Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Big Picture Science for Nov. 25, 2024 - Skeptic Check: Near Death Experiences









Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Near Death Experiences

REPEAT
Near death experiences can be profound and even life changing. People describe seeing bright lights, staring into the abyss, or meeting dead relatives. Many believe these experiences to be proof of an afterlife.

But now, scientists are studying these strange events and gaining insights into the brain and consciousness itself. Will we uncover the scientific underpinning of these near-death events?

Guests:

  • Steve Paulson - executive producer of To the Best of Our Knowledge for Wisconsin Public Radio
  • Sebastian Junger - journalist, filmmaker and author of “The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea”
  • Christoph Koch - neuroscientist at the Allen Institute in Seattle and chief scientist of the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation in Santa Monica California
  • Daniel Kondziella - neuroscientist in the Department of Clinical Medicine at the University of Copenhagen

This repeat podcast originally aired on September 25, 2023

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-near-death-experiences

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

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

Monday, November 18, 2024

Big Picture Science for Nov. 18, 2024 - Beyond the Periodic Table








 

Big Picture Science - Beyond the Periodic Table

You interact with about two-thirds of the elements of the periodic table every day. Some, like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen, make up our bodies and the air we breathe. Yet there is also a class of elements so unstable they can only be made in a lab. These superheavy elements are the purview of a small group stretching the boundaries of chemistry. Can they extend the periodic table beyond the 118 in it now? Find out scientists are using particle accelerators to create element 120 and why they’ve skipped over element 119. Plus, if an element exists for only a fraction of a second in the lab, can we still say that counts as existing?

Guests:


Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/beyond-the-periodic-table

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

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

Monday, November 11, 2024

Big Picture Science for Nov. 11, 2024 - Amazing Amazonia









Big Picture Science - Amazing Amazonia

The Amazon is often described as an ecosystem under dire threat due to climate change and deliberate deforestation. Yet there is still considerable hope that these threats can be mitigated.  In the face of these threats, indigenous conservationists are attempting to strike a balance between tradition and preserving Amazonia.  Meanwhile, two river journeys more than 100 years apart – one by a contemporary National Geographic reporter and another by “The Lewis and Clark of Brazil”— draw attention to the beauty and diversity of one of the world’s most important ecosystems.

Guests:


Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/amazing-amazonia

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

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


Monday, November 04, 2024

Big Picture Science for Nov. 04, 2024 - Fuhgeddaboudit








 

Big Picture Science - Fuhgeddaboudit

REPEAT

A thousand years ago, most people didn’t own a single book. The only way to access knowledge was to consult their memory.

But technology – from paper to hard drives – has permitted us to free our brains from remembering countless facts. Alphabetization and the simple filing cabinet have helped to systematize and save information we might need someday.

But now that we can Google just about any subject, have we lost the ability to memorize information? Does this make our brains better or worse?

Guests:


This repeat podcast originally aired on October 11, 2021

Download podcast at - https://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/fuhgeddaboudit

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/

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