logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2020
12m 48s

Butterflies Have Hearts In Their Wings. ...

NPR
About this episode
Adriana Briscoe, a professor of biology and ecology at UC Irvine, studies vision in butterflies. As part of her research, she's trained them to detect light of a certain color. She also explains why they bask in the sunlight, and why some of them have 'hearts' in their wings. Plus, you'll never guess where their photoreceptors are.

She's written about the importance of teachers and mentors in diversifying the STEM fields.

Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Aug 14
Inside Colombia's big quake – and why more could be coming
The 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Columbia was devastating. Host Regina Barber talks to earthquake geologist Rodrigo Alejandro Leon Loya about the tectonic plates that caused the quake and what it was like 150 miles from the epicenter. Interested in more science in the new ... Show More
12m 12s
Aug 13
How to see the year's best meteor shower tonight
Right now the best shooting star show of the year is happening: the peak of the Perseid meteor shower. People have been viewing this annual event pretty much as long as we’ve been recording history. But what are we really looking at when we gaze up to see these faint streaks of l ... Show More
12m 28s
Aug 12
Can you spot AI-written stories? Listen and find out
Can you tell the difference between a human-written short story and an AI-generated one? Most people can’t. In a series of experiments led by a team at Villanova University, researchers found two things: First, most people said they preferred human written stories, but couldn’t t ... Show More
12m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2021
Butterflies Are Secret Monsters
Butterflies flit through life as the pride and joy of the insect world. But when we saw photos of butterflies swarming the eyes of turtles, we wondered if there was a dark side lurking behind all those flashy colors. Assistant Professor of Biology Chandreyee Mitra lets us in on t ... Show More
6m 32s
Sep 2023
Metamorphosis: Blowflies and dazzling disguise
Blowflies may be some of the most reviled insects on the planet, but as Erica McAlister discovers, they are central to the surprisingly long tradition of forensic entomology and how there's more than meets the eye in the distinctive structural colour of the morpho butterfly wing, ... Show More
27m 13s
May 2025
Save The Butterflies
Liz Waid and Joshua Leo look at why monarch butterflies are disappearing, and what people can do to increase the monarch population.https://spotlightenglish.com/science-and-technology/save-the-butterflies/Download our app for Android at http://bit.ly/spotlight-androidDownload our ... Show More
15m 7s
Aug 2025
Moths v Butterflies - Katy Brand, Jane Hill and Chris Jiggins
What really separates a moth from a butterfly? Is it just a matter of day and night, or is there more to this fluttering feud than meets the eye? Professor Brian Cox and Robin Ince flap into the fabulous world of Lepidoptera with Professor Jane Hill, Professor Chris Jiggins, and ... Show More
42m 8s
Jun 2024
Butterfly Conservation: An Interview with Dr. Vaughn Shirey
This week, Sara and Casey chat with conservation biologist and data scientist, Dr. Vaughn Shirey, for a wide-ranging conversation about his work in butterfly conservation and climate change. Learn what got Vaughn interested in the field, how artificial intelligence is being used ... Show More
51m 22s
May 2025
The man who walked butterflies on a leash
Static electricity plays an invisible role in the natural world, and it may even help insects pollinate plants. To understand this hidden force, scientists have jumped through some pretty weird experimental hoops — and “walked” butterflies through literal hoops. Guests: Sam Engla ... Show More
24m 49s
Jul 2021
Moths Have an Acoustic Invisibility Cloak to Stay under Bats' Radar
New research finds they fly around on noise-cancelling wings Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices 
4 m
Sep 2023
Metamorphosis: Drosophila melanogaster, hoverfly
Dr Erica McAlister uncovers a treasure trove of remarkable insights from the insect world including the innocuous flies that are Drosophila melanogaster. More is known about these flies than any other animal on the planet, as a model for human genetics. And the hoverfly that argu ... Show More
27m 15s