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
Aug 19
Why can’t I remember being a baby?
And if babies forget their earliest experiences, do they still matter?This episode is a collaboration with Vox's Explain It to Me podcastGuests: Kristin Ohlson, writer; Tristan Yates, cognitive psychologist at Columbia University; Dana Suskind, professor of surgery and pediatrics ... Show More
26m 36s
Aug 17
Can these corals take the heat?
Warming waters are an existential threat to coral reefs, and for people who want to restore them. But in the Republic of Palau, researchers are testing out an approach to help restored reefs survive hotter temperatures — before it's too late. To watch this episode on video, find ... Show More
30m 57s
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