Big Picture Science for May 25, Gained in Translation

Big Picture Science - Gained in Translation

(Repeat) Your virtual assistant is not without a sense of humor. Its repertoire includes the classic story involving a chicken and a road.  But will Alexa laugh at your jokes? Will she groan at your puns?

Telling jokes is one thing. Teaching a computer to recognize humor is another, because a clear definition of humor is lacking. But doing so is a step toward making more natural interactions with A.I.

Find out what’s involved in tickling A.I.’s funny bone. Also, an interstellar communication challenge: Despite debate about the wisdom of transmitting messages to space, one group sends radio signals to E.T. anyway. Find out how they crafted a non-verbal message and what it contained.

Plus, why using nuanced language to connive and scheme ultimately turned us into a more peaceful species. And yes, it’s all gouda: why melted cheese may be the cosmic message of peace we need.

Guests:

• Julia Rayz – Computer scientist and associate professor at Purdue University’s Department of Computer and Information Technology
• Steve Adler – Mayor of Austin, Texas
• Doug Vakoch – Psychologist and president of the non-profit organization METI International
• Richard Wrangham – Biological anthropologist at Harvard University and author of “The Goodness Paradox: The Strange Relationship Between Virtue and Violence in Human Evolution”

This repeat podcast was previously released on April 22, 2019

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/gained-in-translation

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 May 18, Vaccine, When?

Big Picture Science - Vaccine, When?

It will be the shot heard ‘round the world, once it comes.  But exactly when can we expect a COVID vaccine?  We discuss timelines, how it would work, who’s involved, and the role of human challenge trials.

Also, although he doesn’t consider himself brave, we do.  Meet a Seattle volunteer enrolled in the first coronavirus vaccine trial.  And, while we mount an elaborate defense against a formidable foe, scientists ask a surprising question: is a virus even alive?

Guests:

• Nigel Brown – Emeritus Professor of Molecular Microbiology at the University of Edinburgh
• Ian Haydon – Public information specialist at the University of Washington, Seattle
• Bonnie Maldonado – Professor of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases at the Stanford University School of Medicine
• Paul Offit – Head of the Vaccine Education Center, and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases, at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/vaccine-when

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 May 11, To the Bat Cave

Big Picture Science - To the Bat Cave

To fight a pandemic, you need to first understand where a virus comes from. That quest takes disease ecologist Jon Epstein to gloomy caverns where bats hang out. There he checks up on hundreds of the animals as his team from the EcoHealth Alliance trace the origins of disease-causing viruses. But their important work is facing its own threat; the Trump administration recently terminated funding to the Alliance because of its collaboration with Chinese scientists.

Hear how Dr. Epstein finds the viruses, what kind of human activity triggers outbreaks, and how science counters the unsubstantiated claim that the virus escaped from a lab.

Guests:

• Jon Epstein – Veterinary epidemiologist with the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance
• Meredith Wadman – Staff writer for the journal Science. Read her article about the cancellation of the NIH bat coronavirus grant.

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/to-the-bat-cave

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 May 04, Is Life Inevitable?

Big Picture Science - Is Life Inevitable?

(Repeat) A new theory about life’s origins updates Darwin’s warm little pond.  Scientists say they’ve created the building blocks of biology in steaming hot springs. Meanwhile, we visit a NASA lab where scientists simulate deep-sea vent chemistry to produce the type of environment that might spawn life.  Which site is best suited for producing biology from chemistry?

Find out how the conditions of the early Earth were different from today, how meteors seeded Earth with organics, and a provocative idea that life arose as an inevitable consequence of matter shape-shifting to dissipate heat. Could physics be the driving force behind life’s emergence?

Guests:

• Caleb Scharf – Director of Astrobiology at Columbia University, New York
• Laurie Barge – Research scientist in astrobiology at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Bruce Damer – Research scientist in biomolecular engineering, University of California, 
• Jeremy England – Physicist, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This repeat podcast was previously released on May 13, 2019

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/is-life-inevitable

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 Apr 27, Skeptic Check: Covid Conspiracy

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Covid Conspiracy

Nature abhors a vacuum, but conspiracy theorists love one. While we wait for scientists to nail down the how and why of the coronavirus, opportunists have jumped into the void, peddling DIY testing kits and fake COVID cures like colloidal silver. They’ve even cooked up full-blown conspiracy theories about a lab-grown virus. Find out why this crisis has dished up more than the usual share of misinformation and hucksterism, and how these interfere with our ability to navigate it safely.

Guests:

• Whitney Phillips - Professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University, and author of three books, most recently You Are Here: A Field Guide for Navigating Polluted Information
• Joan Donovan - Research director at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/skeptic-check-covid-conspiracy

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 Apr 20, Treating the Virus

Big Picture Science - Treating the Virus

It’s not like waiting for Godot, because he never arrived.  A coronavirus vaccine will come.  But it is still months away.  Meanwhile, scientists are adding other weapons to our growing arsenal against this virus. The development of antibody tests, antibody cures, and antivirals offer hope that we can soon have the tools to battle those who’ve been sickened by the COVID-19 virus while we wait for the inoculation that will prevent it.

Guests:

• Deepta Bhattacharya – Immunologist at the University of Arizona whose lab is making a coronavirus antibody test.
• Mark Denison – Professor of pathology, microbiology, and immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/treating-the-virus

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 Apr 13, The Other Living World

Big Picture Science - The Other Living World

Reason for hope is just one thing that ecologist Carl Safina can offer.  He understands why many of us turn to nature to find solace during this stressful time. Safina studies the challenges facing the ultimate survival of many species, but also gives a portrait of animals from their point of view. He describes how diverse animals such as sperm whales, bear cubs, macaws, and chickens deal with uncertainty, and assert their quirky individuality while learning to become part of a community. So is it possible for us to reconnect not just with humanity, but also with the other living world?

Guest:

• Carl Safina – An ecologist and McArthur Fellow who writes extensively about the human relationship with the natural world. He is the founding president of the Safina Center, a professor at Stony Brook University, and author of many books – most recently, “Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace”

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the-other-living-world

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 Apr 06, Zombies, Bigfoot, and Max Brooks

Big Picture Science - Zombies, Bigfoot, and Max Brooks

What do a zombie attack and a viral pandemic have in common?  They are both frightening, mindless, and relentless in their assault.  And both require preparedness.   That’s why the author of “World War Z” – a story about a battle against zombies – lectures at West Point.

Max Brooks has also recorded a public service announcement with his celebrated father, Mel Brooks, touting the importance of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic.  His newest novel portrays a different assailant: Bigfoot.

Whether our enemy is the undead, a hirsute forest dweller, or an invisible virus, panic won’t help us survive.  Find out what will.

Guest:

• Max Brooks – Lecturer at West Point’s Modern War Institute. Author of “Zombie Survival Guide,” “World War Z,” and the forthcoming “Devolution.”

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/zombies-bigfoot-and-max-brooks

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 Mar 30, Let’s Take a Paws

Big Picture Science - Let’s Take a Paws

Humans aren’t the only animals stressed-out by social distancing.  Narwhals send out echolocation clicks to locate their buddies and ease their loneliness.  And a plant about to be chomped by a caterpillar knows that the world can be a scary place.

In this episode, from dogs to narwhals to plants, we put aside human-centric stories to find out how other living creatures map their world, deal with stress, and communicate.

Guests:

• Alexandra Horowitz – Dog cognition researcher, Barnard College, and author of "Being A Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell.”
• Susanna Blackwell – Bio-acoustician with Greeneridge Sciences
• Simon Gilroy – Professor of botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/lets-take-paws

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 Mar 23, How Bad Does It Have to Get?

Big Picture Science - How Bad Does It Have to Get?

“Climate change at warp speed” is the way one scientist described the coronavirus outbreak.

In a show recorded before a live audience at the Seattle AAAS meeting, and co-presented with the BBC World Service, we discuss out how politics and psychology lead people to tune out inconvenient scientific findings even when the stakes are high – as well as what we can do about it.

Guests:

• Roland Pease – BBC reporter, presenter of “Science in Action.”
• Lee McIntrye – Philosopher and Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and author of “The Scientific Attitude” and “Post-Truth”
• Reyhaneh Maktoufi – Civic Science Fellow with NOVA PBS at station WGBH, with a focus on science communication

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/how-bad-does-it-have-to-get

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 Mar 16, It's In Material

Big Picture Science - It's In Material

Repeat - Astronauts are made of the “right stuff,” but what about their spacesuits?   NASA’s pressurized and helmeted onesies are remarkable, but they need updating if we’re to boldly go into deep space.   Suiting up on Mars requires more manual flexibility, for example.  Find out what innovative materials might be used to reboot the suit.

Meanwhile, strange new materials are in the pipeline for use on terra firma: spider silk is kicking off the development of biological materials that are inspiring ultra-strong, economical, and entirely new fabrics.  And, while flesh-eating bacteria may seem like an unlikely ally in materials science, your doctor might reach for them one day.  The bacterium’s proteins are the inspiration for a medical molecular superglue.

Plus, an overview of more innovative materials to come, from those that are 3D printed to self-healing concrete.

Guests:

• Nicole Stott – Retired NASA astronaut, artist
• Dava Newman – Professor of Astronautics and Engineering Systems, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Andrew Dent – Vice President of Library and Materials Research, Material ConneXion
• Mark Howarth – Biochemist, Oxford University
• Mark Miodownik – Materials scientist, University College London, author of “Stuff Matters; Exploring the Marvelous Materials that Shape Our Man-Made World

This repeat podcast was previously released on October 2, 2017

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/its-in-material

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 Mar 09, Skeptic Check: Pandemic Fear

Big Picture Science - Skeptic Check: Pandemic Fear

Contagion aside, coronavirus is a powerful little virus.  It has prompted a global experiment in behavior modification: elbow bumps instead of handshakes, hand sanitizer and mask shortages, a gyrating stock market.

Pragmatism motivates our behavior toward the spread of this virus, but so do fear and panic. In 1918, amplified fear made the Spanish Flu pandemic more deadly.

Can we identify when we’re acting sensibly in the face of COVID-19, or when fear has hijacked our ability to think rationally and protect ourselves?

Guests:

• Peter Hall  - Professor of public health and health systems at the University of Waterloo
• David DeSteno - Social psychologist and professor of psychology at Northeastern University
• David Smith -  Virologist and Head of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health, University of California, San Diego
• John Barry - writer, adjunct faculty at the Tulane School of Tropical Medicine and author of The Great Influenza; The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History
• This podcast 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.

Big Picture Science for Mar 02, DecodeHer

Big Picture Science - DecodeHer

(Repeat) They were pioneers in their fields, yet their names are scarcely known – because they didn’t have a Y chromosome.  We examine the accomplishments of two women who pioneered code breaking and astronomy during the early years of the twentieth century and did so in the face of social opprobrium and a frequently hostile work environment.

Henrietta Leavitt measured the brightnesses of thousands of stars and discovered a way to gauge the distances to galaxies, a development that soon led to the concept of the Big Bang.

Elizabeth Friedman, originally hired to test whether William Shakespeare really wrote his plays, was soon establishing the science of code breaking, essential to success in the two world wars.

Also, the tech industry is overwhelmingly male.  Girls Who Code is an initiative to redress the balance by introducing girls to computer programming, and encouraging them to follow careers in tech.

Guests:

• Jason Fagone – Author of “The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America’s Enemies”
• Lauren Gunderson – Playwright of Silent Sky, which is being performed all over the world, form the First Folio Theatre to the Repertory Philippines
• Reshma Saujani – Founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, and the author of "Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder”

This repeat podcast was previously released on  04/01/2019

This podcast 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.

Big Picture Science for Feb 24, AI: Where Does it End?

Big Picture Science - AI: Where Does it End?

The benefits of artificial intelligence are manifest and manifold, but can we recognize the drawbacks … and avoid them in time?

In this episode, recorded before a live audience at the Seattle meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, we discuss who is making the ethical decisions about how we use this powerful technology, and a proposal to create a Hippocratic Oath for AI researchers.

Guests:

• Oren Etzioni - CEO of The Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence
• Mark Hill - Professor of computer sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and chair of the Computing Community Consortium

This podcast 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.

Big Picture Science for Feb 17, Climate Changed

Big Picture Science - Climate Changed

Have you adapted to the changing climate? Rising waters, more destructive wildfires, record-breaking heatwaves. Scientists have long predicted these events, but reporting on climate change has moved from prediction to description. There’s no time for dwelling on “we should haves.” Communities and organizations are being forced to adapt. Find out what that means, the role of the new “resilience officers,” and the unique response of Native American cultures. Plus, is the coronavirus outbreak made worse by climate change?

Guests:

• James Randerson – Professor of Earth Science, University of California, Irvine
• Victor Rodriguez – PhD student, Carnegie Mellon University, Department of Engineering and Public Policy
• Kyle Whyte – Professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Community Sustainability, and tribal member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation
• Tracey Goldstein – Professor in the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Microbiology, University of California, Davis

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/climate-changed

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.