When something breaks into the atmosphere of Earth it makes a thundering boom. This radio broadcast reports on how scientists listen for these noises in order to track dangerous meteors. For example, Los Alamos pressure sensors set up to listen for underground nuclear testing can also be used to track meteors. The clip is 2 minutes in length. Full description.

This radio broadcast reports on the discovery of a new kind of earthquake that is much deeper and longer lasting than other kinds of quakes. These long, super-deep tremors originate at a depth of 15-20 miles, below the crust in the upper mantle of Earth, and last 10-20 minutes. The broadcast reports on their occurrence in California and how research is being conducted to determine their relationship ... Full description.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of levees in New Orleans, this radio broadcast discusses how city's levee system came to be; whether it can be improved to prevent the city from becoming flooded in a future storm; and how building on wetlands that could have protected against hurricanes has created more dangerous conditions. The broadcast also discusses public health risks from chemical ... Full description.

This 48 minute radio broadcast contains discussion with two botanists, H. Marc Cathey and David Francko, about how climate changes are affecting our gardens. Warmer temperatures are now allowing gardeners to grow many plants that did not previously survive in certain locations. South American flowers are sprouting in Brooklyn, crape myrtles are flourishing in the Northeast, and a Chinese tulip bloomed ... Full description.

This 47 minute radio broadcast discusses how some of the drugs we take, including Prozac and birth control medications, are showing up in aquatic animals such as fish and frogs. The show examines how these drugs are ending up in aquatic ecosystems; what effects they might have on animals that live in and around the water, including the feminization of fish; whether humans are endangered by eating ... Full description.

This 47 minute radio broadcast discusses new planetarium shows and backyard astronomy. Planetariums are increasingly going digital, replacing those quaint sky tours of our elementary school field trips with slick productions that blend art and science into fantastic tours of the universe. The radio broadcast explains how to look at the real night sky and how amateur astronomers are contributing to ... Full description.

Beginning on January 31, 2002, a huge section of the Larsen Ice Shelf in Antarctica broke off and floated away. Scientists used a robotic vehicle to look at what was under the shelf and have discovered huge mats of bacteria as well as clams surrounding a mud volcano vent. This vent is a cold seep, a rare phenomenon (and the first found in the Antarctic) where methane gas bubbles up from under the ... Full description.

Mars certainly does not support life now, but did it once? This radio broadcast introduces the work of a NASA exobiologist who is planning to look for ancient fossils on Mars, including stromatolites left behind by microbes. The clip is 2 minutes in length. Full description.

The pink bollworm can destroy field upon field of cotton if left unchecked. To the rescue: a new detector based on acoustical physics. This radio broadcast explains how stethoscopes are being used in detectors to listen for agricultural pests, which can save time and money over searching for them by hand. The clip is 2 minutes in length. Full description.

At the bottom of the ocean, miles away from the nearest sunlight, live all sorts of bizarre organisms around submarine volcanoes - new types of bacteria and giant tubeworms, for example. This radio broadcast reports on these lifeforms and their ecosystems, which are changing what scientists think about the origin of life on Earth. The clip is 2 minutes in length. Full description.