Yesterday

BrainStuff Classics: How Do Starling Murmurations Work?

Starlings flock in swooping, harmonious groups of thousands of birds called murmurations. Learn how these birds pull off such an amazing feat through simple actions in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/starling-murm ... Show More

8m 19s

Sep 4

Was Commodus One of Rome's Worst Emperors?

You may know him as the villain in the film 'Gladiator', but the real-life Emperor Commodus is said to have been even more cruel and megalomaniacal. Learn about his unusual upbringing, how he made himself into a gladiator and an image of Hercules, and his eventual assassination i ... Show More

12m 9s

Sep 2

What If Earth Had Rings?

Planetary rings are gorgeous, temporary structures created when a planet's gravity captures and tears apart smaller objects. Learn why Earth doesn't have rings (right now!) and what other planets' rings are like in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on these articles: https://s ... Show More

12m 46s

Apr 2021

What can we learn from wastewater?

<p>Most of us don’t like to dwell on our toilet habits, but this week Crowdscience has gone down the drain to discover what wastewater can tell us about our health.</p><p>It’s been more than a year since scientists across the globe started to track the spread of Covid-19, with he ... Show More

37m 42s

Jul 2022

Coronapod: detecting COVID variants in sewage

Since early in the pandemic, scientists have searched for signals of SARS-CoV-2 transmission by sampling wastewater. This surveillance method has provided vital information to inform public health responses. But the approach has never been particularly specific - pointing to broa ... Show More

11m 27s

Mar 2022

Covid in the sewers

Analysis of wastewater from sewage systems has provided an early warning system for the presence of Covid19 in communities – showing up in the water samples before people test positive. It’s also possible to identify the variants and even specific genetic mutations. Davida Smyth ... Show More

58m 48s

Nov 2020

Flushing Out the Virus

Universities, nursing homes, and even entire cities are turning to an unlikely tool to monitor the spread of the coronavirus: sewage water. CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to infectious disease physician Dr. Amy Mathers about how sewage testing is playing ... Show More

14m 33s

Jan 2024

The vital data you flush down the toilet | Newsha Ghaeli

"Everybody pees and poops — and we know that urine and stool contain a rich source of information on our health," says data detective Newsha Ghaeli. Exploring the growing field of wastewater epidemiology, she shows how studying sewage can (anonymously) reveal a lot about the coll ... Show More

9m 13s

Jun 2024

The vital data you flush down the toilet | Newsha Ghaeli

"Everybody pees and poops — and we know that urine and stool contain a rich source of information on our health," says data detective Newsha Ghaeli. Exploring the growing field of wastewater epidemiology, she shows how studying sewage can (anonymously) reveal a lot about the coll ... Show More

10m 38s

Apr 2020

Hunting For the Virus in Sewage

Scientists are desperate for a way to detect the novel coronavirus in communities as early as possible. So far, those efforts have focused on widespread testing of people. But a group of Dutch researchers may have discovered a way to tell where the virus is spreading, right benea ... Show More

10m 44s

How Can Wastewater Help Us Track Coronav...