A unique kind of human skull has been discovered in China. The team describes the details of this skull, known as the ‘Dragon Man’, and explains how it might belong to a new species of human. And if that’s not exciting enough, its discovery has the most amazing Indiana Jones style backstory too. In breaking news, Jeff Bezos has announced that legendary aviat ... Show More
Feb 20
The world is running out of water - can cloud-seeding save us?; Why some people get stuck in grief; Is our black hole actually a clump of dark matter?
Episode 346 The world is running out of water, with many countries suffering from significant water shortages. We’re now having to rely on groundwater that takes thousands of years to replenish – so what can we do? One group says, to save us from worldwide “water bankruptcy”, we ... Show More
30m 44s
Feb 13
How ancient humans crossed the vast ocean; Brain training for dementia; Life of science legend Maggie Aderin
Episode 345 More than 8,500 years ago, ancient people crossed the ocean to the remote island of Malta for the first time. Long before compasses or sails were invented, these prehistoric people navigated the seas on logs, using the stars to travel vast distances. Recent findings s ... Show More
40m 10s
Aug 2023
Space Swells Brain Cavity, Cave Fossils, Keeping Cool
Today, you’ll learn about a potential obstacle to human flight to Mars, a discovery in a Laotian cave that is sending archaeologists back to the drawing board, and how new technology could keep us cool in a warming world without adding to the problem of climate change. Find episo ... Show More
12m 40s
Feb 2024
The Space Race: Honoring the first African-American space explorers
<p>This week on Planetary Radio, we take a peek behind the scenes at National Geographic's new documentary, “The Space Race,” which celebrates the triumphs and struggles of the first African-American space pioneers and astronauts. Co-directors Diego Hurtado de Mendoza and Lisa Co ... Show More
1h 3m
Jan 2020
Neil Maher, "Apollo in the Age of Aquarius" (Harvard UP, 2017)
Neil Maher talks about the social forces that shaped NASA in the 1960s and 70s, connecting the space race with the radical upheavals of the counterculture. Maher is a professor of history at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rutgers University, Newark. He is the author o ... Show More
33m 39s
<p><strong>IN THIS EPISODE OF THE HUMAN UPGRADE</strong>™<strong>...</strong></p><p><strong> </strong>…two of the most adventurous people on the planet share what they’ve uncovered, faced and learned through exploration of the planet’s deepest waters. From discovering the Ti ... Show More
