Shilpa Ravella, an assistant professor of medicine at Columbia, discusses why inflammation is the root of disease and what we can do to control it.
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Koalas bump noses and other fun facts
Biologist and natural history author Danielle Clode discusses the fascinating evolution of an animal loved the world over, and how the species is fighting for survival.
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How spyware puts democracy in danger
Political science professor Ronald J. Deibert discusses Pegasus, a tool that gives the operator near-total access to a person’s information, and how it’s being used as a model for the expansion of spyware.
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The real science of James Bond
Scientist-turned-author Kathryn Harkup joins us to explore the wild world of 007 – from whether gold paint could really kill you to the feasibility of volcano lairs for bad guys.
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The true history of lie detector tests
Writer and director Rob Rapley joins us to discuss the invention of what is known as the lie detector test, its uses and abuses, and how it’s used today.
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History is defined by what happens after a great invention
Derek Thompson, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins us to discuss why, when the U.S. is a world leader in Nobel Prizes in science and technology, we still lag behind in the implementation of innovation.
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Parasites could unlock evolutionary history
Scott L. Gardner, professor of biological sciences, joins us to discuss parasitology around the world and how these tiny creatures offer insight to the evolutionary history of regions.
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Hibernation could be our ticket to exploring the galaxy
Brendan Koerner from Wired discusses the scientific hurdles of inducing deep hibernation as humans hope to explore deep space.
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Why we call some animals pests and not others
Science writer Bethany Brookshire talks about why some animals are demonized over others and why we choose certain furry companions as pets.
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Who makes the world’s microchips? Taiwan
Tufts University professor Chris Miller discusses how much China’s interest in Taiwan is tied to its chip-manufacturing prowess.
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10 scenarios that could end the world—should you worry?
Reporter Joel Achenbach talks about the scientists working on ways to save planet Earth from extinction and how to manage all that existential dread.
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New ways to detect alien technology
Writer Jon Gertner talks about the search for traces of machines throughout the universe, and what happens if we actually find them.
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