CONVERSATIONS
Join host Eric R Olson for conversations with scientists, journalist, authors and more.
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Love, Drugs & Ethics with Bioethicist Brian D. Earp
Brian D. Earp is a cross-disciplinary academic whose work draws on philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, history of science and medicine, and ethics. He is the Associate Director of the Yale-Hastings Program in Ethics and Health Policy at Yale University and Research Fellow in the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford. His…
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Evolution & Design with Evolutionary Theorist Mark Changizi
Mark Changizi is an evolutionary theorist, author, and entrepreneur. His work focuses on the ultimate foundations underlying why we think, feel and see as we do. He has made important discoveries such as why we see in color, why we see illusions, why we have forward-facing eyes, why the brain is structured as it is,…
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The Secrets of Snakes with Wildlife Biologist David Steen
David A. Steen is a wildlife biologist who specializes in snakes and other “creepie crawlies.” He is the author of the award-winning science blog Living Alongside Wildlife where he writes about natural history, ecology, and his own research. He’s also been called the “best biologist on Twitter”, using his presence on the platform to help…
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The Quantum Supremacy with Science Writer George Musser
A little over a week ago, Google announced they had achieved something called “quantum supremacy”, a powerful new way of computing that makes use of quantum principles. Google claims it’s quantum processor can tackle a really difficult computational problem in about two and a half minutes–a task that would take the fastest classical supercomputer about…
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Video Games & Psychology’s Replication Crisis with Dr. Pete Etchells
There is a growing body of scientific literature about video games. Not how their made, but how they impact our brains and our lives. Researchers are looking at questions like: do violent video games make us more violent in real life? Can games be addictive? Or, how much time sitting in front of the screen…
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How to Use Your Brain with Neuroscientist Henning Beck
We may marvel at the precision and efficiency of computers, wishing our brains operated in much the same way. We’d remember everything perfectly, we’d never feel bored or get distracted, we’d have laser-like focus, we’d be on all the time…. But not so fast, says our guest, neuroscientist Henning Beck. Henning is a writer, speaker,…
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Hacking the Code of Life with Molecular Biologist Nessa Carey
In this episode, we’re talking about the most exciting thing to happen in biology in the last ten years, the development of the CRISPR-CAS9 gene-editing system, more commonly known as CRISPR. It’s a molecular tool that allows scientists to make precise changes to DNA, even within living cells. In the near future, CRISPR will have…
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Vanishing Fish with Fisheries Scientist Daniel Pauly
Daniel Pauly is a professor of marine biology at the University of British Columbia and principal investigator of the Sea Around Us Project, which seeks to understand the impact that fisheries have on the world’s oceans. His new book, “Vanishing Fish: Shifting Baselines and the Future of Global Fisheries”, is a kind of greatest hits…
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Eating Right for Your Microbiome with Author Katherine Courage
The gut microbiome is the collection of microbes living in our digestive tract and concentrated in the large intestine. Science is revealing that a healthy microbiome has a number of important benefits related to digestion, weight loss, the immune system and even our mood. What we eat has big impact on the health of our…
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Trump’s Border Wall and the Environment with Journalist John Platt
One of the most polarizing political issues of the day is President Trump’s proposed border wall. An Executive Order he signed in 2017 calls for a “contiguous, physical wall or other…impassable…barrier” along the entire U.S. Mexico border. The idea being that an unbroken, impassable wall would help deter illegal immigration and drug trafficking. According to…
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Talking De-extinction with Author Torill Kornfeldt
Who can forget the classic 1993 movie Jurassic Park? In that film, scientists extracted dino DNA from mosquitoes trapped in amber fossils and used it to bring back all kinds terrifying creatures–from the mighty T-rex to overgrown velociraptors. Fast forward to 2019 and we’ve yet to create dinosaurs, or any other creatures, by extracting ancient…
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Solving a Red Wolf Mystery with Biologist Elizabeth Heppenheimer
About six years ago, a wildlife biologist noticed a pack of mysterious creatures living on Galveston Island, a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Texas. The creatures looked an awful lot like coyotes, but also red wolves, an ancient coyote-wolf hybrid that had been extinct in the wild for nearly 40 years. Eventually, scientists…
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Questioning the Mortality Plateau with Biologist Saul Newman
As adults, our odds of dying doubles about every eight years. However, a high-profile paper published in Science this summer seems to tell a different story; past age 80 those increasing odds slow down and almost completely level off past 100, In this episode, we speak with Saul Newman, a biologist at the Australia National…
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Is Big Chicken a Symbol of the Anthropocene?
Is the broiler chicken an icon of the anthropocene — an era when humans are are radically altering the biology and geology of the planet? A new paper out of the UK says so and we take a look at the authors’ argument.
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Everything We Know About CRISPR Babies…and Why It’s a Problem
Last week a scientist in China made the shocking announcement that he had used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to create HIV-resistant babies. Here’s what we know so far and why it’s a problem. Check out the audio-only version on iTunes or Soundcloud.