. In this episode, Nate talks to Khrstyn Jamerson, an Educator at Sea Turtle Inc., about her work with these amazing creatures. After listening to this episode, make sure to visit their website at http://seaturtleinc.org. Music on this e...
