Rodenticides are building up inside unintended targets, including birds, mammals, and insects; and bringing bioacoustics and artificial intelligence together for ecology
First up this week, producer Kevin McLean and freelance science journalist Dina Fine Maron discuss the history of rodent control and how rat poisons are making their way into our ecosystem. ... Show More
Mar 12
What Alaska’s eroding coastline says about Earth’s future, and how Yellowstone ravens use their smarts to find wolf kills
First up on the podcast, freelance journalist Evan Howell traveled to Cape Blossom, Alaska, where the receding coastline has revealed an ancient trove of glacial ice that may have survived for 350,000 years—making it the oldest ice in the Northern Hemisphere. Now researchers just ... Show More
42m 50s
Feb 26
Tropical birds’ ‘silent spring,’ and mapping people’s brains during surgery
First up on the podcast, producer Meagan Cantwell talks to Contributing Correspondent Warren Cornwall about his visit to Brazil, where he observed firsthand what it takes for researchers to understand why bird populations in the Amazon and beyond are shrinking. Next on the show, ... Show More
32m 17s
Dec 2024
The New Conservationists: Thanks to Conservation Efforts, Pandas, Wolves and Panthers Are Making a Comeback (Part 4)
Tens of thousands of animal species are facing extinction, mostly because of human activity. But thanks to conservationists, there are some animals that are making a comeback.
This is part four of “The New Conservationists,” a four-part series about the evolving world of animal c ... Show More
23m 25s
Jul 2025
AI, bounties and culture change, how scientists are taking on errors
A simple methodological error meant that for years researchers considered drinking moderate amounts of alcohol to be healthy. Now plenty of evidence suggests that isn't the case, but errors like this still plague the scientific literature. So, how can the scientific literature be ... Show More
49m 19s
Aug 2024
The not-so-secret life of plants
From the perspective of Western science, plants have long been considered unaware, passive life forms; essentially, rocks that happen to grow. But there’s something in the air in the world of plant science. New research suggests that plants are aware of the world around them to a ... Show More
39m 4s
Oct 2025
SECRET VOICES OF THE WILD: AI Unlocks Animal Language🦁🐘
Get ready for another adventure through space, nature, and the strangest corners of science on the BIGGER and BETTER Science Weekly! This week, we’re answering YOUR questions, have scientists battle it out to decide which science is the best, and uncovering why plastic is such a ... Show More
28m 45s
Aug 2025
Animals in the year 20202025
What do scientists think animals might be like millions of years from now? (First published in 2021) Guests: Benji Jones, senior correspondent at Vox; David Willard, ornithologist at Chicago's Field Museum; Liz Alter, marine biologist at San José State University; Jingmai O'Conno ... Show More
27m 19s
Sep 2025
Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang
From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the mind and brain, unpack how social media and algorithms are reshaping the way we commun ... Show More
26m 55s