This 47 minute radio broadcast discusses what it is like to do research on the frozen continent of Antarctica. There is also discussion with some of the researchers who depend on Antarctica for their science. The show explains how unique astronomical, biological, and climatological research can only be done at the South Pole; how the Antarctic ice sheet shows the continent has actually been cooling ... Full description.

This radio broadcast discusses some exciting new experiments in gravity, and what might be learned from them. The show explains three experiments that test predictions of the General Theory of Relativity (GR): the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory), Gravity Probe B (GPB), and the discovery of a binary neutron star system, which indirectly proved the existence of gravitational ... Full description.

This 47 minute radio broadcast considers how life originated and where life on Earth may have come from. It discusses the famous experiment in 1953, in which chemists Harold Urey and Stanley Miler cooked a flask of water, methane, ammonia, and hydrogen, and sparked it with electricity, forming fragments of amino acids. Another theory holds that perhaps RNA, not DNA, was first. Some researchers believe ... Full description.

This 1 hour 36 minute radio broadcast discusses the first direct evidence that the inner core of the Earth is spinning faster than its crust. Guest host Richard Harris talks with researchers about the latest findings from the core of the Earth. The show explains the layers of the Earth; discusses how knowledge of the inner core is discovered by seismology data and magnetic field changes; and explains ... Full description.

This radio broadcast discusses the discovery in a Pleistocene cave site in Atapuerca, Spain of a new species of hominid - one that may be the common ancestor of both modern humans and our extinct cousins, the Neanderthals. The new species, named Homo antecessor, is thought to have lived some 800,000 years ago, yet has a face that looks strikingly similar to modern humans. These new discoveries are ... Full description.

This radio broadcast discusses the issue of dealing with radioactive liquid waste that has been leaking into the groundwater supply at the Hanford nuclear reservation. For years, the reservation in Washington state produced plutonium for nuclear weapons. Although the plant stopped production in 1987, about 54 million gallons of radioactive waste are still stored at the site, and many of the 177 underground ... Full description.

This radio broadcast discusses the fields of complexity and chaos; examples of emergent, collective behavior such as the origin of life, ecosystems, and gene networks; and whether model systems created by complexity research can accurately reflect reality. The 1 hour and 43 minute show considers the possibility that complexity can find a common mathematical pattern in a babbling brook, a bustling ... Full description.

This radio broadcast contains a discussion with the author of a book about history, heat, and the quest for absolute zero. Absolute zero, (-273.15 degrees Celsius), the temperature at which all molecules stop moving entirely, is ultimately cold. Research into what temperature really means and ways to alter the temperature of objects has resulted in more efficient engines, air conditioning, new materials, ... Full description.

This site contains three radio broadcasts discussing: the Parkfield, California earthquake of October 2004; the Mount Saint Helens volcano; and the shortage of flu vaccine in 2004. The 15 minute Parkfield broadcast explains how the Parkfield earthquake was the most monitored earthquake in history. Scientists are studying the San Andreas Fault in the area. Data collected from the recent earthquake ... Full description.

This radio broadcast examines the ideas of science historian and philosopher Thomas Kuhn; current revolutionary theories; and how revolutionary advances in science that change the way people view the world come about. The show explains how Kuhn believed there were periods in science when there is no consensus; what problem solving is like during normal science periods when one paradigm dominates; ... Full description.