Cape Cod communities are facing an expensive mandate to clean up their wastewater. Urine diversion or “pee-cycling” could be a cost-effective pollution solution. In the third and final installment of our three-part Fascination series about Cape Cod’s “yellow tide,” environmental reporter Barbara Moran meets a Falmouth couple championing this unconventional a ... Show More
Jan 12
Woodpeckers Rock the Lab, AI Steps Out of the Chat Box, and Flu Hits Hard
Have you ever wondered how woodpeckers pound away without breaking their neck? We’ve got the answer—plus, why this flu season has broken a record, how AI is learning to predict disease from your sleep, and what CES 2026 showed about the biggest tech trends, including “physical AI ... Show More
11m 3s
Jan 9
Weighing the Good and Bad of Weight-Loss Drugs
Drugs known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, colloquially called GLP-1 medications, have gone from relatively obscure diabetes treatments to blockbuster weight-loss medications. But is the hype backed up by science? In this episode, freelance science journalist Betha ... Show More
22m 18s
May 2023
Colin Hoag, "The Fluvial Imagination: On Lesotho’s Water-Export Economy" (U California Press, 2022)
Landlocked and surrounded by South Africa on all sides, the mountain kingdom of Lesotho became the world's first "water-exporting country" when it signed a 1986 treaty with its powerful neighbor. An elaborate network of dams and tunnels now carries water to Johannesburg, the subc ... Show More
59m 23s
Apr 2022
Environmental Microbiology (TESTING WASTEWATER FOR DISEASES) with Amy Kirby
<p>Oh boy. This episode may seeeeem crappy but it is certainly not a waste of your time. We’re not kidding, while the episode is of course wonderful, mostly thanks to our wonderful guests, it is also certainly about poopy wastewater and what we can all learn from it. About those ... Show More
1h 3m
Sep 2019
Oceans, ice and climate change; Neolithic baby bottles; Caroline Criado-Perez wins RS Book Prize
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's special report on the oceans and cryosphere makes pretty grim reading on the state of our seas and icy places. Ocean temperatures are rising, permafrost and sea ice are melting, sea levels are rising and marine life is either moving ... Show More
35m 17s
Aug 2022
What do warmer waters mean for life below the waves?
<p>The Ocean, it covers more than 70% of the surface if our planet, it provides us with food, medicine and even influences the weather.</p><p>For years its also helped to mitigate the effects of climate change. Since the 1970’s over 90% of atmospheric warming caused by green hous ... Show More
27m 22s
Jul 2022
What is sea level rise? (with Dr. Renee Collini)
<p><strong>#025 Rebroadcast</strong></p>
<p>This week, Melissa, Jam, and very special guest Renee Collini (Melissa's sister and climate scientist) delve into the important topic of sea-level rise. What causes it to rise? What affect will it have on the world? How should we feel a ... Show More
37m 10s
Feb 2024
Hydrogen and the race to net zero
Hydrogen has long been touted as a potential wonder gas that could play a significant role in our race to net zero. Now, planning permission has been granted for the UK’s largest production hub of its kind, and one of the most advanced in the world. Located in Cheshire, it bills ... Show More
28m 12s
Jun 2022
Nightmare on Science Street
Today, we’re sharing a collection of spooky science stories. You’ll hear about a nightmare in the ocean, a nightmare on land, and even a nightmare … IN YOUR MIND. We talk to scientists including marine biologist, Dr. Olga Shpak and malacologist Jaynee Kim. Find our transcript her ... Show More
42m 28s