Current Science & Technology Podcast

Podcast coming soon!

NASA scientist Dr. Liz Warren talks about the amazing engineering feat of the International Space Station. Also, learn about just a few of the many varied science experiments being conducted there right now, and how you can get involved.

Dr. Esi Lamouse, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Boston Children's Hospital, outlines the link between our gut bacteria and the development of our immune system. Understanding this connection may lead to treatments for a variety of immune-related diseases like allergies, asthma, and diabetes.

Physicist Dr. Joel Therrien from the Nanomanufacturing Center at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, describes his research into creating a "nano-canary." This sensing system can detect tiny cellular changes caused by various toxins or diseases.

The Mars Science Laboratory Mission rover, named Curiosity, has begun its two year mission on our closest planetary neighbor. Curiosity's primary mission is to determine the past habitability of Mars by looking for evidence of liquid water and other building blocks of life.

Nathaniel Reden, a theoretical physicist at Brandeis University, explains the basics of particle physics and the discovery of the Higgs boson with experiments that smashed particles with the highest energies yet achieved. Find out why this discovery excites so many, and how it fits into our current understanding of the universe.

Our nerve cells contain thread-like molecular-scale transport systems that ferry essential materials from cell bodies to the tips of their axons and back. Diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's seem to be associated with traffic jams on these sub-cellular highways. Hear how Carnegie Mellon researcher Ge Yang and the QSTORM biological imaging team are working to achieve super-resolution views of traffic flow beyond the traditional limits of microscopy.

A new study shows that the prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in women receiving the HPV vaccine Gardasil has significantly decreased. There is also a decrease amongst women who have not had the vaccine, because of their protection through herd immunity.

Brian Bergstein, deputy editor of MIT's Technology Review, discusses a few of the top 10 emerging technologies of 2012. From Facebook to DNA sequencing to solar panels, these technologies cover a wide range of fields and have a variety of societal impacts.

Dr. Peter Blake from Boston University, is studying fairness and equality in children. Using game theory with candy and stickers, he observes children's behavior in a variety of "fair" and "unfair" situations.

Researchers are developing ways to detect diseases using a breathalyzer. Many disorders- diabetes, cancer, kidney failure- cause the release of certain chemicals into the blood stream. These molecules eventually make their way into our exhaled breath, where very sensitive, specially designed nanotechnologies can detect them for disease diagnosis.

Even though dinosaurs and birds are closely related, a large feathered carnivore is hard to imagine. Until now. Researchers in China have found a new species called Yutyrannis huali, which is 27 feet long and covered in long, filamentous feathers.

Graduate student Michelle Borkin from Harvard University describes her work connecting astronomy with medicine. Hear how 3 dimensional imaging bridges the gap between these two seemingly disparate sciences.