It’s not great to be a lab rat. And it turns out, lab rats might not be that great for science either. Could the future be little lab-grown brain clumps?
Guests: Rachel Nuwer, science journalist; Lisa Genzel, professor of neuroscience at Radboud University
This episode has been updated. An earlier version didn’t differentiate between two stages of drug devel ... Show More
Oct 5
What color is a tennis ball?
Is it yellow? Is it green? Or what if, as one scientist argues, “there’s no such thing as a color?” Guest: Bevil Conway, visual artist and neuroscientist at the National Eye Institute To watch this episode on video, find us on Netflix! For show transcripts, go to ... Show More
27m 34s
Sep 28
The bodies buried in the bog
When things fall into bogs, they sometimes wind up being beautifully preserved. This includes bodies, sometimes dating back thousands of years. We’re still trying to understand who was buried in the bogs and why. Guest: Anna North, journalist and author of Bog Queen To watch this ... Show More
26m 18s
Oct 2022
How Gamification Has Taken Over, Brewing An Ancient Beer Again. Oct 14, 2022, Part 1
<p>Scientists Are Trying To Study Human Neurons… In Rat Brains?</p>
<p>Scientists have a tricky time studying neurons, partially because they are remarkably difficult to grow in a lab. They need other cells around them, and they don’t replicate or reproduce like other cells do. I ... Show More
46m 59s
Oct 2021
Can we grow a conscious brain?
<p>Philosophers have long pondered the concept of a brain in a jar, hooked up to a simulated world. Though this has largely remained a thought experiment, CrowdScience listener JP wants to know if it might become reality in the not-too-distant future, with advances in stem cell r ... Show More
35m 46s