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Episode 100: June 8, 2021

Science Writing as Storytelling (rebroadcast) – Ryan Kelly

What matters more in getting cited — what you say or how you say it? In this remastered and remixed version of our first episode of the show, we're revisited by Ryan Kelly...

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Episode 99: May 11, 2021

Cold War Ice Core Reveals Historic Glacial Melt – Andrew Christ

How did a Cold War era debacle help us better understand the dangers of climate change? In episode 99 of Parsing Science, we talk with Drew Christ from the University of Vermont...

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Episode 98: April 20, 2021

DNA Evidence of Denisovan Interbreeding – João Teixeira

What can DNA tell us about the migration of the earliest modern humans and other hominins? In episode 98 of Parsing Science, we talk with João Teixeira from the University...

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Episode 97: April 6, 2021

The Dyatlov Pass Incident – Alexander Puzrin

Can science help solve a real-life mystery? In episode 97 of Parsing Science, we talk with Alexander Puzrin from ETH Zurich about his research into The Dyatlov Pass incident,...

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Episode 96: March 23, 2021

Monkey Business – Jean-Baptiste “JB” Leca

Do monkeys know how much fruit your sunglasses are worth? In episode 96 of Parsing Science, we talk with Jean-Baptiste "JB" Leca from the University of Lethbridge's Department...

Listen to the episode Monkey Business – Jean-Baptiste “JB” Leca

Episode 95: March 9, 2021

Positively Negative – Shiri Melumad

How much can you trust people's retelling of information the've read? In episode 95, Shiri Melumad from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business discusses...

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Episode 94: February 23, 2021

How Mosquitoes Target Us – Zhilei Zhao & Lindy McBride

Why do mosquitoes prefer us over other animals? In episode 94, we talk with Zhilei Zhao and Lindy McBride from Princeton about their research into how mosquitoes that can...

Listen to the episode How Mosquitoes Target Us – Zhilei Zhao & Lindy McBride

Episode 93: February 9, 2021

Epistemic Puzzles in ‘The Witness’ – Luke Cuddy

What can a video game teach us about our epistemic philosophy? In episode 93, Luke Cuddy from Southwestern College’s philosophy program talks with us about the video game...

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Episode 92: January 26, 2021

Unintended Consequences of Legal Reforms – Ángela Zorro Medina

What effect did copying the U.S.'s legal system have on Colombia's incarceration system? In episode 92, Ángela Zorro Medina from the University of Chicago discussed her...

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Episode 91: January 12, 2021

Bots’ Meddling in the 2020 Presidential Election – Emilio Ferrara

How are automated social media bots manipulating our political discourse? In episode 91, Emilio Ferrara from the University of Southern California discusses his research...

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Episode 90: December 29, 2020

Pet Project – Eric Tourigny

What do changes in our beliefs about the death of our pets over the past century say about the relationship we have with our companion animals? In episode 90, Eric Tourigny...

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Episode 89: December 15, 2020

Drones Revealing the Past – Jesse Casana

How can drones help us find settlements long-lost to time? In episode 89, Jesse Casana from Dartmouth College's Department of Anthropology discusses his research into using...

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Episode 88: November 23, 2020

Early Galaxies’ Formation – Arianna Long

How did the earliest and largest clusters of galaxies form? In episode 88, Arianna Long from the University California - Irvine talks with us about her research into the...

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Episode 87: November 10, 2020

Silencing an ALS Gene – Tim Miller

How could a gene that causes one type of ALS be switched off? In episode 87, Tim Miller from the Washington University in St. Louis discusses his research into therapies...

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Episode 86: October 27, 2020

Fool Me Once Again – Darwin Guevarra

Can we knowingly fake ourselves out? In episode 86 of Parsing Science we talk with Darwin Guevarra from Michigan State University about his research exploring how placebos...

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Episode 85: October 13, 2020

Hot Girl Summer – Kyesha Jennings

How are Black women using social media to develop community and identity? In episode 85 we talk with Kyesha Jennings from North Carolina State University Department of English...

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Episode 84: September 29, 2020

Why Narcissists Are “Never Wrong” – Tori Howes and Ed Kausel

Should I have done something differently? Or could nobody have seen it coming? In episode 84 Satoris "Tori" Howes from Oregon State University-Cascades and Edgar "Ed" Kausel...

Listen to the episode Why Narcissists Are “Never Wrong” – Tori Howes and Ed Kausel

Episode 83: September 15, 2020

Adhering to Prohibitive Taboos – Manvir Singh

Why do religious leaders abstain from some pleasures? In episode 83, Manvir Singh from Harvard University's Department of Human Evolutionary Biology discusses his research...

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Episode 82: September 1, 2020

Moderating Spanking’s Lasting Impacts – Nicole Barbaro

Does spanking really have lasting impacts on kids' later lives? In episode 82, Nicole Barbaro from Western Governors University Labs talks with us about her research into...

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Episode 81: August 18, 2020

Picking Apart Conspiracy Theories – Tim Tangherlini

Is it an actual conspiracy, or just a theory about one? In episode 81, Tim Tangherlini from the University of California Berkeley’s Folklore Program discusses his research...

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Katherine Wood rock climbing
Episode 80: August 4, 2020

The Metaethics of Moral Claims – Jordan Theriault

How do our brains respond when people behave in unpredictable ways? In episode 80, Jordan Theriault from Northeastern University discusses his research into a set of brain...

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Episode 79: July 21, 2020

A Marijuana Breathalyzer – Neil Garg

What's that on your breath? In episode 79 of Parsing Science we talk with Neil Garg from UCLA about his research into the fundamental chemistry necessary for the creation...

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Episode 78: July 7, 2020

Mosquito-inspired Biotechnology – Richard Bomphrey

What if mosquitos weren't just annoying bugs, but instead were bio-inspiring features? In episode 78, we talk with Richard Bomphrey from the University of London’s Royal...

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Episode 77: June 23, 2020

A Taxing History of Racism – Trevon Logan

What impact did Black politicians have during the Reconstruction? In episode 77, Trevon Logan from The Ohio State University's Department of Economics discusses his research...

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Episode 76: June 9, 2020

When Ignorance is Bliss – Emily Ho

Why do some of us choose to remain ignorant of information that - though perhaps unpleasant - could help us make better informed decisions in the future? In episode 76,...

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Episode 75: May 26, 2020

Birds’ Evolution Across Mass Extinctions – Daniel Field

Might a 66.7-million-year-old "turducken" be the world's oldest bird? In episode 75, Daniel Field from the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge discusses...

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Episode 74: May 12, 2020

Parroting Probabilities – Amalia Bastos

Very few animals can combine information to adjust their predictions in a flexible way by using domain-general intelligence as humans do. In episode 74, Amalia Bastos from...

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Episode 73: April 29, 2020

Anything but Pedestrian – Courtney Coughenour & Jennifer Pharr

Are drivers of more expensive cars really the jerks we make them out to be? In Episode 73, Courtney Coughenour and Jennifer Pharr from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas...

Listen to the episode Anything but Pedestrian – Courtney Coughenour & Jennifer Pharr

Episode 72: April 14, 2020

The Plight of the Tiger – Akchousanh Rasphone

Are wild tigers now extinct in Laos? In episode 72, Akchousanh "Akchou" Rasphone from Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit discusses her research which concludes...

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Episode 71: March 31, 2020

Why We Love & Exploit Animals – Verónica Sevillano

Why is it that we treat various species of animals so differently? In episode 71, Veronica Sevillano with the Autonomous University of Madrid discusses her research applying...

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Episode 70: March 17, 2020

The Minds of Single-celled Organisms – Jeremy Gunawardena

Can even a single-celled organism truly learn? In Episode 70, Jeremy Gunawardena with the Department of Systems Biology at Harvard Medical School talks with us about his...

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Episode 69: March 3, 2020

Cuttlefish in 3D Glasses – Trevor Wardill

Why Velcro 3D glasses onto cuttlefish? In Episode 69, Trevor Wardill from the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota discusses his...

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Episode 68: February 18, 2020

Undergraduates Formerly in Foster Care – Royel Johnson

What factors best predict success at college among youth formerly in foster care? In Episode 68, Royel Johnson from Pennsylvania State University's Department of Education...

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Episode 67: February 4, 2020

Ivory Towers and Abattoirs – Temple Grandin

How can research improve the lives of livestock, even as they're on their way to slaughter? In episode 67, Temple Grandin from the Colorado State University's College of...

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Katherine Wood rock climbing
Episode 66: January 21, 2020

Hiding in Plain Sight – Katherine Wood

Did you catch that? In episode 66, Katherine Wood from the University of Illinois discusses her research with the scientist behind the famous “Invisible Gorilla” experiments,...

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Episode 65: January 7, 2020

Transmitting Placebo Effects – Luke Chang

Can your doctor's beliefs about the efficacy of a treatment affect how you experience pain? In episode 65, we’re joined by Luke Chang from the Department of Psychological...

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Episode 64: December 10, 2019

Global Decline of Homicide – Mateus Rennó Santos

The global decline of births from 1990 and 2015 has to a reduction in the proportion of people aged 15-29. So might this explain why the world’s homicide rate has dropped...

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Episode 63: November 26, 2019

Extraordinary Claims, Ordinary Evidence – Susan Gelman

Why are bold, broad, and terse depictions of science perceived as more important, robust and generalizable than nuanced ones? In episode 63, we're joined by Susan Gelman...

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Episode 62: November 12, 2019

Ritual Pain for Social Gain – Dimitris Xygalatas

Sure, you might have a tongue piercing. But would you consider something far more extreme for a bump on the social ladder? In episode 62, we're joined by Dimitris Xygalatas...

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Saptarshi Das
Episode 61: October 29, 2019

Hearing Better than a Barn Owl – Saptarshi Das

How can what engineers learn from how barn owls pinpoint the location of the faintest sounds apply to their development of nanotechnologies capable of doing even better?...

Listen to the episode Hearing Better than a Barn Owl – Saptarshi Das

Episode 60: October 15, 2019

Enduring Effects of Neurofeedback – Michelle Hampson

When real-time fMRI neurofeedback improves people's symptoms long after treatment, might that influence the guidance that's provided to patients, and also inform the design...

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Does practice make perfect? - Brooke Macnamara
Episode 59: October 1, 2019

Does Practice Make Perfect? – Brooke Macnamara

In striving to develop expertise, are 10,000 hours of deliberate practice really required, and must it be guided by a teacher or coach? In episode 59, we're joined by Brooke...

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Episode 58: September 17, 2019

The Neuroscience of Terrorism – Nafees Hamid

What can brain scans of radicalized jihadists tell us about how they react to what they perceive as attacks on their sacred values? In episode 58, we're joined by Nafees...

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Episode 57: September 3, 2019

Not-So Big Personality Traits? – Karen Macours

What changes when we attempt to measure personality outside of the contexts where the instruments were developed and validated? In episode 57, we're joined by Karen Macours...

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Episode 56: August 20, 2019

Taking Heat in Space – Naia Butler-Craig

How can a satellite the size of a loaf of bread take the heat of operating in the extreme conditions existing in space without overheating? In episode 56, we're joined by...

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Episode 55: August 6, 2019

Fishing for Color – Zuzana Musilová

How do some fish see color in the black-and-white world of the ocean's depths? In episode 55, Zuzana Musilová, an evolutionary biologist at Charles University in Prague,...

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Episode 54: July 23, 2019

Collective Memories – Ida Momennejad & Ajua Duker

Can communication across networks of people be optimized to share information, while at the same time lessening the likelihood of information bubbles and echo chambers?...

Listen to the episode Collective Memories – Ida Momennejad & Ajua Duker

Episode 53: July 9, 2019

Behind the Curtain of Algorithms – Been Kim

Might we be better able to understand what's going on inside the "black box" of machine learning algorithms? In episode 53, Been Kim from Google Brain talks with us about...

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Episode 52: June 25, 2019

Bending the Laws of Physics – Andreas Schilling

"Nothing in life is certain," writes MIT mechanical engineer Seth Lloyd, "except death, taxes and the second law of thermodynamics." But is this necessarily so? In episode...

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Episode 51: June 11, 2019

Double Trouble – Elisabeth Bik

Just how rampant is scientific misconduct? In episode 51, Elisabeth Bik talks with us about her research suggesting that as many as 35,000 papers in biomedicine journals...

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Episode 50: May 28, 2019

Wisdom & Madness of Crowds – Wataru Toyokawa

When in Rome, should you really do as the Romans do? In episode 50, Wataru Toyokawa from the University of Konstanz in Germany discusses how observing and imitating others...

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Episode 49: May 14, 2019

Men Without Work – Carol Graham

Why are less-than-college-educated White men in the US so much less happy and more desperate than their international counterparts? In episode 49, Carol Graham from the...

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Episode 48: April 30, 2019

Sampling Music Networks – Mason Youngblood

Can the sharing of drum break samples among musicians help us better understand how networks of artists collaborate? In episode 48, Mason Youngblood from the City University...

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Episode 47: April 16, 2019

Forking Paths of Kids’ Screen Time – Amy Orben

Are adolescents' technology use really related to depression, suicide and ADHD, or might it be no worse for kids than eating potatoes? In episode 47, Amy Orben from the...

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Episode 46: April 2, 2019

Trusting Our Machines – Neera Jain

Might enabling computational aids to "self-correct" when they’re out of sync with people be a path toward their exhibition of recognizably intelligent behavior? In episode...

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Episode 45: March 19, 2019

The Wonder of STEVE – Liz MacDonald

In episode 45, Liz MacDonald from the NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, discusses in her research into STEVE, a previously unrecorded atmospheric phenomenon discovered...

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Photo of Laura Mauldin with baby outdoors.
Episode 44: March 5, 2019

Becoming Deaf – Laura Mauldin

To what extent could "coming out" be a useful analogy for the process of coming to identify as Deaf? In episode 44, Laura Mauldin from the University of Connecticut discusses...

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Episode 43: February 19, 2019

p-Hacking Business – Ron Berman

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, might the manipulation of statistics in marketing research be costing companies millions? In episode 43, Ron Berman from the University...

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Episode 42: February 5, 2019

Voyeuristic Birds – Masayo Soma

Could birds' courting behaviors change when they're being watched? In episode 42, Masayo Soma from Hokkaido University discusses her research into monogamous songbirds...

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Episode 41: January 22, 2019

A Sniff Test of Stress – Jonathan Williams

Might the chemicals we exhale while watching movies tell us about the emotional stress that we're experiencing? In episode 41, Jonathan Williams from the Max Planck Institute...

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Episode 40: January 9, 2019

Cognitive Biases on the Supreme Court – Jonathan Feingold & Evelyn Carter

Can cognitive biases and heuristics regarding race influence U.S. Supreme Court decisions? In episode 40, Jonathan Feingold and Evelyn Carter from the University of California,...

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Episode 39: December 25, 2018

Archaeology of the Recent Past (Part 2 of 2) – P.J. Capelotti

While we often associate archaeology with the study of cultures whose eras have long-since come and gone, artifacts from the recent past can tell us about culture as well....

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Episode 38: December 11, 2018

Archaeology of the Recent Past (Part 1 of 2) – P.J. Capelotti

Ordinary objects from the recent past often hold secrets about our cultural history. In episode 38, P.J. Capelotti from Penn State University Abington talks with us about...

Listen to the episode Archaeology of the Recent Past (Part 1 of 2) – P.J. Capelotti

Episode 37: November 27, 2018

Illusions in the Periphery – Ben Balas

What can the chance discovery of an illusion tell us about how our eyes and brains work together? Ben Balas from North Dakota State University talks with us in episode...

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Episode 36: November 13, 2018

Plasticity & Face Recognition – Marlene Behrmann

Might our brains have greater plasticity than commonly thought? In episode 36, Marlene Behrmann from Carnegie Mellon University, discusses her 3-year longitudinal investigation...

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Episode 35: October 30, 2018

Playing with Science History – Jean-François Gauvin

Almost lost to history, these toys quite literally put quantum mechanics at one’s fingertips. In episode 35, Jean-François Gauvin from Université Laval in Canada discusses...

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Episode 34: October 16, 2018

Decoding Cancers’ Expression – Mike Feigin

Because 98% of the human genome doesn't serve a direct role in gene expression, many biologists have long thought of them as nothing but "junk DNA." But might they hold...

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Episode 33: October 2, 2018

Halting Cancers’ Spread – John Lewis

Can we put the brakes on cancers' ability to metastasize? In episode 33, John Lewis from the University of Alberta talks with us about his research into inhibiting cancer...

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Episode 32: September 18, 2018

Speech-to-Song Illusion – Mike Vitevitch

Can auditory errors and illusions better help us understand how the brain works? In episode 32 Mike Vitevitch from the University of Kansas talks with us about his research...

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Episode 31: September 4, 2018

Nothing to a Bee – Adrian Dyer

While various vertebrates have been taught to learn humans' concept of "zero," might too honey bees, even though their brains have thousands of times fewer neurons? In episode...

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Episode 30: August 21, 2018

Hearing Loss and Cognition – Yune Lee

Might early hearing impairment lead to cognitive challenges later in life? Yune Lee from the Ohio State University talks with us in episode 30 about his research into how...

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Episode 29: August 7, 2018

Differing Interpretations of Difficulty – Neil Lewis, Jr.

No matter whether you think you can or can't, the saying goes, you're right. Neil Lewis, Jr. from Cornell University talks with us in episode 29 about about his research...

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Episode 28: July 24, 2018

Debunking Pterosaurs Flight – Armita Manafzadeh

Righting a 200 year old mistake: Armita Manafzadeh from Brown University talks with us about how her simulations of pterosaurs' range-of-motion demonstrate that the ancient...

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Episode 27: July 10, 2018

Prehistoric Origins of Birds – Bhart-Anjan Bhullar

What can prehistory tell us about the origins of modern birds? Bhart-Anjan Bhullar from Yale University talks with us about how the discovery of a 95 million year old Ichthyornis...

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Episode 26: July 5, 2018

Retaining LGBQ Undergraduates in STEM – Bryce Hughes

In celebration of LGBTSTEMDay, we talk with Bryce Hughes of Montana State University about his research into the factors that influence the retention of LGBQ students in...

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Episode 25: June 11, 2018

Multiple Work Identities – Brianna Caza, Sherry Moss & Heather Vough

Do people who willingly hold down multiple careers at the same time struggle like the rest of us to find authenticity in their work? Brianna Caza, Sherry Moss & Heather...

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Episode 24: May 29, 2018

Structural Racism & Police Shootings – Anita Knopov

Might police shootings of unarmed African Americans have anything to do with state-level structural racism? Anita Knopov from Boston University joins us to talk about her...

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Episode 23: May 15, 2018

Uncovering Uncertain Identities – David Kernot

We set out talk with David Kernot from Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group about William Shakespeare's true identity, but soon discovered his work has implications...

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Episode 22: May 1, 2018

Linguistic Artifacts in Creole – Nicole Creanza

What might migration patterns tell us about how modern languages came about? Vanderbilt University's Nicole Creanza talks with us about her research into how migration...

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Episode 21: April 17, 2018

Defying Unjust Authorities – Phil Zimbardo

What leads people to stand up against authoritarianism? Philip Zimbardo, Professor Emeritus from Stanford University and lead investigator on the Stanford Prison Experiment,...

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Soroush Vosoughi
Episode 20: April 2, 2018

How Misinformation Spreads Online – Soroush Vosoughi

By now, we're all familiar with the idea that social media can - and has - been used to spread untruths. But why does this work? Soroush Vosoughi from MIT's Laboratory...

Listen to the episode How Misinformation Spreads Online – Soroush Vosoughi

Episode 19: March 20, 2018

Stroke Recovery with Light – Anna-Sophia Wahl

Anna-Sophia Wahl — a neuroscientist with the Brain Research Institute at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, in Zurich, as well as a physician with the Central...

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Episode 18: March 6, 2018

Empathic Accuracy – Michael Kraus

Michael Kraus from Yale University's School of Management talks with us about his research examining the role of the voice in our capacity to accurately estimate the emotions...

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Episode 17: February 20, 2018

Universals in Song – Sam Mehr & Manvir Singh

Sam Mehr and Manvir Singh from Harvard's Music Lab talk with us about their research suggesting that people across the world can detect the social purpose of other cultures'...

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Episode 16: February 6, 2018

Creating Deceptive Performance – Niki den Nieuwenboer

Niki den Nieuwenboer from the University of Kansas' School of Business talks with us about her research on how middle-managers can manipulate organizational  structures...

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Episode 15: January 23, 2018

Deciding to Move – Bill Clark

Bill Clark from the University of California Los Angeles discusses his research applying the endowment effect of Prospect Theory to decisions of why people move from, or...

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Episode 14: January 9, 2018

Capacity for Number – Rafael Núñez

In episode 14 we talk with Rafael Núñez from the University of California San Diego about his research into if human understanding of number has developed through biological...

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Episode 13: December 26, 2017

Best of 2017 Special

As 2017 comes to a close, we revisit our first 12 interviews to highlight some of the themes and trends across our inaugural episodes. Clips highlight everything from planning...

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Episode 12: December 12, 2017

Reactivation of Earthquakes – Folarin Kolawole

In this episode we talk with Folarin Kolawole from the University of Oklahoma about his research into how the reactivation of faults can lead to earthquakes in places...

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Episode 11: November 28, 2017

Retaliatory Punishment – Adam Morris

Adam Morris from Harvard University's Department of Psychology talks with us about his game theory research into why people engage in retribution with little regard for...

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Episode 10: November 14, 2017

Electoral Systems and Female Candidates – Laura Stephenson

In this episode we talk with Laura Stephenson from the University of Western Ontario about her research into how the structures of electoral systems can shape support...

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Episode 9: October 31, 2017

Emotions and Rubber Hand Illusion – Beatrice de Gelder

Sometimes our emotions and the power of illusions can put our sense of reality to the test. In this special Halloween episode, Beatrice de Gelder from Maastricht University in...

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Episode 8: October 24, 2017

Open Science and Replications (Part 2 of 2) – Tim Errington & Brian Nosek

Reproducing research results can help accelerate the scientific progress. In the second half of this two-part episode, Tim Errington and Brian Nosek from the Center for...

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Episode 7: October 17, 2017

Open Science and Replications (Part 1 of 2) – Brian Nosek & Tim Errington

Open access to both the scientific process and results should be the default, not the exception. In the first of this two-part episode, Brian Nosek and Tim Errington from...

Listen to the episode Open Science and Replications (Part 1 of 2) – Brian Nosek & Tim Errington

Episode 6: October 3, 2017

Archaeology of Space Culture – Alice Gorman

The rich archaeological records of human space exploration can tell us much about human behavior, geopolitics, and the history of science and technology. In this episode...

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Episode 5: September 19, 2017

Induced Auditory Hallucinations – Al Powers & Phil Corlett

Many people hear voices that aren't really there. It drives some to seek psychiatric treatment, but others are able to make use of it in healthy ways. In this episode, Al...

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Episode 4: September 5, 2017

Semantic Meaning in Images – Devi Parikh

A picture may be worth 1000 words, but can we also teach computers to create stories from the stories that lie inside our images? In this episode, Devi Parikh of Georgia...

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Episode 3: August 22, 2017

Christians and Science – Kim Rios

Can stereotypes about Christians really limit who pursues science? In this episode, Kim Rios from Ohio University discusses how self-concepts and group identities may change...

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Episode 2: August 9, 2017

Accuracy of Health Outcome Predictions – Scott Halpern

How well can doctors and nurses really predict the outcomes of their ICU patients? In this episode, Scott Halpern from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine,...

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Episode 1: July 25, 2017

Science Writing as Storytelling – Ryan Kelly

What matters more in getting cited — what you say or how you say it? In our first episode of the show we're visited by Ryan Kelly from the University of Washington's School...

Listen to the episode Science Writing as Storytelling – Ryan Kelly