logo
episode-header-image
Apr 23
16m 15s

Our Fear and Fascination around Snakes

Scientific American
About this episode
When writer Stephen S. Hall was a child, he would capture snakes—much to his mother’s chagrin. Now the science journalist is returning to his early fascination In his latest book, Slither: How Nature’s Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World. The book explores our long, complicated relationship with snakes. Plus, Hall chats about humans’ and other anima ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
What Does an Ailing Coral Reef Sound Like?
Sick coral reefs are visually striking—bleached and lifeless, far from the vibrancy we’ve come to expect. But what does an unhealthy coral system sound like? In this rerun, conservation bioacoustics researcher Isla Keesje Davidson tells Science Quickly all about the changing soun ... Show More
16m 51s
Jul 7
An Astronaut Shares His Passion for Space Photography—Live, from the ISS Cupola
Ten months ago Science Quickly made space history by conducting the first-ever live interview from the cupola of the International Space Station (ISS). Astronaut Matthew Dominick spoke with Rachel Feltman about his work on the ISS and the stunning space photography that first cau ... Show More
17m 35s
Jul 2
Move Over Fireworks—Drone Shows Are Taking to the Skies
Drone shows are replacing fireworks for summer celebrations. They’re safer and more environmentally friendly but complicated to program and run. A recent preprint paper proposes an algorithmic solution that can take some technical challenges out of drone operators’ hands and give ... Show More
16m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
How does a snake climb a tree?
Snakes are often seen as slithery, slimy and scary. But these intriguing non-legged creatures have made CrowdScience listener Okello from Uganda wonder how they move – more specifically, he wants to know how they climb trees so easily, and so fast. Presenter Caroline Steel meets ... Show More
27m 29s
Jun 25
Crotalology (RATTLESNAKES) with Emily Taylor
Fangs. Rattles. Misconceptions. Crawl out from under your rock for the angelic rattle of one of the world’s most maligned, misunderstood, gorgeous, mysterious, efficient creatures. Herpetology professor, rattlesnake scientist and thus, Crotalologist Dr. Emily Taylor discusses why ... Show More
1h 21m
Jul 2024
Fortean Times Talk
📰🛸🕵🏼‍♀️ Fortean Times has been bringing weirdness into people’s lives for over 50 years and Paul’s been reading its pages since he was a mere Chin-cub. Now join Paul and Stephen as they meet the man behind the mag, esteemed New Editor, Ian Simmons. What follows is a mind-bend ... Show More
59m 31s
Oct 2024
Exploring the Science of Spookiness at the Recreational Fear Lab
Why do so many of us love a good scare? Whether it’s horror movies, haunted houses or creepy podcasts, there’s something thrilling about feeling spooked—especially around Halloween. In this episode, host Rachel Feltman dives into our fascination with fear and morbid curiosity wit ... Show More
17m 32s
Aug 2024
Listener Questions: Poisonous Animals, Sunsets and Earth 🐍🌞🌏
In this episode, we learn why some frogs are poisonous, which snake is more venomous, the king cobra or the rhinoceros cobra and what happens when a venomous spider bites you. Then, taking a break from poisonous animals, we learn why the sun looks red at sunset and about how the ... Show More
20m 30s
Apr 2
Intraterrestrials
Deep inside the mud at the bottom of the ocean, scientists have found life that is so unusual they’ve had to create new branches on the tree of life to put it on. These life forms are not extraterrestrials: They’re “aliens” from Earth. Guest: Karen Lloyd, microbiologist and autho ... Show More
26m 23s
Jun 11
What ‘Immortal’ Jellyfish and Famously Old Tortoises Tell Us about Aging
Animals’ lifespans can be far shorter or much longer than those of humans. Scientists are researching creatures such as “immortal” jellyfish and long-lived tortoises and digging deep into genetic codes to figure out why animals age—and what we can do to improve longevity in human ... Show More
14m 27s
Sep 2023
Tree Soil, Rodent Biologist, Soundscape Artist. Sept 8, 2023, Part 2
Where Soil Grows Above The TreesYou might be used to the feeling of Earth under your feet, but did you know that there’s soil high above your head? Way up in the treetops, where ferns, mosses, flowers, and even trees grow on top of the forest. A new study in Geoderma describes th ... Show More
46m 56s
Feb 2025
Exploring the Hidden Life in the Air around Us with Carl Zimmer
Scientists now agree that COVID spreads via airborne transmission. But during the early days of the disease, public health officials suggested that it mainly did so via close contact. The subsequent back-and-forth over how COVID spread brought science journalist Carl Zimmer into ... Show More
16m 47s