Big Picture Science for Monday 24 August 2015 - The Light Stuff

Big Picture Science - The Light Stuff

The light bulb needs changing.  Edison’s incandescent bulb, virtually unaltered for more than a century, is now being eclipsed by the LED.  The creative applications for these small and efficient devices are endless: on tape, on wallpaper, even in contact lenses.  They will set the world aglow.  But is a brighter world a better one?
 
Discover the many ingenious applications for LEDs and the brilliance of the 19th century scientist, James Clerk Maxwell, who first discovered just what light is.  But both biologists and astronomers are alarmed by the disappearance of dark.   Find out how light pollution is making us and other animals sick and – when was the last time you saw a starry night?
 
Guests:
 
•  Ian Ferguson – Engineer, dean of the College of Engineering and Computing, Missouri University of Science and Technology
•  Jay Neitz – Professor, department of ophthalmology, University of Washington
•  Martin Hendry - Professor, gravitational astrophysics and cosmology, University of Glasgow
•  John Barentine  - Program manager, International Dark Sky Association



Download episode at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci15-08-24.mp3

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.

Astronauts see "sprites" and "trolls" from Earth orbit

Source - Space Weather News for Aug. 20, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

This month, astronauts onboard the International Space Station have witnessed exotic forms of lightning that reach up from thunderclouds near Earth's surface all the way to the edge of space.  Their photographs of "sprites" and "trolls" dancing over Mexico are a must-see.  These forms can been seen from Earth's surface, too. 

Observing tips and more information are available on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

Big Picture Science for Monday 17 August 2015 - Skeptic Check: Skeptic Seth

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Skeptic Seth

Are you skeptical?  Sure, you raise an eyebrow when some Nigerian prince asks for your bank numbers, or when a breakfast cereal claims that it will turn your kid into a professional athlete overnight.

But what do you really know about the benefits of organic milk?  Or the power of whitening ingredients in your toothpaste?  How credible is what you read on Twitter?

Today, information overwhelms us, and the need to keep our skeptical wits about us has never been greater.  We follow Seth around as he faces the daily onslaught of hype and hokum.

It’s Skeptic Check, our monthly look at critical thinking … but don’t take our word for it!

Guests: 
 
•   Steven Novella  – Assistant professor of neurology at Yale University School of Medicine and host of the “Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe” podcast
•   Guy P. Harrison – journalist and author.  His latest book, Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser, will be in bookstores in October 2015.  
•   Andrew Maynard – Professor in the School for Innovation in Society, Arizona State University
•   Peter Adams – Senior vice president for educational programs with the News Literacy Project
•   Daniel Armistead – Dentist, Palo Alto, California


Download episode at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci15-08-17.mp3

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.

Rare "Gigantic Jets" erupt from Hurricane Hilda

Source - Space Weather News for Aug. 14, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

GIGANTIC JETS OVER HURRICANE HILDA: A rare form of upward lightning that reaches almost to the edge of space has been observed shooting up from Hurricane Hilda as the storm approaches Hawaii.  See the video and learn more about these "gigantic jets" on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

INFERIOR CONJUNCTION OF VENUS:  The planet Venus is turning into a whisper-thin crescent as it passes almost directly between the Earth and Sun this weekend.  Photos and observing tips are available on http://spaceweather.com

Perseid Meteor Shower

Source - NASA Science News for August 11, 2015

This week, Earth passes through a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower. Forecasters say the show could be especially good because the Moon is nearly new when the shower peaks on Aug. 12-13.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/11aug_perseids/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_664lrmyGE&feature=youtu.be



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Big Picture Science for Monday 10 August 2015 - Solar System Vacation

Big Picture Science - Solar System Vacation

Ever gone bungee jumping on Venus?  Of course not.  No one has.  However your great-great-great grandchildren might find themselves packing for the cloudy planet … or for another locale in our cosmic backyard.  That’s what we picture as we accelerate our imagination to escape velocity and beyond – and tour vacation spots that are out of this world.

An enormous mountain and an impressive canyon await you on Mars.  If the outer solar system is more your thing, consider making a ten minute free-fall on Miranda, a moon of Uranus, or step up to the challenge of playing catch on an asteroid..

Also, just opened up: Pluto. A member of the New Horizons science team describes why the dwarf planet could be a holiday haven.  Bring your crampons for ice climbing!

Guests:

•   Andrew Fraknoi – Chair of the astronomy department, Foothill College
•   Lori Fenton - Planetary scientist, SETI Institute 
•   David Grinspoon – Astrobiologist, author of Venus Express
•   Mark Showalter – Planetary scientist, SETI institute, and member of the New Horizons team
•   Michael Busch – Planetary scientist, SETI Institute


Download episode at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci15-08-10.mp3

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.

Perseid Fireballs

Source - Space Weather News for August 5, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

PERSEID FIREBALLS:  One meteor shower produces more fireballs than any other--and it's underway now. Earth is entering a stream of debris from Comet Swift-Tuttle, source of the annual Perseid meteor shower.  NASA all-sky cameras are detecting an increasing number of Perseid fireballs as the shower's peak approaches on Aug. 12-13.

Check http://spaceweather.com for updates and more information.

Big Picture Science for Monday 03 August 2015 - The Fix is In

Big Picture Science - The Fix is In

The moon jellyfish has remarkable approach to self-repair.  If it loses a limb, it rearranges its remaining body parts to once again become radially symmetric.  Humans can’t do that, but a new approach that combines biology with nanotechnology could give our immune systems a boost.  Would you drink a beaker of nanobots if they could help you fight cancer?
 
Also, materials science gets into self-healing with a novel concrete that fixes its own cracks. 
 
Plus, why even the most adaptive systems can be stretched to their limit.  New research suggests that the oceans will take a millennium to recover from climate change. 
 
Guests:
 
•   Lea Goentoro – Professor of biology, California Institute of Technology
•   Michael Abrams - Biologist, California Institute of Technology
•   Sarah Moffitt – Paleo-oceanographer, Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Davis
•   Mark Miodownik – Materials scientist, director of the Institute of Making, University College, London.  Author of “Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvelous Materials That Shape our Man-Made World”
•   Shawn Douglas  - Computer scientist, assistant professor of cellular and molecular pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco


Download episode at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci15-08-03.mp3

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.

Blue Moons and Atmospheric Radiation

Source - Space Weather News for July 27, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

TRANSCONTINENTAL SPACE WEATHER BALLOON EXPERIMENT:  Last week, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus conducted a unique experiment in atmospheric radiation involving airplanes and high-altitude balloons launched simultaneously almost 3000 miles apart. For the next five days, we will be highlighting some of the results.  The news kicks off with some interesting measurements of cosmic radiation inside a commercial passenger jet.   Visit http://spaceweather.com for details.

BLUE MOON:  There's a full Moon this week and according to modern folklore it is a "Blue Moon."  Most Blue Moons are gray, as usual, but sometimes a Blue Moon can really turn blue.  Find out more about this phenomenon in today's edition of http://spaceweather.com

Summer Blue Moon

Source - NASA Science News for July 27, 2015

The second full Moon of July is just around the corner. According to modern folklore, it is a "Blue Moon."

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/27jul_bluemoon/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyBp-EYrwTA&feature=youtu.be



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Big Picture Science for Monday 27 July 2015 - Skeptic Check: Are You Sure You’re Sure?

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Are You Sure You’re Sure?

ENCORE: Nuclear fission powers the Sun. Or is it fusion? At any rate, helium is burned in the process, of that you are certain. After all, you read that article on astronomy last week*.
 
You know what you know. But you probably don’t know what you don’t know. Few of us do. Scientists say we’re spectacularly incompetent at recognizing our own incompetency, and that sometimes leads to trouble.
 
Find out why wrongness is the by-product of big brains and why even scientists – gasp! – are not immune. Plus, a peek into the trash bin of history: the biggest scientific blunders and the brighter-than-bright brains that made them. Including Einstein.
 
*Oh, and the Sun burns hydrogen to produce helium. But then, you knew that.
 
Guests:
•   David Dunning – Psychologist, Cornell University. His cover story, “We Are All Confidence Idiots,” appeared in the November/December issue of The Pacific Standard.
•   Robert Burton – Neurologist, author, On Being Certain: Believing You Are Right Even When You’re Not and A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind: What Neuroscience Can and Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves
•   Brendan Nyhan – Political scientist, Dartmouth College
•   Mario Livio – Astrophysicist, Space Telescope Science Institute, author, Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein – Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists That Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe


This encore podcast was first released on November 10, 2015.

Download episode at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci15-07-27.mp3

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.

Predicting Floods

Source - NASA Science News for July 22, 2015

Predicting floods is notoriously tricky. Sponsored by NASA, a new computer tool known as the "Global Flood Monitoring System" is improving forecasts.

The complete article can be found here: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2015/22jul_floods/

A companion video is posted below and can also be viewed at: https://youtu.be/dfcr-4XmxNY



Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

Big Picture Science for Monday 20 July 2015 - Moral’s Law

Big Picture Science - Moral’s Law

“If it bleeds, it leads” is the tried and true tenet of news.  Indeed, headlines are often no more than a long list of moral atrocities.  Yet one man argues that we’re living in the most civilized era in history.  And he credits this to scientific thought and reason. 

Hang on!  Our executive function isn’t enough to promote ethical behavior, says a psychologist.  The real fuel behind our drive to be good?  Anger, compassion, pride: your emotions!
 
But whether or not you’re a pillar of the community, good intentions might all be for naught when future ethical decisions are made by our silicon successors.  Get ready for moral machines. Or not.

Guests:

•   Michael Shermer - Publisher of Skeptic Magazine, author of The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom
•   David DeSteno – Psychologist, Northeastern University, author of The Truth About Trust
•   Colin Allen – Historian, philosopher of science and cognitive science, Indiana University.  Co-author of Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong


Download episode at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci15-07-20.mp3

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.

Space Weather Forecast for Pluto

Source - Space Weather News for July 12, 2015: http://spaceweather.com

SPACE WEATHER ON PLUTO: As NASA's New Horizons spacecraft prepares to buzz Pluto on July 14th, space weather forecasters have released long distance predictions for the distant dwarf planet.  A region of merged CMEs could be on the verge of hitting Pluto and compressing its atmosphere, but this is expected to happen well after the flyby. Meanwhile, New Horizons has just taken its best picture of Pluto's farside, which is dotted with mysterious dark spots.  Check http://spaceweather.com for more information.

AURORA ALERTS:  On July 10th and 11th, a G1-class geomagnetic storm sparked auroras over multiple US states including Michigan, Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts and the Dakotas. 

Big Picture Science for Monday 13 July 2015 - Forget to Remember

Big Picture Science - Forget to Remember

ENCORE: You must not remember this. Indeed, it may be key to having a healthy brain. Our gray matter evolved to forget things; otherwise we’d have the images of every face we saw on the subway rattling around our head all day long. Yet we’re building computers with the capacity to remember everything. Everything! And we might one day hook these devices to our brains.

Find out what’s it’s like – and whether it’s desirable – to live in a world of total recall. Plus, the quest for cognitive computers, and how to shake that catchy – but annoying – jingle that plays in your head over and over and over and …

Guests:

•   Ramamoorthy Ramesh – Materials physicist, deputy director of science and technology, Oakridge National Lab

•   Michael Anderson – Neuroscientist, Memory Control Lab, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at the University of Cambridge in the U.K.

•   Ira Hyman – Psychologist at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington

•   James McGaugh – Neurobiologist, University of California, Irvine

•   Larry Smarr – Professor of computer science, University of California, San Diego; director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2)

This encore podcast was first released on January 20, 2014

Download episode at: http://traffic.libsyn.com/arewealone/BiPiSci15-07-13.mp3

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.