Big Picture Science for Dec. 26, 2022 - Webb Feat

Big Picture Science - Webb Feat

(REPEAT) The James Webb Space Telescope has turned its golden eye on the cosmos. The largest, most sensitive telescope put in space since the Hubble Space Telescope is already producing new photos of far-off galaxies and other cosmic phenomena.

In this episode: astronomers share their reactions to these stunning images, the project scientist on JWST describes how infrared cameras capture phenomena that are invisible to shorter wavelengths, and a plan to investigate the very stardust that created everything, including you and me.

Guests:

• Néstor Espinoza – Assistant astronomer, Space Telescope Science Institute, principal investigator for exoplanet atmospheric physics, James Webb Space Telescope
• Alyssa Pagan – Science Visuals Developer at the Space Telescope Science Institute
• John Mather – Nobel Prize-winning NASA astronomer and Senior Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope
• Alex Filippenko – Professor of Astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley

This repeat podcast originally aired on August 8, 2022

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/webb-feat

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Big Picture Science for Dec. 19, 2022 - Skeptic Check: 5G

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: 5G

(REPEAT) 5G, the latest mobile network standard, is coming. As new cell towers sprout around the world, do we know enough to confidently claim that this new technology is safe? After all, older networking standards relied on microwaves, radiation which has wavelengths of inches to a foot or so. 5G operates at much higher frequencies, with millimeter wavelengths.

Some are worried that being subjected to millimeter radiation could cause cancers. But what does science say? 5G: the promise and the perils.

Guests:

• Jon Samet – Pulmonary physician, epidemiologist, and dean of the Colorado School of Public Health
• Claire Parkinson – Scientist, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
• Bob Berman – Astronomer, regular contributor to Astronomy Magazine, and author of “Zapped: From Infrared to X-Rays, the Curious History of Invisible Light”
• David Ropeik – Retired Harvard instructor and author of several books about the psychology of risk perception.

This repeat podcast originally aired on 02/28/2022

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-5g

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Big Picture Science for Dec. 12, 2022 - Tomb with a View

Big Picture Science - Tomb with a View

A century ago, British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the only surviving intact tomb from ancient Egypt. Inside was the mummy of the boy king Tutankhamun, together with “wonderful things” including a solid gold mask.

Treasure from King Tut’s crypt has been viewed both in person and virtually by many people since. We ask what about Egyptian civilization so captivates us, thousands of years later. Also, how new technology from modern physics allows researchers to “X-Ray” the pyramids to find hidden chambers

Guests:

• Emma Bentley – Postgraduate student in Archeology and Ancient Worlds at the University of Edinburgh in the U.K.
• Sarah Parcak – Archaeologist and Egyptologist, University of Alabama, and author of “Archaeology From Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past.”
• Richard Kouzes – Physicist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
• Salima Ikram – Professor of Egyptology at The American University in Cairo and head of the Animal Mummy Project at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/tomb-with-a-view

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!

Big Picture Science for Dec. 05, 2022 - Keeping Humans in the Loop

Big Picture Science - Keeping Humans in the Loop

(REPEAT) Modern technology is great, but could we be losing control? As our world becomes more crowded and demands for resources are greater, some people worry about humanity’s uncertain prospects. An eminent cosmologist considers globe-altering developments such as climate change and artificial intelligence. Will we be able to stave off serious threats to our future?

There’s also another possible source of danger: our trendy digital aids. We seem all-too-willing to let algorithms classify and define our wants, our needs, and our behavior. Instead of using technology, are we being used by it – to inadvertently become social media’s product?

And while we may be skittish about the increased data our technology collects, one sci-fi writer imagines a future in which information is a pervasive and freely available commodity.

Guests:

• Martin Rees – Cosmologist, astrophysicist, and Great Britain’s Astronomer Royal.  Author of On the Future: Prospects for Humanity.
• Douglas Rushkoff – Media theorist and professor of media theory and digital economics, City University of New York.  Author of Team Human.
• Malka Older – Author and humanitarian worker, author of The Centenal Cycle.

This repeat podcast originally aired on February 11, 2019

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/keeping-humans-in-the-loop

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.

Get early access to ad-free versions of every episode by joining us on Patreon. Thanks for your support!