Jason Organ

BeetleMania with Gabe Verduzco

April 15th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  43 mins 42 secs

batteries, battery, beetles, botany, engineering, invasive species, paleontology, plants, scicomm, science, technology

A Piece of Our Mind

April 1st, 2022  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 5 mins

biochemistry, climate change, cone snails, dance, dementia, fusion energy, green science, mcgill university, neurodegenerative disease, neuroscience, opiates, pain medicine, parkinsons disease, pollen, sciart, scicomm, science

This week we’re highlighting another scientist that is blending art with science.  Dr. Naila Kuhlmann is a Parkinson’s researcher from McGill University that has found an interesting way to include dance in her work, which led to the creation of the Piece of Mind Collective.  She’s also a host of the AMiNDR (A Month in Neurodegenerative Disease Research) Podcast and co-founder of the Green Labs Initiative at McGill.  In the news, we’re talking about Dr. Diem’s trip to the White House, medicinal mollusks, and pollen proliferation.  It’s another instant classic just waiting for you to listen.

Face 2 Face with Dr. Richard Sherwood

March 18th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 45 secs

anatomy, antarctic expedition, biology, covid-19, craniofacial, daylight saving time, de-extinction, dst, endurance, gene editing, imperator, paleontology, regina, scicomm, science, t-rex, tyrannosaurus rex

This week we're talking to paleontologist turned anatomist and craniofacial researcher, Dr. Richard Sherwood, from the Univ. of Missouri. He tells us all about the path that brought him to his current work, and an approach to work-life balance that we should all listen to. In the news, we solve daylight saving time. We also talk about sunken ships, de-extinction debacles, and dino disagreements. It's a jam-packed episode that you won't want to miss a second of!

It's Not Easy Being Green, Featuring: Dr. Devyani Singh

March 4th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 26 secs

beetles, biology, climate change, climate crisis, green party, invasive species, magpies, plastic, pollution, scicomm, science, science policy

This week we are talking to climate science, Canadian Green Party political candidate, and generally incredible person Dr. Devyani Singh. We talk about potential solutions to the climate crisis and ways to make green energy work for everyone. In the news, we talk about new ways of identifying invasive species, the best-laid plans of a research team being thwarted by Australian Magpies, and a new policy that could help keep plastic out of our oceans.

Croc Talk with Dr. Casey Holliday

February 18th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  50 mins 24 secs

anatomy, biology, biomechanics, climate change, comparative anatomy, crocodiles, dinosaurs, fusion energy, jet, paleontology, physiology, scicomm, science, solar storm

This week we're talking to paleontologist, anatomist, and all-around crocophile Dr. Casey Holliday. He talks all about bringing extinct dinosaurs to life using the dinosaurs that are still alive, and how imaging and modeling can help us learn more about how dinosaurs interacted with their world. In the news, we revisit the problem with solar storms, the state of methane concentrations, and another fusion energy check-in.

Stellar Art with Dr. Laci Brock

February 4th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  53 mins 13 secs

art, astronomy, astrophysics, brown dwarf, planetary science, sciart, scicomm, science, space, space art

This week, we sit down with planetary astrophysicist Dr. Laci Brock about her path to science and her unique form of science communication blending video, art, and snark. In the news, we're covering a new article from an old friend, unlocking new achievements in frogs, and if we are ready for the next big solar storm.

Talking Bodies with Adam Taylor

January 14th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  44 mins 10 secs

alkaptonuria, anatomy, biology, boaty mcboatface, climate change, fish, goldfish, physiology, robotics, scicomm, science, sea level, technology, thwaites glacier

This week Prof. Adam Taylor of Lancaster Univ. is talking to us about his attempts to teach the people of Britain more about their bodies, and his work on a very rare disease. In the news, we’re talking about fish cars and a check-in with our favorite autonomous submarine.

A Wild Connection With Dr. Jen Verdolin

December 17th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  52 mins 20 secs

astronomy, biology, climate change, climate science, cop26, dna, evolution, extinction, genetics, james webb space telescope, laetoli, mammoths, nasa, parker sattelite, prairie dogs, scicomm, science, solar sattelite, space, wild connection, wooly mammoth

This week we talk to Dr. Jen Verdolin, the host of the Wild Connection podcast, about her work studying prairie dogs and her recent visit to Glasgow in an attempt to...SAVE THE WORLD. In the news, we talk about delayed launches, solar satellites, forgotten freezer DNA, and we tease a future interview about our favorite paleo pathway.

Let's Talk About Stress Baby

December 3rd, 2021  |  Season 3  |  48 mins 50 secs

ai, anthro, anthropology, anxiety, arc reactor, artificial intelligence, bees, bioanthro, biological anthropology, biology, birth, carion, childbirth, dartmouth, entomology, epigenetics, evolution, fusion energy, genetics, harvard, honey, inequality, racism, robot apocalypse, robotics, scavenger, spark, stress, university of vermont, uvm, vulture, vulture bees

STRESS! Everyone experiences it, and most of us aren't the greatest at dealing with it. The question our guest, Dr. Zane Thayer from Dartmouth College, is trying to learn more about stress. Mainly how a history of stress can lead to long-term health effects. You'll also learn a few tips for dealing with stress in a healthy way. The news segment will definitely build those stress levels as we talk about bees that will make you think twice about where your honey comes from and a new biological robot that will probably not herald the end to civilization as we know it.

Pleased to Meet Me

November 19th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  30 mins 18 secs

anatomy, astrobiology, biology, epigenetics, evolution, frogs, genes, genetics, ketchup, scicomm, science, space, teeth

This week, our friend Bill Sullivan returns to talk about his book Pleased to Meet Me. We talk about how the world around you can cause a ripple effect down to the genetic level. In the news segment we're talking about Martian tomatoes along with their many uses, and the chilling revelation of frog teeth.

It's High Time We Talked About Cannabis

November 5th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  55 mins 55 secs

cannabis, coronavirus, covid 19, fear, horror, immunology, marijuana, pot, scicomm, science, science fiction, toxicology

Cannabis continues to spark conversations as popular opinion shifts and its future legal status is debated. However, a long history of stigmatization that led to current federal regulations makes it difficult to study. This week, we're talking to Dr. Barb Kaplan, an Associate Professor for Mississippi State University, whose research looks at how cannabis alters the immune response. In the news segment, we talk about the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) scheduling process that limits cannabis access to researchers, as well as the science of fear, and the FDA's recent approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for use in ages 5 and older.

The 2021 Science Night Halloween Spectacular!

October 29th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  48 mins 27 secs

bill sullivan, disease, fiction, halloween, horror, monsters, non-fiction, porphyria, rabies, scary, scicomm, science, science fiction, scifi, spooky, toxoplasma gondii, toxplasmosis, vampires, werewolves, zombie, zombie apocalypse, zombies

Beware, dear listener, this episode of the Science Night podcast is much spookier than our typical offering. We begin our descent into the strange by talking about the scientific origins of the lore of our favorite monsters with special guest, Bill Sullivan. Later, the bravest among you can stay tuned for a dramatic reading of "Bit" from the twisted mind of Cody Sullivan, host of fellow Riverpower Podcast Mill show, Pulp: From Beyond the Veil.

Funding Science: It's Good Policy

October 22nd, 2021  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 10 mins

air travel, anatomy, aviation, biology, chemistry, climate change, democrat, design, energy, engineering, environment, faseb, fossil fuel, fusion energy, green energy, lobbying, nih, nsf, photosynthesis, policy, politics, renewable, republican, scicomm, science, science fiction, sustainable fuel, travel, weird science

Science isn't political. But that doesn’t mean that scientists don’t have influence in politics. Join us for our conversation with Dr. Naomi Charalambakis, Associate Director of Science Policy at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, to learn about how animal research informs human health and why it’s important for scientists to advocate for increased federal funding for science. Plus, is greener air travel on the horizon? And can photosynthesis be harnessed to restore nerve function? - these topics are covered in our news segment.

Science Communication: Let's Talk About It

October 8th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  54 mins 36 secs

art, crispr, facebook, genetic engineering, genetics, instagram, sciart, scicomm, science, science communication, social media, twitter, youtube

There are plenty of stories about how social media can be used to popularize misinformation and create division. This week we’re taking a different approach and highlighting someone that is doing some great science communication on social media. Combining her passion for art with a talent for explaining science, Dr. Jen Ma has created Gentle Facts. This week, we talk to Jen about her work and her journey to compassionate science communication.

We also talk about how social media can be used to popularize misinformation and create division…and CRISPR!

Constructed Languages with David J. Peterson

September 24th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  59 mins 21 secs

anthropology, archaeology, art, conlang, constructed language, defiance, denisovan, disney, dune, evolution, game of thrones, geology, hominid, language, linguistics, marvel, neurology, reading, scicomm, science, screens

This week we're talking about all the ways humans express themselves including a stories about a recent find that may be the world's most ancient, and how the things we use to read affect our comprehension. The highlight is a conversation with David J. Peterson, and language creator that has helped build the languages that made the world your favorite shows and movies inhabit feel richer and more vibrant. The list of projects he's worked on is too long to list completely, but some of the highlights include the 2021 remake of Dune, Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, HBO's Game of Thrones, Freeform's Motherland: Fort Salem, SyFy's Defiance, and many many many more.

Fusion: Some Like It Hot

September 10th, 2021  |  Season 3  |  53 mins 32 secs

climate change, comparative anatomy, dog training, engineering, fish, fusion, fusion energy, grad school, green energy, nuclear engineering, pegasus iii, pegasus3, physics, renewable energy, robotics, scicomm, science, soft robotics

Science news has been hot over the last couple of weeks, with announcements of major advances in fusion energy, a green alternative to fossil fuel energy. In this episode we sit down with Dr. Steffi Diem, a plasma physicist from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and director of the Pegasus III a fusion energy and plasma science experiment, to learn about the latest in fusion energy research and how she forged her own path in science. She’s also a dog agility trainer… you don’t want to miss this!