Podcasts
Through weekly interviews with guest researchers and our own knowledgeable staff, the Museum's podcasts offer an in-depth look at the latest in science and technology.
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- Puzzle of the Bones Part 2 (Podcast)
- Anthropologist Dr. Jeremy DeSilva from Boston University gives us an update on the 2 million year old human ancestors. Learn more about their teeth, back, and how they moved. (details).
May 18, 2013
- NanoDays 2013: Photonics (Podcast)
- Applied physicist Dr. Evelyn Hu from Harvard University discusses the differences and similarities between electronics and photonics. When will light be used to store information? (details).
May 07, 2013
- Doodling in 3 Dimensions (Podcast)
- Inventor Peter Dilworth describes his latest innovation and the steps he took to go from idea to implementation. The 3Doodler is a pen that allows the user to draw pictures in three dimensional space. (details).
May 03, 2013
- Making a Better Vaccine (Podcast)
- From MIT, Peter DeMuth, Dr. Paula Hammond, and Dr. Darrell Irvine, talk about a new DNA vaccine technology. This painless, microneedle delivery system could potentially deliver DNA from a wide variety of pathogens. (details).
March 16, 2013
- Super Sensitive Cancer Detection (Podcast)
- Northeastern University graduate student Asanterabi Malima talks about an ultra-sensitive screening chip that uses nanotechnology to detect colorectal cancer earlier than ever before. (details).
March 02, 2013
- Merging Mind and Machine (Podcast)
- Dr. Jennifer Collinger, a biomedical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh, describes her research on brain-computer interfaces. One particular study looks at a paralyzed individual who can control a robotic arm through an electrode connected to her brain. (details).
February 15, 2013
- A Tiny Way to Treat the Brain (Podcast)
- The blood-brain barrier protects the brain, yet it also makes it difficult to treat in the event of disease. Learn how a nano-sized particle called a dendrimer may provide a pathway into the brain. (details).
January 18, 2013
- Top 10 Science Stories of 2012 (Podcast)
- From the discovery of the Higgs Boson to an exciting new Mars mission, the Current Science and Technology team has been keeping up with innovative research and late-breaking scientific news all year. In an annual tradition, the team will highlight their picks for the 10 most interesting and important science stories of 2012 ... (details).
January 04, 2013
- Targeted Nanomedicine Cancer Treatment (Podcast)
- Learn about a new nanomedicine particle that has the ability to target cancer cells, evade the immune system, and slowly release a chemotherapeutic. (details).
December 28, 2012
- Meningitis Crisis (Podcast)
- Local neurologist Dr. Don Marks talks about the recent meningitis outbreak, a story of great success and great failure. He describes the quick diagnosis of this rare disease and some of the reasons why this tragedy happened in the first place. (details).
December 07, 2012
- Earth-sized planet discovered! (Podcast)
- What do scientists look for while searching for an earth-like planet? Similar mass and volume, similar star to orbit around, suitable orbit to have liquid water? Scientists recently announced a planet in the nearby Alpha Centauri star system with the first two of these three criteria. (details).
November 23, 2012
- My Other Body Is A Robot (Podcast)
- Graduate student Kate Tsui from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, describes some of the benefits of telepresence robots. She also discusses her research into improving these remote devices. (details).
November 10, 2012
- Science on the International Space Station (Podcast)
- NASA scientist Dr. Liz Warren talks about the amazing engineering feat of the International Space Station. Also, learn about just a few of the many varied science experiments being conducted there right now, and how you can get involved. (details).
October 26, 2012
- Gut Bacteria and Our Immune System (Podcast)
- Dr. Esi Lamouse, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Boston Children's Hospital, outlines the link between our gut bacteria and the development of our immune system. Understanding this connection may lead to treatments for a variety of immune-related diseases like allergies, asthma, and diabetes. (details).
October 12, 2012
- Nanocanary: Sensing Small Things With Small Things (Podcast)
- Physicist Dr. Joel Therrien from the Nanomanufacturing Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, describes his research into creating a "nano-canary." This sensing system can detect tiny cellular changes caused by various toxins or diseases. (details).
October 05, 2012
- Curious About Mars! (Podcast)
- The Mars Science Laboratory Mission rover, named Curiosity, has begun its two year mission on our closest planetary neighbor. Curiosity's primary mission is to determine the past habitability of Mars by looking for evidence of liquid water and other building blocks of life. (details).
September 21, 2012
- The Hunt for the Higgs Boson (Podcast)
- Nathaniel Reden, a theoretical physicist at Brandeis University, explains the basics of particle physics and the discovery of the Higgs boson with experiments that smashed particles with the highest energies yet achieved. Find out why this discovery excites so many, and how it fits into our current understanding of the universe ... (details).
September 07, 2012
- QSTORM: Looking Inside Nerve Cells (Podcast)
- Our nerve cells contain thread-like molecular-scale transport systems that ferry essential materials from cell bodies to the tips of their axons and back. Diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's seem to be associated with traffic jams on these sub-cellular highways. Hear how Carnegie Mellon researcher ... (details).
August 24, 2012
- HPV Vaccine is Working (Podcast)
- A new study shows that the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in women receiving the HPV vaccine Gardasil has significantly decreased. There is also a decrease amongst women who have not had the vaccine, because of their protection through herd immunity. (details).
July 20, 2012
- MIT's Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2012 (Podcast)
- Brian Bergstein, deputy editor of MIT's Technology Review, discusses a few of the top 10 emerging technologies of 2012. From Facebook to DNA sequencing to solar panels, these technologies cover a wide range of fields and have a variety of societal impacts. (details).
July 06, 2012
- Is That Fair? (Podcast)
- Dr. Peter Blake from Boston University, is studying fairness and equality in children. Using game theory with candy and stickers, he observes children's behavior in a variety of "fair" and "unfair" situations. (details).
June 22, 2012
- Breathalyzer for Disease (Podcast)
- Researchers are developing ways to detect diseases using a breathalyzer. Many disorders- diabetes, cancer, kidney failure- cause the release of certain chemicals into the blood stream. These molecules eventually make their way into our exhaled breath, where very sensitive, specially designed nanotechnologies can detect them for disease diagnosis ... (details).
June 08, 2012
- Large Feathered Dinosaurs (Podcast)
- Even though dinosaurs and birds are closely related, a large feathered carnivore is hard to imagine. Until now. Researchers in China have found a new species called Yutyrannis huali, which is 27 feet long and covered in long, filamentous feathers. (details).
May 25, 2012
- Connecting Astronomy and Medicine (Podcast)
- Graduate student Michelle Borkin from Harvard University describes her work connecting astronomy with medicine. Hear how 3 dimensional imaging bridges the gap between these two seemingly disparate sciences. (details).
May 18, 2012
- New Numbers For Autism (Podcast)
- The CDC recently released new information describing the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in certain areas of the United States. Find out what these numbers mean and why they are increasing. (details).
May 11, 2012
- Messenger Mission Studies Mysterious Mercury (Podcast)
- Dr. Steven Hauck, a planetary geologist at Case Western Reserve University, discusses some of the recent data collected by the Messenger mission as it orbits around Mercury. (details).
May 04, 2012
- NanoDays 2012: Nano Policy Possibilities (Podcast)
- Dr. Christopher Bosso, a political scientist from the School of Public Policy at Northeastern University, explores some of the future policy questions that may arise from the use of nanotechnology. (details).
April 27, 2012
- NanoDays 2012: A Nano Toolbox (Podcast)
- Dr. Nicola Ferralis, from the Materials Science and Engineering Department at MIT, discusses the usefulness of nanomaterials in general and about his specific research using carbon nanotubes in energy and heat storage. (details).
April 20, 2012
- Detecting and Tracking Asteroids (Podcast)
- Dr. Tim Spahr, the director of the Minor Planet Center at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, talks about detecting and tracking asteroids and other near earth objects, including a few recent misses. (details).
April 13, 2012
- Cassini Mission of Saturn (Podcast)
- Dr. Linda Spilker from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory talks about NASA's Cassini satellite mission studying the planet Saturn. The project is now in its second extension and has made amazing discoveries about the planet, its rings, and its moons Titan and Enceladus. (details).
April 06, 2012
- The Search for Extraterrestrial Life (Podcast)
- Discover how two space exploration programs are partnering together in the search for extraterrestrial life. Also, hear how you can be a part of the search. (details).
March 30, 2012
- Stem Cell Trials in Humans | Sugary Drinks and Diabetes (Podcast)
- Dr. Robert Lanza from Advanced Cell Technology gives us an update on the human embryonic stem cell clinical trial for macular degeneration. Then, Dr. Vasanti Malik talks about her research looking at the link between sugary drinks and type II diabetes. (details).
March 23, 2012
- Studying Butterflies, Studying Water (Podcast)
- Elena Strekalova, a BU graduate student and Museum of Science Interpreter, gives us a special look at what goes on inside the Museum's Butterfly Garden. She also talks about studying the abnormalities of water with computational physics. (details).
March 16, 2012
- Sugar: Sweet But Deadly? | Zero-Gravity Maneuvers (Podcast)
- The way our bodies process sugar and store energy was critical to our ancestors' survival, but is strained by today's sugar-rich diet. Then Phillip Cunio from MIT and Todd Sheerin from Harvard discuss the challenges of designing and testing software to let a spacecraft navigate near an asteroid. (details).
March 09, 2012
- Gecko-Inspired Bio-Bandage (Podcast)
- What do geckos have to do with medical bandages? Hear how Dr. Jeff Karp, a bioengineer who works in both Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, was inspired by gecko toepads to create medical tape for internal organs. (details).
March 02, 2012
- Shape Shifting Proteins | New Bio-Bandage (Podcast)
- Dr. Jeremy England from MIT talks about his work understanding how proteins change their shape. Then Dr. Paula Hammond from MIT describes her lab's bio-bandage, a quick and effective way to stop bleeding on a battlefield. (details).
February 24, 2012
- 3D Printing Revolution (Podcast)
- Entrepreneur Marina Hatsopoulos, founder of ZCorporation one of the first 3D printing companies, talks about the past, present, and future of 3 dimensional printing. Then David Cranor, founder of Formlabs a new 3D printing company, talks about the importance that 3D printing could have in our every day lives ... (details).
February 17, 2012
- Tombs and Trash of Pompeii | Studying Malaria (Podcast)
- Graduate student Allison Emmerson discusses her study of Pompeii life through tombs and trash. Also, graduate student Bridget Wall talks about the difficulties in studying the malaria parasite. (details).
February 10, 2012
- Engineering For Our Changing Climate (Podcast)
- The Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report was recently released. Hear about what this means for the state from local experts including the Chief of Environment and Energy for the City of Boston, architects for the new Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and employees of Environmental services at MASSDOT Highway Division ... (details).
February 03, 2012
- Early Bow And Arrow Use | Making A Better Grid Battery (Podcast)
- Archaeologist Justin Pargeter describes current evidence for the first bows and arrows believed to have been used in South Africa over 60,000 years ago. Also, find out how we can improve our electrical power grid with storage batteries made with new nanomaterial technology. (details).
January 27, 2012
- Diamonds and Light (Podcast)
- Dr. Marko Loncar and two of his graduate students talk about using diamonds to create optics based computers that are smaller, faster, and 'cooler' than our current computational machines. (details).
January 20, 2012
- Earth-like Planets | Better Prosthetic Limbs (Podcast)
- In the search for Earth-like planets, NASA's Kepler Telescope has recently discovered several planets either similar in size to Earth or a similar distance from its star as Earth is from the sun, but not both. Also, Arthur Petron from the MIT Biomechatronics Group talks about his research with developing better prosthetic limbs ... (details).
January 13, 2012
- Playing Soccer For Energy | Emotions and Perception (Podcast)
- Hear how Soccket co-inventor Julia Silverman is solving energy problems all over the world with the energy harnessing soccer ball. Also, Jolie Baumann from Northeastern University discusses her research into the effects of emotions on our perception of objects. (details).
January 06, 2012
- Our Museum Bees | Forensic DNA Fingerprinting (Podcast)
- Listen to the museum's very own bee keeper Bill Coleman talk about our bee hive exhibit and the missing bees from the summer. Also, find out about forensic DNA fingerprinting and the controversy behind familial DNA testing. (details).
December 30, 2011
- Top 10 Science Stories of 2011 (Podcast)
- From cutting edge technologies to natural disasters, the Current Science and Technology team has been keeping up with innovative research and the latest in breaking scientific news all year. We chose the 10 most interesting and important of those stories to present to you in this podcast. (details).
December 23, 2011
- The New Madrid Earthquakes, 200 Years Later (Podcast)
- To recognize the bicentennial of the New Madrid earthquakes that started in the central U.S. on December 16, 1811, three earthquake experts -- John Ebel from Boston College, Jim Kaklamanos from Tufts University, and Paul Morey from FEMA -- share their views on earthquake science and preparedness, and ... (details).
December 16, 2011
- The Fuss About Fracking (Podcast)
- Dr. Rob Jackson from Duke University describes a controversial method for extracting natural gas from deep rock layers and discusses his research investigating possible effects of gas drilling on drinking water in the Marcellus Shale in the northeastern US. (details).
December 09, 2011
- Curiosity Heads for Mars | Mind-reading Technology (Podcast)
- As the Mars Science Laboratory mission starts its 8-month journey, learn about its sophisticated rover Curiosity. Also, discover technology that's taking the first step toward turning a person's thoughts into movies. (details).
December 02, 2011
