Big Picture Science |

The science radio show & podcast of the SETI Institute.

The Big Picture Science radio show and podcast engages the public with modern science research through lively and intelligent storytelling. Science radio doesn’t have to be dull. The only dry thing about our program is the humor.
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News

Seth Shostak Awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization

Wonderfest, a West Coast organization that promotes public interest in science, has chosen Seth to win its Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. Sponsored by Google, the prize was awarded during a ceremony held in a nobby San Francisco restaurant on January 7. Several dozen tech industry glitterati were in attendance. The evening wrapped up as Seth gave a short talk on what he thinks will be the major developments of the 21st century.

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Episodes

	Apr 04, 2016 Tale of the Distribution The influence of extreme events. Listen now ENCORE We all have at least some musical talent. But very few of us can play the piano like Vladimir Horowitz. His talent was rarefied, and at the tail end of the bell curve of musical ability – that tiny sliver of the distribution where you find the true outliers.
	Mar 28, 2016 Skeptic Check: How Low Can You Go? Cryotherapies. Listen now Baby, it’s cold outside… but you still might want to be there. Some people claim that chilly temperatures are good for your health, and proponents of cryotherapy suggest you have a blast – of sub-zero air – to stave off wrinkles and perhaps halt aging altogether.
	Mar 21, 2016 Gene-y in a Bottle CRISPR technology Listen now You can’t pick your parents. But soon you may be able to change the DNA they gave you. CRISPR technology is poised to take DNA editing to new levels of precision and speed. Imagine deleting genes from your body that you don’t like and inserting the ones you want. The swap might not even require a fancy lab. Biohackers are already tinkering
	Mar 14, 2016 Who's Controlling Whom? Microbes v. humans v. robots Listen now ENCORE A single ant isn’t very brainy. But a group of ants can do remarkable things. Biological swarm behavior is one model for the next generation of tiny robots. Of course, biology can get hijacked: a fungus can seize control of an ant’s brain, for example. So will humans always remain the boss of super-smart, swarming machines?
	Mar 07, 2016 Land on the Run A moving story of plates. Listen now ENCORE Hang on to your globe. One day it’ll be a collector’s item. The arrangement of continents you see today is not what it once was, nor what it will be tomorrow. Thank plate tectonics.

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Hosted by

Seth Shostak
Host and Producer, Big Picture Science
Senior Astronomer, SETI Institute
650-961-6633
bigpicturescience@seti.org
Seth is the Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute, in Mountain View, California. He has an undergraduate degree in physics from Princeton University, and a doctorate in astronomy from the California Institute of Technology. For much of his career, Seth conducted radio astronomy research on galaxies, and has published approximately fifty papers in professional journals.

Molly Bentley
Executive Producer and Co-Host, Big Picture Science
510-644-2669
bigpicturescience@seti.org

Molly oversees the production of Big Picture Science. She has worked as a science journalist for the BBC, including World Service, Radio 4 and Science/Nature Online. She has also written for New Scientist.

Welcome to Big Picture Science

Episodes