The 2023 Ig Nobel Prizes, Part 1

In this series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss anthropomorphic personifications of death in human culture. What do they mean? Where do they come from? Why and how are they gendered? Find out…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

NASA and IBM have developed advanced AI foundation models that analyze satellite data to reveal patterns across Earth and beyond. These tools are already driving real‑world impact, from helping Kenya plan the planting of 15 billion trees to enabling the UK to track harmful algae ... Show More

In this series from Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe discuss anthropomorphic personifications of death in human culture. What do they mean? Where do they come from? Why and how are they gendered? Find out…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

In 1991, the editor of a satirical science journal launched an award for the scientifically ridiculous (and ridiculed), the Ig Nobel Prize. Learn how it all got started and some of the early tech-related prize winners!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

“We weren’t sure it was true!” Drew Weissman’s research partner and co-laureate Katalin Karikó called him early this morning with some incredible news – they had both been awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The two have a 20 year history of working together.  ... Show More

The Nobel Prize has rewarded some amazing discoveries. It’s also contributed to scientific tunnel vision. This week, how the Nobel impacted our understanding of an enormous cosmic mystery, and what a new and improved Nobel Prize could look like. For more, go to http://vox.com/une ... Show More

From who historically wins the awards, to how they portray the process of science and collaboration, host Maddie Sofia and NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce discuss the many problems with Nobel Prizes in science. Email the show at shortwave@npr.org. Learn more about ... Show More

For the scientific community, the Nobel Prize announcements are an important part of the yearly science calendar. The award is one of the most widely celebrated and gives us a moment to reflect on some of the leading scientific work taking place around the world. This year’s winn ... Show More

2023 was filled with scientific innovation, exploration and new discoveries. A few of the biggest threads we saw unraveling this year came from the James Webb Space Telescope, the changing climate and artificial intelligence. Today, host Regina G. Barber wraps up these three area ... Show More

For the scientific community, the Nobel Prize announcements are an important part of the yearly science calendar. The award is one of the most widely celebrated and gives us a moment to reflect on some of the leading scientific work taking place around the world. This year’s winn ... Show More

Albert Einstein is the theoretical physicist who discovered the theory of relativity and E=MC². He changed our understanding of the universe more than any other scientist. How and why was he such an original thinker? How did his personal life inform his scientific works? Learn mo ... Show More