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8 Jun 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 from the University of Washington's School of Marine and Environmental Affairs. He talks with us about his article "Narrative St...
Listen to episode..Science Writing as Storytelling (rebroadcast) – Ryan Kelly
6 Apr 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, a 62-year-old mystery involving the deaths of nine hikers in the freezing Russian wilderness, a tragedy that’s been attribute...
Listen to episode..The Dyatlov Pass Incident – Alexander Puzrin
23 Mar 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 of Psychology about his field research observing interactions among macaques at a Hindu temple in Bali. There, the monkeys h......
Listen to episode..Monkey Business – Jean-Baptiste “JB” Leca
23 Feb 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 carry dangerous diseases - such as Zika, dengue, West Nile virus and malaria - are able to track us down so quickly while ignorin...
Listen to episode..How Mosquitoes Target Us – Zhilei Zhao & Lindy McBride
23 Nov 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 emergence of massive dusty star-forming galaxies that developed billions of years ago. Her article “Emergence of an Ultra-Red Ul...
Listen to episode..Early Galaxies’ Formation – Arianna Long
4 Aug 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 regions which, when activated by a variety of social tasks, can provide insights into how we judge the moral objectivity or su......
Listen to episode..The Metaethics of Moral Claims – Jordan Theriault
21 Jul 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 of a small, electronic test of marijuana that works by way of a simple electrochemical oxidation process similar to that used i......
Listen to episode..A Marijuana Breathalyzer – Neil Garg
26 May 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 his research into a bird that mashes up features from chickens, turkeys, and ducks. Its fossil provides the best evidence......
Listen to episode..Birds’ Evolution Across Mass Extinctions – Daniel Field
12 May 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 the University of Auckland discusses her research demonstrating that kea parrots can make predictions based in probabilities, ......
Listen to episode..Parroting Probabilities – Amalia Bastos
14 Apr 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 that improvised snares appear to have decimated the country's wild tiger population, a species whose worldwide population is now......
Listen to episode..The Plight of the Tiger – Akchousanh Rasphone