Science Friday

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Boredom under COVID quarantine led many to pursue some strange side hobby, but for 24 mathematicians and artists, it resulted in Mathemalchemy — a collective of mathematically (aesthetically, too) charming pieces of art — from cryptographic quilts, huge parabolas of embroidered spheres, crochet theta curves caught in fishing nets, and murals of OctoPi, seen generating various wave-related equations per every water ripple.

For the “Mathemalchemists,” their project is a lively, whimsical invitation into the world of mathematics, made for an audience of all ages and interests. The goal is to illustrate how math can be fun — not something schools force you to do, but something that leaves you inspired.

So, how did this project come to be? What makes Mathemalchemy so special, both for the Mathemalchemists and anyone that comes across the exhibition? In this podcast, Gayoung Lee goes behind the scenes of Mathemalchemy with co-founders Ingrid Daubechies and Dominique Ehrmann, in addition to Mathemalchemists Jessica Sklar, Elizabeth Paley and Carolyn Yackel.

MUSIC: 
“Pglet Into” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0 
“The Gran Dias” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0 
“Spring Cleaning” by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0

(Math + Art) × Fun = Mathemalchemy!

Meet the newest robotic police officer in town: the Knightscope K5. This “Robocop” completed a two month trial period in New York City’s Times Square subway station from September to November of 2023, recording video and monitoring the station. But despite city officials promising its safety, people were understandably nervous about a robotic police officer. 

The robot’s trial period has ended and the K5 will not be re-entering the subway system, but it still serves as an important window to the future of robots integrating into our society. 

In this podcast Kohava Mendelsohn talks to experts, does some research and even ventures forth to visit the K5 herself in order to answer the important questions: What was this robotic cop? What could it actually do? And how worried should we be about it?

And check out the article on Scienceline: https://scienceline.org/2024/04/nyc-robocop/

MUSIC:
"Tall Journey" by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0 
"Turning to You" by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0 
"The Gran Dias" by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0 
"Pewter Lamp" by Blue Dot Sessions | CC BY-NC 4.0

What Was New York’s New Robocop?

It’s important to know that a drug works, but knowing how it works can be just as crucial. CSHL Fellow Jason Sheltzer discovered that the hypothesis explaining the action of a new cancer drug was incorrect, indicating that its beneficial effects had to be due to other factors. Hear more from him following up on his discussion in episode 14, “The cancer answer that wasn’t.” Also, in a new pop culture segment, we talk about movie “mad scientists” and how they contribute to misconceptions about the way real science is done.

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Disclaimer: This product is a not-for-profit learning resource. All film clips included are solely for the purposes of critique and education. They are solely the property of (in order of mention) Universal Pictures (as Universal Pictures Corp.), Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, U-Drive Productions, and Universal Pictures (presents).

14.5 – Medicine and Mad Scientists

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's Base Pairs podcast ​tells​ stories that ​convey​ the power of genetic information – past and present.

Named among the 2018 Webby Awards’ “five best podcasts in the world” for the subjects of science and education.
Presented the Platinum Award for podcasting by PR News.

14.5 – Medicine and Mad Scientists

Base Pairs – a Cold Spring Harbor Lab podcast

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