Big Picture Science for Monday July 11, 2016 - Microbes: Resistance is Futile

Big Picture Science - Microbes: Resistance is Futile

ENCORE: You are what you eat. Whether you dine on kimchi, carnitas, or corn dogs determines which microbes live in your stomach. And gut microbes make up only part of your total microbiome.

Find out how your microbes are the brains-without-brains that affect your health and even your mood. Also, why you and your cohorts are closer than you thought: new research suggests that you swap and adopt bugs from your social set.

Plus, the philosophical questions that are arise when we realize that we have more microbial DNA than human DNA.

And a woman who skipped soap and shampoo for a month to see what would grow on her.

Guests:

• Bill Miller – Physician and author of The Microcosm Within: Evolution and Extinction in the Hologenome
• Beth Archie – Biologist at the University of Notre Dame
• Nada Gligorov – Assistant professor of medical education at Mount Sinai Hospital
• Julia Scott – Freelance reporter working in San Francisco. Her article, “A Wash on the Wild Side” appeared in the May 22, 2014 issue of the New York Times Magazine.

This encore podcast was first released on March 16, 2015

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Microbes_Resistance_is_Futile

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.

Sunset Conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon

Source - Space Weather News for July 8, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

SUNSET SKY SHOW: When the sun goes down tonight, step outside and look west.  Jupiter and the crescent Moon are side-by-side in the sunset sky.  Try to catch them before the sky fades to black.  A bright conjunction framed by twilight blue is a beautiful sight!  Sky maps are available at http://spaceweather.com

SOLAR WIND SPARKS SOUTHERN LIGHTS: A high-speed stream of solar wind is buffeting Earth's magnetic field on July 8th. This is causing minor geomagnetic storms and colorful auroras in the southern hemisphere.  NOAA forecasters say there is a 50% chance of additional storms today (July 8), waning to 25% tomorrow (July 9) as Earth exits the solar wind stream.

Noctilucent Clouds Descend to Mid-Latitudes

Source - Space Weather News for July 6, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS DESCEND TO MID-LATITUDES: Last night, noctilucent clouds descended to their lowest latitude of the 2016 season.  Electric-blue ripples were sighted over nearly a dozen European countries as far south as 46 degrees N.  These formerly-Arctic clouds are spreading as a result of climate change and may soon be spotted over the continental USA. Visit http://spaceweather.com for photos and observing tips.

Big Picture Science - Science Fiction True

ENCORE: Don’t believe everything you see on TV or the movies. Science fiction is just a guide to how our future might unfold. It can be misleading, as anyone who yearns for a flying car can tell you. And yet, sometimes fantasy becomes fact. Think of the prototype cellphones in Star Trek.

We take a look at science that seems inspired by filmic sci-fi, for example scientists manipulating memory as in Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And despite his famous film meltdown, Charleton Heston hasn’t stopped the Soylent company from producing what it calls the food of the future.

Plus, why eco-disaster films have the science wrong, but not in the way you might think. And, what if our brains are simply wired to accept film as fact?

Guests:

• Steve Ramirez -Neuroscientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Rob Rhinehart – CEO and founder of Soylent
• Jason Mark – Editor of Earth Island Journal
• Jeffrey Zacks – Cognitive Neuroscientist, Washington University, St. Louis, and author of Flicker: Your Brain on Movies

This encore podcast was first released on December 22, 2014

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Science_Fiction_True

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.

Big Picture Science - Science Fiction True

ENCORE: Don’t believe everything you see on TV or the movies. Science fiction is just a guide to how our future might unfold. It can be misleading, as anyone who yearns for a flying car can tell you. And yet, sometimes fantasy becomes fact. Think of the prototype cellphones in Star Trek.

We take a look at science that seems inspired by filmic sci-fi, for example scientists manipulating memory as in Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And despite his famous film meltdown, Charleton Heston hasn’t stopped the Soylent company from producing what it calls the food of the future.

Plus, why eco-disaster films have the science wrong, but not in the way you might think. And, what if our brains are simply wired to accept film as fact?

Guests:

• Steve Ramirez -Neuroscientist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Rob Rhinehart – CEO and founder of Soylent
• Jason Mark – Editor of Earth Island Journal
• Jeffrey Zacks – Cognitive Neuroscientist, Washington University, St. Louis, and author of Flicker: Your Brain on Movies

This encore podcast was first released on December 22, 2014

This postcast will be released this coming Monday at: http://bigpicturescience.org/

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.

Crazy-Bright Auroras over Antarctica

Source - Space Weather News for July 1, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

CRAZY-BRIGHT AURORAS OVER ANTARCTICA: The sun has been without spots for more than a week, and solar activity is very low.  Nevertheless, in Antarctica the auroras have been so bright they are casting shadows and turning the snow reflected-green. What's going on? Visit Spaceweather.com for pictures and an explanation.

NOCTILUCENT CLOUDS--A SIGN OF CLIMATE CHANGE?  July is often the best month for spotting noctilucent clouds and, indeed, July 1st began with a magnificent display over Europe. A new study by researchers working with NASA's AIM spacecraft suggest that these electric-blue clouds are a sign of climate change at the edge of space. Full story: http://news.spaceweather.com/climate-change-at-the-edge-of-space/

Green Flash on Mars

Source - Space Weather News for June 29, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

GREEN FLASH ON MARS: You've heard of green flashes above the setting sun. This week an astrophotographer in Sweden spotted a green flash on Mars. Visit Spaceweather.com for pictures and an explanation of this unusual phenomenon.

BRIGHT AURORAS CAST SHADOWS: The sun has been completely blank for 6-going-on-7 days.  Even without sunspots, however, space weather continues. On June 28th researchers in Antarctica photographed a display of auroras so bright it cast shadows on the ground. The outburst is highlighted on today's edition of Spaceweather.com. 

Image credit: Space Weather News / B Sudarsan Patro

Big Picture Science for Monday June 27, 2016 - Skeptic Check: The Me in Measles

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: The Me in Measles

ENCORE: Wondering whether to vaccinate your children? The decision can feel like a shot in the dark if you don’t know how to evaluate risk. Find out why all of us succumb to the reasoning pitfalls of cognitive and omission bias, whether we’re saying no to vaccines or getting a tan on the beach.

Plus, an infectious disease expert on why it may take a dangerous resurgence of preventable diseases – measles, whooping cough, polio – to remind us that vaccines save lives.

Also, a quaint but real vaccine fear: that the 18th century smallpox vaccine, made from cowpox, could turn you into a cow!

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

Guests:

• Paul Offit – Infectious disease specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• Neil deGrasse Tyson – Astrophysicist, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City
• Adam Korbitz – Lawyer specializing in space law
• Andrew Maynard – Professor of environmental health science, director, Risk Science Center, University of Michigan

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Skeptic_Check_The_Me_in_Measles

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.

Sunspots Vanish ...Again

Source - Space Weather News for June 23, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

SUNSPOTS VANISH ...AGAIN: For the second time this month, sunspots have faded away leaving the face of the sun completely blank. This signals an important transition in the solar cycle: Solar Minimum is coming. Visit Spaceweather.com to learn about the down-to-Earth effects of low sunspot numbers.

SPECIAL WEBCAST: Have you ever wondered how NASA plans to fly astronauts to Mars? Find out on June 24th when the Coca-Cola Space Science Center visits Cape Canaveral for a live webcast about NASA's Space Launch System.  The presentation will include the bone-rattling launch of a mighty Atlas V rocket. Tune in Friday between 7 am and 11 am EDT: http://www.ccssc.org/webcast.html

Big Picture Science for Monday June 20, 2016 - Elements Never Forget

Big Picture Science - Elements Never Forget

It’s elementary, Watson.  Things are in flux – from the elements in the air you breathe to party balloons.   We investigate the massive, historic loss of nitrogen from the atmosphere and meet the culprits behind a modern-day helium shortage.

But it’s not all a disappearing act: be thankful that oxygen showed up in our atmosphere a few billion years ago.  Meanwhile, atom smashers have recently produced some new elements.  Their appearance was brief, but long enough to fill out the periodic table.

And perhaps the tastiest use of an element – one that gives Seth a chilly reception.

Guests:

• Inna Vishik – Postdoctoral fellow in physics at MIT
• Roland Pease – Science reporter in the U.K.
• Mark Stoyer – Nuclear chemist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/elements-never-forget

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.

Weird Clouds over Antarctica

Source - Space Weather News for June 17, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

WEIRD CLOUDS OVER ANTARCTICA: This week in Antarctica, observers have been amazed by the sudden appearance of vivid color in the darkening winter sky.  It is not, however, the aurora australis.  Instead, icy clouds are forming in the normally-clear stratosphere above the frozen continent, producing an intense iridescence seldom seen at lower latitudes. Visit http://spaceweather.com for pictures of this phenomenon.



Image credits: Space Weather News / B Sudarsan Patro


DOUBLE SPACE WEATHER BALLOON LAUNCH: On June 18th, Spaceweather.com and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus will launch a pair of space weather balloons, simultaneously, 600 miles apart. The purpose of the experiment is to study the latitude dependence of cosmic rays penetrating Earth's atmosphere and to check models of radiation inside commercial airplanes. Launch updates will be posted at https://www.facebook.com/earthtoskycalculus

Night-shining Clouds Brighten over Europe

Source - Space Weather News for June 13, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

NIGHT-SHINING CLOUDS OVER EUROPE: Observers in Europe are reporting an outburst of bright noctilucent (night-shining) clouds. Seeded by meteoroids, these electric-blue clouds float at the edge of space and can be seen alongside the stars after sunset. Soon, they will likely spread to North America. Visit http://spaceweather.com for pictures and observing tips.



Image credits: Space Weather News / Svante Sandström

Big Picture Science for Monday June 13, 2016 - Surviving the Anthropocene

Big Picture Science - Surviving the Anthropocene

ENCORE: The world is hot, and getting hotter. But higher temperatures aren’t the only impact our species is having on mother Earth. Urbanization, deforestation, and dumping millions of tons of plastic into the oceans … these are all ways in which humans are leaving their mark.

So are we still in the Holocene, the geological epoch that started a mere 11,000 years ago at the end of the last ice age? Some say we’ve moved on to the age of man – the Anthropocene.

It’s the dawn of an era, but can we survive this new phase in the history of our planet?

Guests:

• Pat Porter - Relative
• Jonathan Amos – Science writer for the BBC in London
• Gaia Vince – Writer, broadcaster, former editor for New Scientist, news editor of Nature, and author of Adventures in the Anthropocene: A Journey to the Heart of the Planet We Made
• David Grinspoon – Astrobiologist, senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona
• Francisco Valero – Emeritus physicist and research scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego

This encore podcast was first released on February 23, 2015

Download podcast at: http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/Surviving_the_Anthropocene

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.

Big Picture Science for Monday June 06, 2016 - How to Talk to Aliens

Big Picture Science - How to Talk to Aliens

ENCORE: “Dear E.T. …” So far, so good. But now what? Writing is never easy, but what if your task was to craft a message to aliens living elsewhere in the universe, and your prose would represent all humankind? Got writer’s block yet?

What to say to the aliens was the focus of a recent conference in which participants shifted their attentions away from listening for extraterrestrial signals to transmitting some. In this show, we report on the “Communicating Across the Cosmos” conference held at the SETI Institute in December 2014.

Find out what scientists think we should say. Also, how archeology could help us craft messages to an unfamiliar culture. Plus, why journalists might be well-suited to writing the message. And, a response to Stephen Hawking’s warning that attempting to contact aliens is too dangerous.

Guests:

• Douglas Vakoch – Director of interstellar message composition, SETI Institute
• Paul Wason – Archaeologist, anthropologist and vice president for the life sciences and genetics program at the Templeton Foundation
• Al Harrison – Emeritus professor of psychology, University of California, Davis
• Morris Jones – Journalist and space analyst in Sydney, Australia
• Shari Wells-Jensen – Professor of English, Bowling Green State University

This encore podcast was first released on January 12, 2015.

Download podcast at:http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/How_to_Talk_to_Aliens

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.

Where did all the sunspots go?

Source - Space Weather News for June 4, 2016: http://spaceweather.com

WHERE DID ALL THE SUNSPOTS GO? Something interesting is happening on the sun.  On Friday, June 3rd, the sunspot number dropped to 0, and the solar disk is still blank this weekend. This is a sign that the sun is slowly shifting into a new phase of the solar cycle.  Learn more about the transformation on Spaceweather.com.

GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH:  NOAA forecasters say there is a 70% chance of polar geomagnetic storms on June 4th and 5th as Earth enters a stream of fast-moving solar wind.  This is the same stream, by the way, that triggered the fabulous Mother's Day Storm last month, when auroras were photographed in the USA as far south as Kansas and Arkansas. Visit Spaceweather.com for more information and updates