Wael Farah is a research scientist at the SETI Institute, where he searches the stars for alien life. The Allen Telescope Array (ATA), where Wael conducts his research, is located at the Hat Creek Observatory in Northern California. The ATA is a collection of 42 relatively small dishes (antennas) that are designed to work together for SETI searches.

In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate talks to Wael about how the Allen Telescope Array works, fast radio bursts, SETI, and what might lure extraterrestrial life to earth.

Learn more about SETI and the Allen Telescope Array here: https://www.seti.org/ata

087: The Search in the Stars with Wael Farah

Why don't I have a tail? That's the question that Bo Xia asked himself when he was a little kid. Bo is now a PhD candidate at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Bo's latest research attempts to answer his childhood question by identifying the mutation that resulted in ancestral humans losing their tails. On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate and Bo talk about his work and why this mutation may have happened.

Read more about Bo's work:
www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/scienc…-their-tails.html

090: The Tale of Tails with Bo Xia

Proteins are one of the main drivers of human diseases. Scientists are now mapping all of the proteins in the human body in a similar way to how the Human Genome Project mapped genes. On this episode of The Show About Science, Neil Kelleher, PhD invites Nate to his lab on the campus of Northwestern University to explain how it all works.

Learn more about Neil's work here: http://proteomics.northwestern.edu/

091: Proteins and Proteomics with Neil Kelleher

The History Channel show, “Kings of Pain,” follows wildlife biologist Adam Thorn and professional animal handler Rob “Caveman” Alleva as they get bitten and stung by some of the most dangerous animals and vicious stinging insects in the world. On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate goes behind the scenes to learn how they're working to create a complete and comprehensive pain index that will ultimately help save lives.

"Kings of Pain" returns with a new season on Thursday, May 26th. Learn more here: https://www.history.com/shows/kings-of-pain

Subscribe to The Show About Science wherever you listen to podcasts and don't forget to leave a review!

092: The Kings of Pain with Adam Thorn and Rob Alleva

Alan Nathan has been a Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois since 1977, but for the past 10 years, he has expanded his research interests to focus on the physics of baseball. His work looks at the dynamics of the collision between the ball and bat and the aerodynamics of a baseball in flight. On this episode of The Show About Science, he joins Nate to talk about what every baseball player should understand about physics and how that knowledge could improve their game.

Read more about Alan's work here: http://baseball.physics.illinois.edu/
Our theme song was composed by Jeff, Dan and Theresa Brooks. Additional music on this episode comes from Epidemic Sound.

093: The Physics of Baseball with Alan Nathan

DALL-E 2 is a new AI system that can create realistic images and art from written text descriptions. Mark Chen is a research scientist at OpenAI, the company the created DALL-E 2. He joins Nate on this episode to explain how AI is putting the art in artificial intelligence.

Sign up to make your own images with DALL-E 2:
https://labs.openai.com/auth/signup

See what my friend, Olivia, and I made with DALL-E 2:
https://bit.ly/3MfG7BC

Music on this episode comes from Sounds Like An Earful and Epidemic Sound. Our theme song was written by Jeff, Dan, and Theresa Brooks.

094: The Art of DALL-E 2 with Mark Chen

Alan Gratz is the New York Times bestselling author of 18 novels for young readers, including Ground Zero, Refugee, Allies, Grenade, Prisoner B-3087, Projekt 1065, and Ban This Book. His latest novel, Two Degrees, puts climate change front and center as four different kids navigate the threats of global warming. He joins Nate on this episode to talk about the science behind the book. 

No spoilers episode: https://on.soundcloud.com/oYW8g
Learn more: https://www.alangratz.com/writing/two-degrees/

Music on this episode comes from Epidemic Sound and Blue Dot Sessions. Our theme song was composed by Jeff, Dan, and Theresa Brooks.

095: Two Degrees with Alan Gratz

Link to Vote: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2022/individual-episodes/general/science-education

The Show About Science is a finalist in the 1st Annual Signal Awards. Your vote can help us win a listener's choice award in the Science & Education category!! We can't do this without your support, so please vote for Nate and The Show About Science. Listener’s Choice voting for Signal Awards ends on December 22nd, 11:59PM ET and Winners for the Inaugural Signal Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. Thank you so much and have a great holiday!!

Link to Vote: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2022/individual-episodes/general/science-education

Vote for Nate! (Special Announcement)

We're revisiting one of our favorite episodes of The Show About Science from 2015. Back when Nate was 5 years old, he interviewed Santa Claus about the science behind his workshop and what happens when kids send drawings of new toys for Santa to produce in his present factory. Santa than suggested that Nate talk to Roger, his Head of Research and Development. Roger is also the author of The Physics of Christmas: From the Aerodynamics of Reindeer to the Thermodynamics of Turkey (amzn.to/1NwaZr4) and Can Reindeer Fly?: The Science of Christmas (amzn.to/1NwaYDG). Finally, Nate talks to Lt(N) Marco Chouinard from NORAD about the science of tracking Santa and the noradsanta.org website. Kids can also call NORAD on December 24th to find out when Santa will be arriving in their area. The number to call is +1 (877) HI-NORAD. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter. I'm @natepodcasts.

006: Santa Science and the Physics of Christmas (Rerun)

Over the next 4 episodes, we're going to take you on a tour of the CZ Biohub in San Francisco where scientists are working to cure, prevent, or manage disease by the end of the century. 

Every year, 400,000 people die of malaria - usually children in impoverished areas. In the first episode of our Biohub series, you'll meet Paul Lebel, a member of the CZ Biohub Bioengineering team, who is helping to create a device that uses machine learning to accelerate and improve the process for identifying malaria-infected red blood cells. If the project is successful, the hope is that they can diagnose the disease faster and help save lives.

Learn more about the Bioengineering team at CZ Biohub:
https://www.czbiohub.org/bioengineering/

096: Bioengineering Malaria with Paul Lebel

This is the second episode of our four part series focused on the CZ Biohub in San Francisco where scientists are working to cure, prevent, or manage disease by the end of the century. 

In this episode, we meet Quantitative Cell Science group leader Manu Leonetti. Manu and his team are using "genetic glowsticks" to map all 20,000 proteins in a single human cell. Their flagship project – OpenCell – is a library of fluorescently engineered cell lines to define the locations and interactions of human proteins within our cells. 

You can see the images Manu describes in the episode here: https://opencell.czbiohub.org

Watch this video to learn more about OpenCell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j4fpV-q-Io

Listen to the first episode of our CZ Biohub series: https://on.soundcloud.com/1XALJ

097: Mapping the Cell with Manuel Leonetti

On the third installment of our CZ Biohub series, we visit a lab nicknamed "Le Petit Hotel de Poisson" (The Tiny Fish Hotel) where scientists are using zebrafish as a model organism to study human development. Along the way, we'll meet Loïc A. Royer, who leads a team at Biohub including Merlin Lange and Shruthi VijayKumar who are using something called a light-sheet microscope to document the incredible complexity of individual cells as they develop into fully functioning organisms. Manu Leonetti and Sandy Schmid from previous CZ Biohub episodes also join us on the tour.

Watch a video created with the light sheet microscope here: https://theshowaboutscience.com/2023/02/12/the-tiny-zebrafish-hotel/

Learn more about the zebrafish research at the CZ Biohub: https://zebrahub.ds.czbiohub.org/

Learn more about the CZ Biohub: 
https://www.czbiohub.org/

Connect with The Show About Science: 
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theshowaboutscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/showaboutscience
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating wherever you listen to podcasts!

098: The Tiny Zebrafish Hotel with Merlin Lange, Loïc Royer, and Shruthi VijayKumar

The CZ Biohub’s inspiring story began when Priscilla Chan asked Stephen Quake a seemingly impossible question: “Is it possible to cure, prevent, and manage disease in our children’s lifetime?”.

In 2016, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, founded by Priscilla and Mark Zuckerberg, set out to answer that question with a bold new mission.

On the final installment of our CZ Biohub series, Priscilla and Stephen join Nate to talk about the work being done at Biohub, and how understanding human biology is the key to unlocking powerful medical treatments and cures. Through their commitment to the cause, they are showing that anything is possible.

Priscilla Chan is co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI).
Stephen Quake is Head of Science at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where he oversees CZI’s science grant programs, technology development, and the CZ Biohub Network. Stephen is also a professor at Stanford University.

Learn more about CZ Biohub: https://www.czbiohub.org/about/#history-amp-mission

Listen to more episodes from our CZ Biohub series: 
https://theshowaboutscience.com/2023/02/12/099-accelerating-science-to-eradicate-disease-with-priscilla-chan-and-stephen-quake/

Connect with The Show About Science: 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showaboutscience
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theshowaboutscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/showaboutscience
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/natepodcasts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating wherever you listen to podcasts!

099: Accelerating Science to Eradicate Disease with Priscilla Chan and Stephen Quake

Brian Selznick is an illustrator and author best known for his books The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck, and The Marvels and Kaleidoscope. Brian joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to talk about the science behind his latest book, Big Tree. The book follows two small sycamore seeds, Merwin and Louise, who are looking for a safe place to grow while trying to save the entire world. Brian's research into fossil species, climate change, fungal hyphae and paleobotany form the backbone of this mesmerizing journey from the Cretaceous period to present day.

Learn more about Brian, Big Tree, and his other books: https://www.thebrianselznick.com

Transcript: 
https://theshowaboutscience.com/2023/04/18/100-big-tree-with-brian-selznick

Connect with The Show About Science: 
Website: https://www.theshowaboutscience.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showaboutscience
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theshowaboutscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/showaboutscience
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/natepodcasts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-show-about-science/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating wherever you listen to podcasts!

100: Big Tree with Brian Selznick

Can sound help us understand the complex patterns in our universe? This question leads Nate to Symbolic Sound in Champaign, Illinois, where composer Carla Scaletti guides him on a journey where sound, music, and data intertwine in captivating and thought-provoking ways. Along the way, we'll meet Kimberly Arcand, who unveils the hidden melodies of space through her celestial soundscapes, delve into the fascinating world of protein folding with Martin Gruebele, and listen to the delicate dance of DNA with Mark Temple. 

This episode was inspired by a fantastic LA Times article entitled The Sounds of Science by Sumeet Kulkarni. https://www.latimes.com/science/story/2023-02-03/the-sounds-of-science

Kimberly Arcand is a visualization scientist and emerging technology lead at NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory with the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian.

Martin Gruebele is a professor at the University of Illinois where he leads the Gruebele Group. 

Carla Scaletti is an experimental composer, designer of the Kyma sound design language and co-founder of Symbolic Sound Corporation.

Mark Temple is a Senior Lecturer in Molecular Biology in the School of Science at the Western Sydney University (WSU).  Mark also created a web app that lets anyone plug and play their own DNA that’s been sequenced by a company such as 23andMe or Ancestry.com.

Web App: http://dnasonification.org/index.html
Myrtle Rust performance: https://youtu.be/n_3edKbfmbg

Connect with The Show About Science: 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showaboutscience
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theshowaboutscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/showaboutscience
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/natepodcasts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-show-about-science/

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating wherever you listen to podcasts!

101: The Science of Sound with Kimberly Arcand, Martin Gruebele, Carla Scaletti, and Mark Temple

Dr. Kimberly Arcand is a Visualization and Emerging Technology Scientist at NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory at the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard, and Smithsonian.

In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate and Dr. Arcand dive into the mysteries of the universe illuminated by Chandra's use of X-ray light. From uncovering the intricacies of black hole cosmic recycling processes to exploring the aftermath of exploded stars and the mesmerizing pulsars emitting high-energy particles like cosmic lighthouses, this is a galactic tour like no other!

Connect with The Show About Science:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/showaboutscience
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theshowaboutscience
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/showaboutscience
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/natepodcasts
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-show-about-science/

After experiencing the universe in a new light, consider leaving a stellar review and rating on your favorite podcast platform.

102: Our Extreme Universe with Kimberly Arcand

The very first episode of The Show About Science!

001: Science with Mom

003:  Food Science with Shannon

On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate interviews Anna Rothschild, the host of Nova's Gross Science. Nate asks Anna what she knows about cow and kangaroo burps, ribbon worms, and infections. He also gets more information on everyone's favorite topic, cheese mites. You can find episodes of Gross Science at www.youtube.com/user/grossscienceshow. Ewwww!

004: Gross Science with Anna Rothschild

In this episode, Ian and Greg, the hosts of Stop. Think. Science! join Nate to talk about molecules, chemical compounds and dangerous chemical reactions. Later in the program, Nate talks about his favorite TED-Ed videos and the one he just can't bring himself to like. 

Stop. Think. Science! currently has just over 25 episodes on topics ranging from Sharks, to Geophysics to NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. You can find out more information and listen to episodes at stopthinkscience.com.

007: Chemistry with Ian and Greg from Stop. Think. Science!

Mike Mongo dreamed of becoming an astronaut when he was young, but making those dreams a reality can be challenging. Now Mike is an astronaut instructor who encourages kids to follow their interstellar dreams. In this episode of The Show About Science, Mike tells Nate that "when he grows up, he can live, work and play in space." Nate wants to know more about space and what sort of creatures humans might encounter as they explore this new frontier. Mike Mongo is the author of The Astronaut Instruction Manual which is available on Amazon (http://amzn.to/1mZmZuy).

008:  How to Become an Astronaut with Mike Mongo

When I was 2, one of the first science videos I ever watched was by the Amoeba Sisters - two amorphous amoebas that teach science. I think the topic of that video was viruses. I played it over and over and over. Then I watched the next one. Fast forward 3 years and here I am talking to Brianna and Sarina (the two real life sisters behind the Amoeba Sisters). How cool is that!!! In this episode, we discuss mitosis, DNA replication, viruses and so much more!

You can watch all of the Amoeba Sisters videos on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/user/AmoebaSisters) or on their website (http://www.amoebasisters.com/). 

009: Cells and Viruses with The Amoeba Sisters

In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate interviews Joe Hanson, the creator/host/writer of PBS Digital Studios’ It’s Okay To Be Smart. Nate talks to Joe about woolly mammoths, bees, mosquitoes and the science behind HBO's Game of Thrones. Make sure to check out all of Joe’s amazing science videos on the It’s Okay To Be Smart youtube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH4BNI0-FOK2dMXoFtViWHw). 

Also checkout my new website (http://theshowaboutscience.atavist.com) and follow me on Twitter (I'm @natepodcasts)!

010: Bees, Mosquitoes and Dragons with Joe Hanson

There’s two very exciting days in the month of April. One is my birthday and the other is Earth Day. So in honor of Earth Day later this month, I interviewed my friend Rick Zultner from Terracycle. Terracycle is developing new ways to recycle more than just paper, glass, plastic and aluminum. In this episode, Rick talks about how recycling works, the benefits of composting and answers the question “what is a nurdle?”. Happy Earth Day from The Show About Science!

014: Recycling with Rick Zultner from Terracycle

On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate takes the show on the road to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago to visit the Butterfly Haven there. Later in the episode, he interviews Doug Taron, PhD, Chief Curator of the Chicago Academy of Sciences about the different species of butterflies in the haven.

The Show About Science

020: Butterflies with Doug Taron

In this episode of The Show About Science, Nate interviews Mikey Bustos, the owner of AntsCanada Ant Store, an online shop which specialises in ant-keeping. Mikey is also the host of the AntsCanada youtube channel. The two met face to face on one of Mikey's recent visits to Chicago.

021: Ants with Mikey Bustos

On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate chats with Karen Bucher. Karen is the senior medical illustrator for the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and a faculty member of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Biomedical Visualization graduate program. She is also the author/illustrator of Alphanatomy, a children’s book that showcases a different anatomical feature for each letter of the alphabet. Alphanatomy is perfect for your aspiring doctor or your average curious kid and is available on Amazon (http://amzn.to/2kFvQkc).

025: Alphanatomy with Karen Bucher

A few months back, Nate spit into a tube and put it in the mail to have his DNA analyzed by a company called 23andMe. On this episode of The Show About About Science, Nate travels to the headquarters of 23andMe in Mountain View, California to learn more about his results and to discover what DNA can tell us about our ancestry. Joining Nate on this episode is Jhulianna Cintron, the Senior Product Specialist at 23andMe. You can learn more about 23andMe and order your own DNA kit at http://23andme.com.

For more episodes of The Show About Science, try the Pinna iOS app for free today! Pinna is the home of quality audio stories and podcasts for kids ages 4-12 (and their adults!). For unlimited access to ad-free, immersive, interactive, and 360° audio-on-demand, download Pinna in the App Store or visit pinna.fm/promo.

046: DNA Testing with 23andMe’s Jhulianna Cintron

David Shoesmith is a professor of electrochemistry and corrosion science at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to explain why metal rusts and how it corrodes. They also talk about an experiment that you can conduct at home to see rust form.

054: Rust and Corrosion with David Shoesmith

Last summer, Nate was walking to the train when he spotted a giant wasp carrying a cicada. Later he discovered that the insect he saw was a cicada killer wasp. These insects will paralyze cicadas with their venomous sting, but luckily rarely sting humans. Blake Newton is an entomologist at the University of Kentucky. He joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to talk about these fascinating creatures.

055: Cicada Killer Wasps with Blake Newton

What can we learn from studying poop? Who better to ask than Dr. Poop! Rachel Santymire, Ph.D., is director of Lincoln Park Zoo’s Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology, and she's earned her Dr. Poop nickname by studying the physiology of animals using biomaterials like poop! On this episode of The Show About Science, Nate visits her lab at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago to learn more.

075: They Call Me Dr. Poop with Rachel Santymire

Tara C. Smith has studied infectious diseases for twenty years in the U.S. and other countries around the globe. She currently leads the Smith Emerging Infections Laboratory at Kent State University which focuses on the transmission and evolution of zoonotic pathogens. She joins Nate on this episode to talk about a topic that's making everyone nervous - the coronavirus. 

Learn more about Tara and her work: http://www.taracsmith.com/

078: The Coronavirus with Tara C. Smith

Created by Nate when he was 5 years-old, The Show About Science is an awesome adventure into the wondrous world of scientific research and discovery! Over the last 7 years, Nate has filled each episode with fascinating information from scientists and educators from around the globe. Together, Nate and his guests explore everything from chemistry to climate change, evolution to extraterrestrials, and human brains to bat biology. If you’re curious about science, then this is the show for you!

Popular tracks by The Show About Science