Science Night

The 2022 May 4th Spectacular

May 4th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 29 mins

anatomy, biology, blaster, chewbacca, chlorophyll, death star, engineering, jabba the hutt, jedi, lightsaber, midichlorian, mitochondria, sand people, scicomm, science, scifi, sith, star wars, the force, tusken raider, wookie

It’s Star Wars Day and we’ve gathered a plucky team to talk about the science of this beloved saga. We have four great pieces of Star Wars scicomm covering lightsabers and blasters, languages, midichlorians, and Wookie anatomy, plus so much more. Don’t forget to checkout scinight.com for links to learn more about the topics we cover in this episode.

The Interface of Science and Policy with Dr. Alma Cristal Hernandez-Mondragon

April 29th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 5 mins

astronomy, biology, climate change, dartmouth, frogs, jpl, mating calls, mexico, nasa, physics, policy, scicomm, science, scipolicy, scorpions, snakes, space, the three body problem, theoretical physics, three body

This week we're featuring a conversation with Dr. Alma Cristal Hernandez-Mondragon, a science policy advocate from Mexico City that is paving the way for a generation of science advocates in Mexico. In the news, we're talking about troubling transmissions, frog tinder, and anti-venom achievements.

The 2022 Earth Day Special Featuring Dr. Devyani Singh

April 22nd, 2022  |  Season 3  |  56 mins 52 secs

biology, climate change, climate crisis, earth day, green party, invasive species, permaculture, plastic, pollution, scicomm, science, science policy

Earth Day is here, and what better way to celebrate than bringing back our favorite climate scientist, and Vancouver City Council hopeful, Dr. Devyani Singh! We share our feelings about the modern Earth Day holiday, talk about some counter-environmental efforts by large companies, counter that with how scientists are pushing back, and finally share some things you can do to help.

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.

A Festival of Fusion

January 28th, 2022  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 9 mins

arc, climate change, climate crisis, east, fusion, fusion energy, nuclear fusion, physics, scicomm, science, sparc, step, tokamak

2021 was a year with loads of advancement in the field of fusion energy. To mark the achievements from this incredible year, Dr. Arturo Dominguez from the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is joining Steffi and James for a special episode of the podcast. We cover the major landmarks and talk about what this could mean for the future of fusion energy. Also, Steffi talks to Arturo about his work and how he engages the public to teach them more about fusion.

A Human Evolution Extravaganza

January 21st, 2022  |  Season 3  |  1 hr 14 mins

anatomy, anthropology, bipedalism, denisovan, evolution, human evolution, human origins, laetoli, neanderthal, sapiens, scicomm, science, smithsonian, smithsonian institution, walking

This week we have a human evolution double feature. First, special guest hosts Dr. Briana Pobiner from the Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program and Ryan McRae from The George Washington University talk about the biggest discoveries from 2021 in human evolution. Next up, the former guest turned returning champion Dr. Ellie McNutt returns to talk about her recent work at our favorite paleo pathway in Laetoli Tanzania. Also, be sure to check out our website, scinight.com, for tons of links to learn more about alllll the stuff covered in this episode

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.