Twitter: @PNASNews
Site: www.pnas.org/about/science-sessions-podcast
370 episodes
2019 to present
Average episode: 7 minutes
Open in Apple Podcasts • RSS
Categories: Story-Style
Podcaster's summary: Welcome to Science Sessions, the PNAS podcast program. Listen to brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in PNAS, plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.
| Episodes |
| 2024-Apr-22 • 9 minutes Measuring Poverty Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings... |
| 2024-Apr-08 • 6 minutes How a small fish makes big sounds How a small fish makes big sounds Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of... |
| 2024-Mar-25 • 10 minutes History of flight in dinosaurs Dinosaur feathers hint at flight history Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes... |
| 2024-Mar-04 • 17 minutes Bee communication in a changing world Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings... |
| 2024-Feb-12 • 10 minutes Adult talk and children’s speech Alex Cristia and Elika Bergelson explain the factors influencing speech in children. |
| 2024-Jan-29 • 10 minutes Modeling illuminates pitcher plant evolution Chris Thorogood and Derek Moulton explain how mathematical modeling of carnivorous pitcher plants can lend insights into their evolution. |
| 2024-Jan-15 • 9 minutes How children perceive gendered division of household work Allegra Midgette and Nadia Chernyak describe when young children begin to perceive and accept unequal and gendered division of household labor. |
| 2024-Jan-02 • 11 minutes Reversing hearing loss in mice Karen Steel explains a proof of concept for restoring hearing loss in mice. |
| 2023-Dec-18 • 12 minutes 50 years of DNA cloning Stanley Cohen reflects on the 50-year legacy of a classic PNAS paper on recombinant DNA. |
| 2023-Dec-05 • 8 minutes Carbon emission benefits of remote work Longqi Yang and Fengqi You discuss the potential reductions in carbon emissions of switching from in person to remote work. |
| 2023-Nov-20 • 9 minutes Skeletal records and gender bias Jeremy Siow, Taylor Damann, and Margit Tavits discuss both historical and modern gender inequality in Europe. |
| 2023-Nov-06 • 10 minutes Genetic shield against neurodegeneration Emmanuel Mignot explains how a variant of an immune system gene might protect some people against neurodegenerative disease. |
| 2023-Oct-09 • 10 minutes Penalties tied to motherhood Cecilia Machado and Douglas Almond discuss the impact of a first child on the career trajectory of mothers. |
| 2023-Sep-25 • 10 minutes Motherese in bottlenose dolphins Laela Sayigh asks whether dolphins use "motherese" when communicating with their calves. |
| 2023-Sep-11 • 10 minutes Racial disparities and climate policy Pascal Polonik and Kate Ricke explain why reducing greenhouse gas emissions does not always improve environmental equity. |
| 2023-Aug-28 • 11 minutes What illusions tell us about silence Ian Phillips, Rui Zhe Goh, and Chaz Firestone use auditory illusions to explore how people perceive silence. |
| 2023-Aug-14 • 11 minutes Growth mindset and educational outcomes Cameron Hecht discusses an intervention targeting high school teachers to improve student retention and diversity in STEM fields. |
| 2023-Jul-31 • 10 minutes How dehorning affects rhino behavior Vanessa Duthé explains how dehorning affects the behavior of black rhinoceroses. |
| 2023-Jul-17 • 9 minutes Why legalese persists Eric Martínez explains why legal documents are written in hard-to-read language. |
| 2023-Jul-03 • 8 minutes Gender gap among migrant scientists Researchers explore trends in the gender gap among internationally mobile scholars. |
| 2023-Jun-19 • 10 minutes Communal nesting in bird-like dinosaur Mattia Tagliavento talks about the evolutionary transition from dinosaurs to birds using isotopes in Troodon eggshells. |
| 2023-Jun-05 • 10 minutes Racial disparities in air pollution exposure Pengfei Liu shares findings on racial disparities in exposure to the air pollutant nitrogen dioxide. |
| 2023-May-22 • 10 minutes How vertebrates acquired a gene for vision Chinmay Kalluraya and Matthew Daugherty explain how vertebrates acquired a gene critical for vision from bacteria. |
| 2023-Apr-24 • 9 minutes Genomic insights for sea turtle conservation Blair P. Bentley, Lisa Komoroske, and Camila Mazzoni discuss the role genomic elements play in the evolution of sea turtles. |
| 2023-Apr-04 • 9 minutes Jump, bend, and roll: The rise of bioinspired robots A special edition of Science Sessions delves into the capabilities of robots inspired by plants and animals. |
| 2023-Mar-20 • 10 minutes Math learning through videos Stanislas Dehaene and Marie Amalric investigate whether short online videos are sufficient to teach mathematics concepts. |
| 2023-Mar-06 • 10 minutes Impressionism and air pollution Anna Lea Albright and Peter Huybers describe how optical effects consistent with air pollution appear in the paintings of Claude Monet and J.M.W. Turner. |
| 2023-Feb-14 • 10 minutes How lizards adapt to urban living Kristin Winchell explains the genetic basis of anole adaptation to urban environments. |
| 2023-Jan-30 • 8 minutes Revisiting the history of animal extinctions Researchers document animal extinctions in the Ediacaran Period that may have preceded the earliest known mass extinction. |
| 2023-Jan-16 • 10 minutes The music of Mesozoic bush crickets Bo Wang and Chunpeng Xu describe how fossilized katydids provide insight into the role of insect sounds in the Mesozoic. |
| 2023-Jan-03 • 7 minutes How a neural network taught itself chess Tom McGrath describes how the neural network AlphaZero taught itself how to play chess without observing a human game. |
| 2022-Dec-19 • 7 minutes Honeybees: Nature’s puzzle solvers Orit Peleg, Golnar Fard and Francisco López Jiménez explain how honeybees overcome geometric constraints to construct honeycombs. |
| 2022-Dec-05 • 10 minutes Cultural identity in sperm whales Taylor Hersh explores how patterns of clicks produced by sperm whales suggest the exchange of cultural information between the whales. |
| 2022-Nov-14 • 19 minutes Tuning into nature’s music Researchers discuss what animal soundscapes can tell us about the health of ecosystems. |
| 2022-Oct-31 • 10 minutes Point sources of methane emission Daniel Cusworth discusses combining aircraft-based and satellite-based measurement to identify methane emission point sources. |
| 2022-Oct-17 • 11 minutes How climate warming releases ocean methane Syee Weldeab describes what researchers can learn from ancient global warming about the risks posed by ocean floor methane hydrates. |
| 2022-Oct-03 • 10 minutes U-turn in occupational gender segregation Ling Zhu and David B. Grusky explore intergenerational factors influencing occupational gender segregation in the United States. |
| 2022-Sep-19 • 10 minutes Activated patients reduce implicit bias Izzy Gainsburg and Veronica Derricks discuss how patient activation can disrupt implicit bias in physician-patient interactions. |
| 2022-Sep-06 • 10 minutes How bumblebees respond to noxious stimuli Matilda Gibbons, Lars Chittka and Jonathan Birch discuss the possibility that bumblebees may feel pain. |
| 2022-Aug-15 • 21 minutes Science of Misinformation Researchers explore how misinformation spreads and what can be done to stop it. |
| 2022-Aug-01 • 9 minutes Bias and the placebo effect Lauren Howe and Alia Crum explore the interactions of societal biases with the placebo effect. |
| 2022-Jul-18 • 13 minutes Epigenetic clocks for humans and dogs Steve Horvath and Elaine Ostrander explain the usefulness of epigenetic clocks in humans and dogs. |
| 2022-Jun-27 • 20 minutes Peopling of the Americas Researchers explore how and when humans first arrived in the Americas. |
| 2022-Jun-13 • 11 minutes How the saw sings L. Mahadevan, Petur Bryde, and Suraj Shankar explain the otherworldly sounds of the musical saw. |
| 2022-May-31 • 13 minutes Underrepresentation of women in economics Guido Friebel discusses the lack of gender parity in academic positions in economics. |
| 2022-May-16 • 10 minutes How bias impedes women’s ascent to political leadership Christianne Corbett and Robb Willer explore perceptions of electability of female political candidates. |
| 2022-Apr-25 • 25 minutes Treating cystic fibrosis A feature episode explores recent developments and future research directions in treating cystic fibrosis. |
| 2022-Apr-11 • 9 minutes Rising temperatures and European bird traits Martijn van de Pol reports that approximately half of the changes in the traits of 60 European bird species can be attributed to rising mean temperatures. |
| 2022-Mar-28 • 8 minutes Origin of the Great Unconformity Brenhin Keller and Kalin McDannell explore the origins of a worldwide gap in the geologic record spanning hundreds of millions to billions of years. |
| 2022-Mar-14 • 11 minutes Ethnoracial identity of MENA Americans Neda Maghbouleh, Ariela Schachter, and René Flores explore the US Census classification of people with Middle Eastern and North African ancestry. |
| 2022-Feb-28 • 9 minutes Disparities in scholarly output Thema Monroe-White and Cassidy Sugimoto discuss how disparities at the intersection of race and gender affect the expansion of scientific knowledge. |
| 2022-Feb-14 • 12 minutes Frontiers in coral conservation – Part 2 Researchers explore cutting-edge approaches to coral reef conservation. Image credit: Cody Engelsma (Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL). |
| 2022-Jan-31 • 13 minutes Frontiers in coral conservation – Part 1 Researchers explore cutting-edge approaches to coral reef conservation. Image credit: Cody Engelsma (Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL). |
| 2022-Jan-18 • 13 minutes Racial disparities in communication Ray Block Jr. and John Holbein report that Americans are more likely to respond to an emailed survey request from a sender with a putatively White name than a sender with a putatively Black name. Image credit: iStock/Prostock-Studio. |
| 2021-Dec-27 • 15 minutes Tropical forests in the Anthropocene – Part 2 A collection of research articles explores how tropical ecosystems have borne the brunt of the human impact on the environment. Image credit: Pixabay/Pexels. |
| 2021-Dec-13 • 15 minutes Tropical forests in the Anthropocene – Part 1 A collection of research articles explores how tropical ecosystems have borne the brunt of the human impact on the environment. Image credit: Pixabay/Pexels. |
| 2021-Nov-29 • 18 minutes CRISPR use in agriculture: Part 2 A special episode explores the state of CRISPR use in agriculture. Image credit: Can Stock Photo/molekuul. |
| 2021-Nov-15 • 17 minutes CRISPR use in agriculture: Part 1 A special episode explores the state of CRISPR use in agriculture. Image credit: Can Stock Photo/molekuul. |
| 2021-Nov-02 • 17 minutes Language loss and medicinal plant knowledge Rodrigo Cámara-Leret explains the impact of indigenous language extinction on medicinal plant knowledge. Image credit: Pixabay/DEZALB. |
| 2021-Oct-18 • 11 minutes How Zen stones form Nicolas Taberlet and Nicolas Plihon explore the physical explanation for a fascinating natural phenomenon: the formation of Zen stones on frozen lakes. Image credit: N. Taberlet, N. Plihon. Lab Physique ENS de Lyon and CNRS. |
| 2021-Oct-04 • 11 minutes Greenhouse gas emissions tied to concrete Hessam Azarijafari, Randy Kirchain, and Jeremy Gregory explore how innovations in the concrete industry can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Image credit: Pexels/Life Of Pix. |
| 2021-Sep-20 • 13 minutes Racial and ethnic disparities in pollutant exposure Sarah Chambliss discusses racial and ethnic disparities in exposure to air pollutants. Image credit: Pixabay/sueegeneris. |
| 2021-Sep-07 • 11 minutes Soil microbes and hybrid vigor Maggie Wagner and Manuel Kleiner report that the interaction between maize and soil microbes influences hybrid vigor. Image credit: Kayla M. Clouse. |
| 2021-Aug-23 • 11 minutes Racial disparities in air pollution Gaige Kerr discusses racial disparities in atmospheric levels of nitrogen dioxide in the United States. |
| 2021-Aug-09 • 10 minutes Genome sequencing of extinct giant lemur Stephanie Marciniak, Logan Kistler, and Ed Louis describe an extinct giant lemur. |
| 2021-Jul-26 • 11 minutes Upslope advance of forest fires Mohammad Reza Alizadeh, John T. Abatzoglou, and Mojtaba Sadegh report that forest fires have been advancing upslope across the western United States in recent decades. |
| 2021-Jul-12 • 17 minutes How bats know the speed of sound Eran Amichai investigates how bats know the speed of sound. |
| 2021-Jun-28 • 13 minutes Animal behavior and ecosystem effects Mike Gil discusses how changes in animal behavior can affect ecosystems. |
| 2021-Jun-14 • 11 minutes Patient–physician racial concordance Brad Greenwood explains how patient–physician racial concordance decreases Black infant mortality. |
| 2021-Jun-01 • 13 minutes How HIV infects human cells Vinay Pathak describes when and where HIV sheds its capsid coating while infecting human cells. |
| 2021-May-17 • 12 minutes Self-cleaving ribozymes Jeannie Lee describes the discovery of self-cleaving ribozymes. |
| 2021-May-03 • 9 minutes Designing synthetic organisms Josh Bongard describes AI-designed, reconfigurable biological organisms made from frog cells. |
| 2021-Apr-19 • 12 minutes Exploring electron bifurcation Jonathon Yuly, David Beratan, and Peng Zhang investigate how electron bifurcation reactions work. |
| 2021-Apr-05 • 10 minutes Exploring the length of human conversations Adam Mastroianni and Daniel Gilbert explore why conversations almost never end when people want them to. |
| 2021-Mar-22 • 12 minutes Climate history of Mars Joe Levy shows how glaciers on Mars can reveal its climate history. |
| 2021-Mar-08 • 13 minutes How click beetles jump Marianne Alleyne, Aimy Wissa, and Ophelia Bolmin explain how the click beetle amplifies power to pull off its signature jump. |
| 2021-Feb-22 • 17 minutes Eruption of Steamboat Geyser Mara Reed and Michael Manga explore why Yellowstone's Steamboat Geyser resumed erupting in 2018. |
| 2021-Feb-08 • 13 minutes Geological history of Mars Martin Bizzarro tells what zircon crystals reveal about the geological history of Mars. |
| 2021-Jan-25 • 15 minutes Learning the language of facial expressions Aleix Martinez explains why facial expressions often are not accurate indicators of emotion. |
| 2021-Jan-04 • 17 minutes Hazards of ozone polution to birds Amanda Rodewald, Ivan Rudik, and Catherine Kling talk about the hazards of ozone pollution to birds. |
| 2020-Dec-14 • 18 minutes Preserving muscle and bone mass in space Se-Jin Lee and Emily Germain-Lee explain a way to preserve bone and muscle mass during spaceflight. |
| 2020-Nov-23 • 12 minutes Predicting the Asian giant hornet’s spread David Crowder and Gengping Zhu explain how to predict the spread of the Asian giant hornet. |
| 2020-Nov-09 • 22 minutes Supernova and mass extinction Brian Fields explores a hypothesis that a supernova may be responsible for a mass extinction. |
| 2020-Oct-26 • 24 minutes Future of artificial intelligence Eric Horvitz discusses AI’s promises and perils. |
| 2020-Oct-12 • 17 minutes Origin and diversification of penguins Juliana Vianna and Rauri Bowie explain the origin and diversification of penguins. |
| 2020-Sep-28 • 17 minutes Economics of Greenland ice sheet melting William Nordhaus explains the economic consequences of Greenland ice sheet melt. |
| 2020-Sep-14 • 17 minutes Military conscription and public sector employment NAS member Dalton Conley explains how the Vietnam War draft lotteries are a natural experiment for studying how military service affects life outcomes. |
| 2020-Aug-31 • 17 minutes Transitions tied to early farming Clark Larsen describes the costs of urban life a Neolithic city. |
| 2020-Aug-17 • 15 minutes Soil bacterium that lives on air Mette Svenning and Alexander Tveit describe a bacterium that can live on gases in the air. |
| 2020-Aug-03 • 15 minutes Exploring bivalve shell design Derek Moulton explains the mathematics behind bivalve shell design. |
| 2020-Jul-20 • 17 minutes Origins of the kinetochore Eelco Tromer and Jolien van Hooff explain the origins of the kinetochore in eukaryotic cells. |
| 2020-Jul-06 • 16 minutes Breaking the STEM ceiling Fabiola Gianotti, Marcia McNutt, and Donna Shalala discuss the past, present, and future of women in STEM. |
| 2020-Jun-22 • 14 minutes Size limits of ice Francesco Paesani, Thomas Zeuch, and Valeria Molinero discuss the size limits of ice crystals. |
| 2020-Jun-08 • 12 minutes How marine reptiles moved from land to sea Julia Schwab and Steve Brusatte describe how marine reptiles made the evolutionary move from land to sea. |
| 2020-May-26 • 7 minutes Nutrient dilution and grasshopper decline Ellen Welti explains how grasshoppers in a Kansas prairie could be in decline even with abundant grass. |
| 2020-May-11 • 18 minutes Protein design and its applications NAS member David Baker describes how to design proteins from scratch and the products of his lab's own protein design efforts |
| 2020-May-04 • 6 minutes Active learning in STEM Elli Theobald and Scott Freeman describe the benefits of active learning for underrepresented minority students. |
| 2020-Apr-20 • 7 minutes Designing street networks Adam Millard-Ball and Chris Barrington-Leigh explain trends in urban street network design. |
| 2020-Apr-06 • 7 minutes Engineering T cells to fight disease NAS member and Nobel laureate David Baltimore describes efforts to enhance T cells' ability to fight cancer and HIV. |
| 2020-Mar-23 • 6 minutes Dynamics of RNA frameshifting Christine Dunham discusses RNA frameshifting and its potential applications in biotechnology. |
| 2020-Mar-09 • 6 minutes Albatross patrol Henri Weimerskirch describes how albatrosses can help detect illegal fishing boats. |
| 2020-Feb-24 • 7 minutes Stardust predating the Solar System Philipp Heck tells the story of interstellar stardust grains that predate the Solar System. |
| 2020-Feb-10 • 7 minutes The Science of Science Communication Baruch Fischhoff, a decision scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, explains the ingredients necessary for effective science communication. |
| 2020-Jan-21 • 6 minutes Impact crater in southern Laos Kerry Sieh recounts the hunt for a meteorite impact crater in Southeast Asia. |
| 2019-Dec-30 • 7 minutes Human–clam cohistory Dana Lepofsky describes ancient sustainable clam gardening practices. |
| 2019-Dec-16 • 7 minutes Artificial intelligence in the laboratory Theoretical physicists Hans Briegel and Hendrik Poulsen Nautrup describe an artificial intelligence that can design quantum experiments. |
| 2019-Dec-02 • 9 minutes Rhetoric of the French Revolution Simon DeDeo and Alexander Barron discuss the rhetoric that shaped the French Revolution. |
| 2019-Oct-28 • 7 minutes Ocean eddies and shark foraging Cam Braun explains how ocean eddies allow sharks to dive and forage in deep water. |
| 2019-Oct-15 • 6 minutes Signs of admixture in fossil record Shara Bailey explains the significance of a three-rooted lower molar in an archaic jaw. |
| 2019-Sep-30 • 7 minutes Nucleic acid liquid crystals Noel Clark and Tommaso Bellini describe how nucleic acids form double-helical liquid crystals, with implications for the origins of life. |
| 2019-Sep-16 • 6 minutes Eye movement and visual perception Benjamin de Haas explains individual differences in eye movement patterns. |
| 2019-Sep-04 • 7 minutes Serotonin, platelets, and immunity Eric Boilard explains the role of serotonin and platelets in immune responses. |
| 2019-Aug-19 • 14 minutes Interfaces and Mixing A collection of research articles explores developments in interfacial transport and mixing, with wide-ranging practical applications. |
| 2019-Aug-05 • 6 minutes Origin of sunflower family Jennifer Mandel outlines the evolutionary history of the sunflower family. |
| 2019-Jul-22 • 8 minutes Nutrients and Chesapeake Bay recovery Jonathan Lefcheck and Robert Orth discuss nutrient pollution and recovery in the Chesapeake Bay. |
| 2019-Jul-08 • 6 minutes Physics of chocolate-making Daniel Hodgson explains the physics of chocolate-making. |
| 2019-Jun-24 • 6 minutes Adapting to climate change Chris Field discusses misconceptions about climate change and how humans can adapt to a warming planet. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Climate change and global economic inequality Noah Diffenbaugh and Marshall Burke discuss how global warming impacts economies and income inequality. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Bacterial symbiosis with bobtail squid Margaret McFall-Ngai describes how a symbiont bacterium affects a host cephalopod. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 14 minutes Aftermath of Chicxulub asteroid A paleontological site preserves the immediate aftermath of the asteroid impact that may have caused a global mass extinction. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Immigration and economic mobility Thor Berger and Per Engzell explore connections between European immigration and present-day economic mobility in the US. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 9 minutes Parenting and STEM careers Erin Cech discusses parenting and gender disparities among STEM professionals. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Tracing the origin of Europe’s megaliths Bettina Schulz Paulsson explains the origin and spread of Europe's megaliths, including Stonehenge. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Pollution across borders Daven Henze discusses how air pollution spreads across the globe and what policymakers are doing in response. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Unraveling hagfish evolution Tetsuto Miyashita describes how the hagfish helps define the vertebrate tree of life. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Climate change and forest diversity Daniel Wieczynski and Van Savage show how climate affects the diversity of forests. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Network theory and climate change Jingfang Fan explains what network theory can reveal about climate systems. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Quantum computing Christopher Monroe discusses recent developments in quantum computing. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Fur grooming in cats Alexis Noel and David Hu describe the unusual properties of a cat's tongue. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Biodiversity loss in Haiti Blair Hedges discusses the state of Haiti's remaining forests and the consequences to biodiversity. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Mapping the galactic plane in X-rays Chryssa Kouveliotou describes her efforts to compile a detailed X-ray map of the galactic plane. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Ancient Maya salt industry Heather McKillop explores the Maya salt industry. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Social mobility across generations Mike Hout explores the persistence of occupational and socioeconomic standing from parent to child in America. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 8 minutes Paintbrush for butterfly wings Robert Reed explains genetic controls on butterfly wing colors. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Nondestructive sampling of cell contents Nick Melosh describes a method for sampling RNA and proteins from cells using nanostraws. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Deep subseafloor microbial life Victoria Orphan and Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert discuss microbial life in the deep subseafloor. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Origins of bread Amaia Arranz-Otaegui describes the discovery of bread that far pre-dates agriculture. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Natural selection in sea stars Lauren Schiebelhut describes natural selection following sea star wasting disease. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Respectfulness in police-community relations Rob Voigt and Nicholas Camp examine respectfulness in police officers' interactions with community members. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 8 minutes Biodiversity hypothesis Jenni Lehtimäki and Stefan Reber explore links between animal exposure in upbringing and immune system function. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes RNA origin in warm little ponds Ralph Pudritz and Ben Pearce describe a model of how RNA-based life could have originated on the early Earth. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Manipulation of ant behavior by parasites David Hughes discusses how a parasitic fungus manipulates ant behavior for reproduction. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Gut microbiota and human health Rob Knight discusses the role of the human gut microbiota in health and disease. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Wearable health monitors John Rogers describes soft, wearable electronic devices for health monitoring. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Gene therapy for retinal disease Karina Guziewicz and Artur Cideciyan explain a potential gene therapy approach for macular degeneration. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Global hydrologic models and water storage Bridget Scanlon discusses the use of global hydrologic models for studying changes in water storage worldwide. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Project MindScope Christof Koch describes a large-scale effort to understand how the cerebral cortex functions. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Science and Philanthropy Robert Tjian discusses the role of philanthropy in funding scientific research. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Gene editing in mosquitoes Omar Akbari and Kevin Esvelt discuss a gene editing approach for harmful mosquitoes. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Big data Atul Butte explains how researchers can use existing data to answer biomedical questions. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Molecular contraception Polina Lishko discusses the development of unisex contraceptives. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes The Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Joseph DeRisi describes the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, a new privately-funded medical research center in the Bay Area. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Early evidence of winemaking Patrick McGovern describes evidence of winemaking in Georgia during the Neolithic period. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Bird feathers reveal past air pollution Carl Fuldner and Shane DuBay describe how bird feathers preserve records of air pollution. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Vadim Backman Vadim Backman describes a technique for high resolution imaging of biological molecules without labels. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Jonathan Sears Jonathan Sears describes potential treatment strategies for retinopathy of prematurity. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Zebrafish avatars for cancer treatment Rita Fior describes how zebrafish can make cancer treatment more efficient. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Sandu Popescu and Jeff Tollaksen Sandu Popescu and Jeff Tollaksen explain how a fundamental principle of nature does not hold in quantum mechanics. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Yayoi Obata Yayoi Obata describes the formation of mammalian egg cells in vitro. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes The Deep Hot Biosphere after 25 years John Spear discusses the legacy of Thomas Gold's "Deep Hot Biosphere" hypothesis. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Russell Graham Russell Graham describes the extinction of woolly mammoths from St. Paul island. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes How Sherpas adapt to high altitudes Andrew Murray describes metabolic adaptations of Himalayan Sherpas to low-pressure, low-oxygen conditions at high altitudes. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2016 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Fernando Colchero, Roland Rau, and Susan Alberts Fernando Colchero, Roland Rau, and Susan Alberts describe the relationship between lifespan equality and average lifespan. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Oyster Harvest Rowan Lockwood discusses the sustainability of Native American oyster harvesting in the Chesapeake Bay. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Improving endoscopy for disease diagnosis Pelham Keahey describes how differential structured illumination microendoscopy can improve cancer diagnosis. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Fungicides and honey bee health Entomologist May Berenbaum discusses the effects of agricultural fungicides on honey bee health. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Vision and transition to land Malcolm MacIver describes how our aquatic ancestors may have become interested in land. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Self-driving cars Jeff Schneider explains how self-driving cars use machine learning to learn the rules of the road. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Science for the general public Steven Weinberg describes his experiences writing about science for a general audience. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Interview with 2017 Breakthrough Prize winner Steve Elledge Steve Elledge discusses how cells sense and respond to damage to their DNA. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes DNA folding by loop extrusion Erez Lieberman Aiden discusses a model of how DNA folds to fit inside a cell nucleus. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Maize domestication in Mexico Researchers Jean-Philippe Vielle-Calzada and Miguel Vallebueno discuss 5,000-year-old partially domesticated maize. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Future of infectious disease research Charles Rice and Robert Landford discuss the future of hepatitis C research without chimpanzees. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Honeybees and biofuel crops Clint Otto discusses the impact of land-use changes on beekeepers in the Dakotas. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Recoding an organism George Church, Matthieu Landon, and Michael Napolitano discuss the genetic replacement of arginine codons in E. coli. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Interview with 2016 Kavli Prize Winners Kip Thorne and Rai Weiss Kip Thorne and Rai Weiss describe the detection of gravitational waves with LIGO. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes 20th-century excess male mortality Eileen Crimmins discusses the mortality difference between the sexes and its possible causes. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Remodelling brain function Kavli Prize winner Eve Marder discusses flexibility and stability in neural circuits. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Climate change and irrigation water Joshua Elliott discusses potential impacts of climate change on water availability for irrigation. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Modeling disease spread Andrea Rinaldo explains how cell phone data can be used to model disease spread. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2015 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Amanda Woerman Amanda Woerman discusses the role of the alpha-synuclein prion in the neurodegenerative disorder multiple system atrophy. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2015 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Anne Case and Angus Deaton Anne Case and Angus Deaton describe recent changes in mortality trends for white non-Hispanic Americans. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2015 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Glaucio Paulino and Evgueni Filipov Glaucio Paulino and Evgueni Filipov describe an origami-inspired approach to designing deployable structures and metamaterials. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Interview with 2015 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Mark Jacobson Mark Jacobson explains the feasability of a 100% wind, water, and solar power grid in the continental United States. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2015 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Will Castleman and Cuneyt Berkdemir Will Castleman and Cuneyt Berkdemir describe how to mimic rare earth elements using superatom clusters. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Interview with 2015 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Yatrik Shah Yatrik Shah describes the connection between maternal iron absorption during lactation and neonatal anemia. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Nanoparticles for disease detection Sangeeta Bhatia describes the development of nanoparticles that can aid in detecting cancer and other diseases. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 4 minutes Origins of mathematical ability Stanislas Dehaene investigates how certain areas of the brain might be related to mathematical ability. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Building the James Webb Space Telescope John Mather of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center explains why and how the James Webb Space Telescope is being built. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Tracking endemic tuberculosis Robyn Lee and Marcel Behr investigate the genomics of endemic tuberculosis in Northern Canada. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Brain clarity Karl Deisseroth explains a method to explore the wiring and structure of the brain. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Gene drive for malaria mosquito control Anthony James describes how gene drives can be used to spread malaria parasite resistance in mosquitoes. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2014 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Anthony Vecchiarelli Anthony Vecchiarelli explains a system of genetic cargo movement within cells that has roots in the work of Alan Turing. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Interview with 2014 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Jintai Lin Jintai Lin explains the impact of a global economy on air pollution in China and in the US. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Interview with 2014 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Frank Bates Frank Bates describes how a project related to chewing gum led to materials science discoveries. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2014 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Abigail Marsh Abigail Marsh describes mechanisms of altruistic kidney donors' responsiveness to others' emotions. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 7 minutes Search rankings and voter manipulation Robert Epstein of the American Institute for Behavioral Research describes how search engine rankings can influence voter preferences. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Timeline of the end-Permian extinction Seth Burgess describes a timeline of events surrounding the end-Permian mass extinction. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Interview with 2014 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Yaara Oren and Tal Pupko Yaara Oren and Tal Pupko describe how bacteria can evolve via transfer of gene regulatory regions. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Uniqueness of olfactory perception Noam Sobel explains how a human olfactory fingerprint helps uncover the uniqueness of individuals’ sense of smell. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Candidate vaccine against Staphylococcus aureus Rino Rappuoli of GlaxoSmithKline discusses preclinical studies of a vaccine candidate against Staphylococcus aureus. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Improving global scientific engagement As AAAS president for 2015, Geraldine Richmond focuses on global scientific engagement. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Blaming those who harm intentionally Susan Fiske describes how intentional acts of harm motivate people to assign blame. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Biocontainment safeguards Jef Boeke explains how to safeguard against unauthorized growth of engineered microorganisms. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Exploring tropical glaciers Lonnie Thompson discusses clues to Earth's ancient climate history that are stored in tropical glacial ice. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Gatekeeping in scientific publishing Kyle Siler discusses the role of editors as gatekeepers at scientific journals. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Designing theoretical molecules Alán Aspuru-Guzik discusses how he uses supercomputing as a "molecular spaceship" to explore chemical space and discover potentially useful new molecules. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Genome editing Keith Joung and Feng Zhang explain methods for editing sequences of DNA in living cells. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes An overdependence on p-values Veronica Vieland discusses a common disconnect between scientists and statisticians in evaluating scientific evidence. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Retina cell transplantation Robin Ali describes efforts to transplant healthy rod and cone cells into afflicted retinas. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 5 minutes Heart regeneration Hesham Sadek explains the regenerative capability of newborn mouse hearts. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Global collaboration against HIV Ambassador Deborah Birx discusses international efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS. |
| 2019-Jun-11 • 6 minutes Molecular profiling of cancer Elaine Mardis discusses how next generation sequencing technology is helping the Pan-Cancer Initiative gain a molecular understanding of cancer. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Growing stem cells in 3D David Schaffer describes how to culture human stem cells in a fully-defined, scalable 3D medium. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Astrocytes and ALS Brian Kaspar discusses the role of astrocyte cells in the motor neuron disease ALS. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 4 minutes Taming an unwieldy cancer target Frank McCormick discusses a National Cancer Institute-led effort to turn a well-known cancer-causing protein into a viable drug target. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 4 minutes Genetic switchboards James Collins explains how researchers can rewire bacterial cells and control multiple genes simultaneously within a single cell. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Francesco Pennacchio Francesco Pennacchio explains how neonicotinoid insecticides can influence the immune response of honey bees. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Caroline Roullier Caroline Roullier and colleagues won the 2013 Cozzarelli Prize in Behavioral and Social Sciences for their work on the distribution of sweet potatoes in Oceania. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Yoel Sadovsky and Carolyn Coyne Yoel Sadovsky and Carolyn Coyne describe the placenta's role in protecting the fetus from infection by viruses. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Tad Patzek Tad Patzek explains how natural gas production declines over time in hydrofractured wells. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Mimi Kao and Allison Doupe Mimi Kao and Allison Doupe explore song learning in the male zebra finch. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Interview with 2013 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Erik Petigura and Geoffrey Marcy Erik Petigura and Geoffrey Marcy discuss the number of Earth-like planets that may exist in our galaxy. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Modeling human cognition James "Jay" McClelland describes a parallel distributed processing approach to understanding human cognition. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Exchanging kidneys Alvin Roth discusses how principles of economics can benefit people who need kidney transplants. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Nicotine addiction and relapse Inés Ibañez-Tallon discusses how nicotine and neurons conspire to hamper efforts to quit smoking. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Where breast cancer meets brain size Inder Verma and colleagues describe how a breast cancer-associated gene might be implicated in brain size control in mammals. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Supernova chemistry Paul Dunk discusses the chemistry of carbon in space following a supernova. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes The postdoctoral problem NAS member Gregory Petsko discusses efforts to assess the US postdoctoral workforce. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Understanding citrus greening Ariena van Bruggen and J. Glenn Morris, Jr. discuss their work on citrus greening, a disease that is threatening the global citrus industry. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Genetic screening for adults C. Thomas Caskey and Amy McGuire discuss whole-genome genetic screening for adult-onset diseases. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Synthesizing fuels and chemicals from CO2 James Liao talks about engineering microorganisms to synthesize fuels and chemicals from CO2. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 4 minutes Speech perception and language acquisition in infants Janet Werker describes how exposure to speech and environmental factors can affect language acquisition by infants. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Menopause, mitochondria, and memory Neuroscientists John Morrison and Yuko Hara talk about the links between estrogen, mitochondria, and age-related cognitive decline. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes A microbial map for wine David Mills discusses regional differences in microbes found in grape must. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Building better batteries Yi Cui discusses how nanometerials are improving the energy storage capacity of batteries. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes History of alcohol in human diet Steven Benner discusses the interaction between early humans and alcohol. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Tracing development in color Scott Fraser discusses tools to glean a multicolored view of embryonic development. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Changing the way we think about antibiotics Deborah Hung talks about identifying new approaches for treating and diagnosing infectious diseases. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes How humans may have evolved intelligence Steven Pinker explains the idea of a cognitive niche, which may have facilitated the evolution of human intelligence. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Incentivizing positive behaviors David Laibson describes how behavioral economics can help incentivize positive behaviors. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Making commercial tomatoes taste better Harry Klee explains how he is trying to make commercial tomatoes more flavorful. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Health risks from eating Fukushima-contaminated seafood Nicholas Fisher discusses his recent study investigating the health risks associated with eating seafood contaminated with Fukushima-derived radioactivity. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Curbing dishonest form-filling Nina Mazar discusses her recent study showing that where people sign a form affects how honestly they complete it. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Mapping the mouse connectome Jeff Lichtman explains the promise and challenges tied to building a mouse connectome. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The diets of ancient hominins Matt Sponheimer discusses what our ancient evolutionary ancestors may have eaten. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with 2012 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Andrew Zammit-Mangion, Michael Dewar,Visakan Kadirkamanathan, and Guido Sanguinetti Andrew Zammit-Mangion, Michael Dewar,Visakan Kadirkamanathan, and Guido Sanguinetti describe their statistical model of conflict dynamics and how they tested it using the WikiLeaks Afghan War Diary. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with 2012 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Janet Braam and E. Wassim Chehab Janet Braam and E. Wassim Chehab discuss how plants anticipate and defend against insect attacks. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with 2012 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido, Hanchuan Peng, and Apostolos Georgopoulos Paloma Gonzalez-Bellido, Hanchuan Peng, and Apostolos Georgopoulos describe their research on how dragonflies catch their prey. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with 2012 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Sean Palecek and Xiaojun Lian Sean Palecek and Xiaojun Lian describe their efficient method for converting stem cells into heart muscle cells. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with 2012 Cozzarelli Prize Winners Clayton R. Magill and Katherine H. Freeman Clayton R. Magill and Katherine H. Freeman discuss how water availability and ecosystem changes influenced early human habitats. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with 2012 Cozzarelli Prize Winner Bob MacCallum Bob MacCallum explores how music can evolve from noise based on listeners' preferences. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The life beneath our feet Diana Wall discusses how life in the soil may change in a warming world. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes The science of microbes Julie Segre and Liliana Losada discuss human-microbe interactions in a recording of a PNAS Science Cafe event held in Washington, DC on February 27, 2013. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Engineering bacteria to curb malaria transmission Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena describes how he engineered a symbiotic bacterium found in mosquito guts to block the transmission of the malaria parasite. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Taking science to the streets John Durant talks about the role of science festivals in science literacy. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Microbial cell factories Bernhard Palsson explains how bacteria can be used as factories to produce sustainable products. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Fly social networks Joel Levine discusses his research on social interaction networks in fruit flies. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes What makes us human Chet Sherwood explores the unique aspects of the human brain's anatomy and function |
| 2019-Jun-10 Why music moves us Thalia Wheatley and Beau Sievers discuss the structural similarities between music and movement. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Social bacteria E. Peter Greenberg explains how antisense RNA help regulate bacterial social interactions. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes How mosquitos survive raindrops David Hu describes his research on how mosquitos survive collisions with raindrops, which could help design better flying robots. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The evolution of music from noise Bob MacCallum explores how music can evolve from noise based on listeners' preferences. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The science of biodiversity - Part 2 Merlin Hanauer and Chase Mendenhall discuss the science of biodiversity, in the second of two recordings of a PNAS Science Cafe event held in Washington, DC on October 17, 2012. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The science of biodiversity - Part 1 Merlin Hanauer and Chase Mendenhall discuss the science of biodiversity, in the first of two recordings of a PNAS Science Cafe event held in Washington, DC on October 17, 2012. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Reshuffling in the human genome Fred Alt discusses methods to map human chromosomal reshuffling. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Widespread lead poisoning in condors Myra Finkelstein discusses her research showing that California condors are significantly threatened by lead from lead-based ammunition. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Cancer nanomedicines Chemical engineer Mark Davis discusses his research on nano-sized cancer therapeutics. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 4 minutes How caffeine can help prevent cancer Chemical biologist Allan Conney discusses his research on caffeine's anticancer properties. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Understanding the brain's architecture Neuroscientist Charles F. Stevens discusses his research on finding the brain's underlying design principles. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes A systems approach to drug development Marc Kirschner discusses the goals of systems pharmacology. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Building new biological objects Frances Arnold explains how she harnesses the power of evolution to create proteins and organisms with applications in medicine and in alternative energy. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Virus-fighting bacteria Akiko Iwasaki explains how gut bacteria boost immunity to influenza virus. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Bugging the immune system Sarkis Mazmanian talks about how gut bacteria interact with the immune system to influence health and disease. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Bacterial invisible ink David Walt discusses his research on using fluorescent bacteria to send secret messages. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Gatekeepers of our immune system 2011 Nobel Prize winner Bruce Beutler talks about his discovery of the first mammalian innate immune receptors, our first line of defense against the threat of microorganisms. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Thwarting dengue transmission Medical entomologist Scott O'Neill explains how an intracellular bacterium could help curb the spread of dengue virus. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Cancer immunotherapy comes of age Cell biologist Ira Mellman discusses cancer immunotherapy at Genentech. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Revolutionizing microscopy Changhuei Yang and Guoan Zheng talk about their inexpensive, lens-free biomedical imaging device, which could change the way we do microscopy. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Making physics palatable Spanish chef Ferran Adrià and physicist David Weitz discuss the science of cooking. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The benefits of gut bacteria Lora Hooper talks about the complex bacterial ecosystem in our gut and its important role in metabolism and immunity. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Sackler Colloquium on the science of science communication Baruch Fischhoff and Dietram Scheufele discuss the need for a scientific approach to the communication of science. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Making improved antibodies against HIV Structural biologist Pamela Björkman explains how engineering improved versions of naturally occurring antibodies against HIV might make them promising therapeutic agents. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize winner Roland Kanaar Roland Kanaar explains how elevated temperature augments cancer treatment. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize winner Merlin Hanauer Merlin Hanauer discusses the benefits of protected areas. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize winner Jacob Waldbauer Cozzarelli Prize winner Jacob Waldbauer reconstructs the history of oxygen on Earth. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize winners Robert Saye and James Sethian Cozzarelli Prize winners Robert Saye and James Sethian introduce a numerical method to track complex motions. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize winner James Smith Economist James Smith discusses the effect of childhood mental problems on adult life. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize winners Erica Machlin Cox and Selena Sagan Erica Machlin Cox and Selena Sagan discuss an unusual interaction that protects the hepatitis C virus from our body's defenses. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Life's building blocks George Church discusses the potential of synthetic biology. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The science of sleep Erin Hanlon and Jeanne Duffy introduce their research on sleep, in a recording of the PNAS "Science of Sleep" event held in Washington, DC on March 14, 2012. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Rebooting damaged vocal cords Robert Langer and Steven Zeitels describe a polymer gel that could help patients regain lost voice. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Drivers of embryonic development Developmental biologist Cliff Tabin explains how genes shape the formation of organs. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Stem cells and diabetes Can stem cells help cure Type 1 diabetes? Douglas Melton hopes to find out. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 4 minutes Sex-specific scientific reporting Nancy Adler discusses the need for sex-specific scientific reporting and the role it has played in women's health over the last 20 years. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The science of fear - Part 2 Psychology experts Daniel Pine and Mark Wiederhold answer fear-related questions from the audience, in second of two recordings from PNAS's "The Science of Fear!" event held in Washington, DC on October 12, 2011. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes The science of fear - Part 1 Psychology experts Daniel Pine and Mark Wiederhold introduce their research on fear, in the first of two recordings from PNAS' "The Science of Fear!" event held in Washington, DC on October 12, 2011. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 5 minutes Catalysts for energy storage Daniel Nocera discusses how efficient catalysts can help us store solar energy in the same way plants do. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Scent of a predator Molecular biologist Stephen Liberles discusses how prey learn to recognize the scent of a predator. |
| 2019-Jun-10 • 6 minutes Human lung on a chip Donald Ingber discusses the "microfabrication" of human biological systems as a means to replace animal testing during drug development. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 4 minutes New Editor-in-Chief of PNAS Inder Verma discusses his new role at PNAS and his future plans for the journal. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Social computing, mobile phones, and the developing world Wendy Kellogg discusses her research into social computing and her boots-on-the-ground observations of how mobile phones can impact the developing world. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Applications of rapid genome sequencing Stephen Quake discusses rapid DNA sequencing and treating medical patients based on their genomes. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Imaging, information technology, and autism spectrum disorder Gregory Abowd discusses the clinical applications of capturing and recording the every day experiences of children with autism spectrum disorder. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Paper devices for medical diagnoses George Whitesides discusses an inexpensive and easy-to-use medical diagnostic device that can be used in the developing world. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Social networking and predicting personality Jennifer Golbeck discusses the intersection of computer science, sociology, and social networking. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes The science of chocolate Physicist David Weitz discusses the material properties that make chocolate to-die-for. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Ubiquitous computing and smart environments Bo Begole discusses ubiquitous computing, behavioral modeling, and smart environments that can anticipate people's information needs. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Changing public perception of the Smithsonian Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution Wayne Clough discusses his goal to educate the public about the Smithsonian's groundbreaking scientific research projects. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Genetically modified crops and agricultural productivity Roger Beachy discusses the role of genetically modified crops in feeding the world's growing population. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Zvonimir Dogic Zvonimir Dogic discusses how viruses can be coaxed into forming self-assembling, polymer membranes. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winners Won-Yong Song and Jiyoung Park Won-Yong Song and Jiyoung Park discuss the urgent problem of arsenic-tainted rice in Southeast Asia, and genetically engineered rice plants that would be safe to consume and could help remediate arsenic-contaminated groundwater. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Liza Moscovice Liza Moscovice discusses what her study on baboon behavior reveals about the evolution of cooperation in humans. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 7 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winners Robina Shaheen and Mark Thiemens Robina Shaheen and Mark Thiemens discuss an oxygen isotope signature that reveals how carbonates on Mars form in the absence of life. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Cheryl Lyn Walker Cheryl Lyn Walker discusses the role of a cellular protein, called ATM, in offsetting oxidative damage. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Benjamin tenOever Benjamin tenOever discusses his team's prize winning discovery that could be the key to developing a universal influenza A vaccine. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes The personalized medicine revolution NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins discusses "personalized medicine," a novel approach in which doctors diagnose and treat patients using detailed information about each individual. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 2 minutes Aircraft and Iceland's volcanic ash cloud Susan Stipp discusses her PNAS research article that reveals whether the ash cloud from the 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano posed a threat to aircraft, and if the widespread airport closures in Europe were warranted. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Keeping Congress up-to-date on the latest scientific research Jim Jensen, Executive Director of the Office of Congressional and Government Affairs, a branch of the National Research Council, discusses how scientific research shapes public policy. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Clean energy funding in the 2012 research budget Kei Koizumi, Assistant Director for Federal Research and Development at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, discusses some aspects of the President's 2012 research budget. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Electronic artificial noses Nate Lewis dicusses the design principles and applications of electronic artificial noses. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Visual prosthetic devices for the blind Peter Schiller discusses a device that could one day restore sight to the blind by directly stimulating the visual cortex. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 2 minutes Call for papers: PNAS Plus PNAS Editor-in-Chief Randy Schekman discusses the journal's new option to publish online-only research articles. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Nano-healing and the future of surgery Rutledge Ellis-Behnke discusses his research in nano-healing, a technology that halts bleeding and helps the brain and body to recover from injury and disease. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Identifying the source of HIV infections in criminal cases David Hillis explains how phylogenetics can be used to solve criminal cases involving the intentional transmission of HIV via unprotected sex. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Microexpressions and the science behind "Lie to Me" Paul Ekman, the scientist whose research inspired the Fox television drama "Lie to Me," explains that almost everyone can learn to read the facial microexpressions that reveal concealed emotions, but that the technique is no "Pinocchio's nose." |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes The "missing link" between fish and land animals Neil Shubin researches the evolutionary origin of anatomical features. Dr. Shubin's most recent discovery, Tiktaalik roseae, has been dubbed the "missing link" between fish and land animals. Dr. Shubin discusses Tiktaalik and the evolutionary shift... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 2 minutes Tracking the spread of flu-like diseases in schools Marcel Salathé researches disease transmission and prevention, at the Penn State University Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics. To investigate how flu-like diseases spread through schools, Dr. Salathé used wireless sensors to measure the number... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Pollution in indoor environments Charles J. Weschler studies the chemistry of indoor pollutants, including airborne particles, volatile organic compounds, and inorganic gases such as ozone. Listen as Dr. Weschler discusses the consequences of indoor pollution at home and in the... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 4 minutes Dark matter, dark energy, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author, host of "NOVA ScienceNOW," and the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. Listen as Dr. Tyson discusses the extraordinary capabilities of the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the nature of... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Scientific credibility, public exposure, and irate third-graders Neil deGrasse Tyson is an astrophysicist, author, host of "NOVA ScienceNOW," and the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium. Listen as Dr. Tyson discusses the balance between scientific credibility and public exposure, and the pitfalls... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Public science literacy, and race and gender bias in science education Dr. Mae Jemison is a physician and scientist, who on September 12, 1992 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, became the world's first woman of color to travel into space. Listen as Dr. Jemison discusses race and gender bias in science education, and... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes The origin of malignant malaria Dr. Nathan Wolfe is the Lorry I. Lokey Visiting Professor in Human Biology at Stanford University and Director of the Global Viral Forecasting Initiative. Listen as Dr. Wolfe discusses malaria and the parasites that cause it, and his research that... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Lennart Balk Dr. Lennart Balk discusses the thiamine deficiency syndrome killing European wild birds. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Mary Immordino-Yang Dr. Mary Immordino-Yang discusses her fMRI study of admiration and compassion. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Vera Gorbunova Dr. Vera Gorbunova discusses the innate cancer immunity of the naked mole rat. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Daniel Rugar Listen as Dr. Daniel Rugar discusses his 100 million-fold improvement in resolution to conventional magnetic resonance imaging. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winners Michael Köttgen and Owen Woodward Michael Köttgen and Owen Woodward discuss identifying a key gene associated with gout, and the possible therapeutic implications. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner John Dore John Dore discusses the connection between rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels and the increasing acidity of Earth's oceans. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Adaptation and Evolution: The Life of an RNA Virus Edward C. Holmes is a professor of biology and a Distinguished Senior Scholar in the Eberly College of Science at the Pennsylvania State University. Listen as Dr. Holmes discusses his research on using comparative genomics to study the genetic... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Privacy and Social Security numbers Alessandro Acquisti is an Associate Professor of Information Technology and Public Policy at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Listen as Dr. Acquisti discusses his research in the economics of privacy and his 2009 PNAS... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Fundamentals of environmental economics Maureen Cropper is an economics professor at the University of Maryland and a former lead economist at the World Bank. Listen as Dr. Cropper discusses her research in environmental economics and her 2008 election into the National Academy of Sciences. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes The future and stem cells James Thomson is best known for his pioneering work that isolated and cultured non-human primate and human embryonic stem cells. Listen as Dr. Thomson discusses his research and the future of stem cells in medical uses ranging from drug discovery,... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Simulating material behavior Emily Carter's work merges quantum mechanics, applied mathematics, and solid state physics to create simulations of various molecules and materials. Listen as Dr. Carter discusses her research and her 2008 election to the National Academy of Sciences. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Human expansion out of Africa Richard Klein served as editor for the PNAS Special Feature titled "Out of Africa". This collection of articles explores the historical expansion of Homo sapiens from Africa to Eurasia. The Special Feature, along with an editorial by Dr.... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Seeing inside cells Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz's laboratory at the National Institutes of Health works to characterize the fundamental principles governing protein geography and movement within cells. Dr. Lippincott-Schwartz talks about her work and her recent election... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Yoshiro Nagao "Decreases in dengue transmission may act to increase the incidence of dengue hemorrhagic fever" |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Karen McComb "Cross-modal individual recognition in domestic horses (Equus caballus)." |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Marius Wernig "Neurons derived from reprogrammed fibroblasts functionally integrate into the fetal brain and improve symptoms of rats with Parkinson's disease" |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Albert-Laszlo Barabási "The implications of human metabolic network topology for disease comorbidity" |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner John Rossi "MicroRNA-directed transcriptional gene silencing in mammalian cells" |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Raymond Jeanloz "Fluid helium at conditions of giant planetary interiors" |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Randy Schekman Randy Schekman, the PNAS Editor-in-Chief, discusses the selection process and history of the Cozzarelli Prize. The Cozzarelli Prize is given annually to six outstanding PNAS articles, each representing one of the major disciplines of the National... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 7 minutes Stem cells in neuromedicine Fred Gage is a professor in the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA. In this podcast, Dr. Gage talks about the subtleties involved as researchers explore how to use stem cells to treat conditions such as Parkinson's disease. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Malaria and vector research Thomas Wellems is the head of the Malaria and Vector Research Unit at the National Institutes of Health. In this episode, he discusses the advances made in the fight against malaria and the problems that still remain. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Inside Science Bruce Alberts is the former President of the National Academy of Sciences and the current editor-in-chief of Science. In this podcast, Dr. Alberts talks about how he generates ideas for editorials, how Science approaches issues of... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 11 minutes Examining Proceedings PNAS is one of the world's most-cited multidisciplinary scientific journals and has been published by the National Academies since 1915. This podcast, part of the Sounds of Science produced by the National Academies, looks at the history and future of... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Pamela J. Fraker Pamela J. Fraker was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007. She is known for her investigations of the impact of nutritional deficiencies, particularly of zinc, on immune defense. Her work provided evidence that deficiency in... |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 5 minutes Interview with Ran Nathan Ran Nathan organized the Movement Ecology Special Feature for PNAS. He is an associate professor and the chair of the department of Evolution, Systematics, and Ecology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in Jerusalem, Israel. |
| 2019-Jun-07 • 6 minutes Interview with Nina Fedoroff Elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1990 for her work in the field of Plant Biology, Nina Fedoroff is a pioneer in the molecular aspects of plant transposable elements. Building upon the work of Barbara McClintock, she elucidated the... |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 3 minutes Interview with Richard T. Durrett Richard T. Durrett was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007 for his work in applied mathematical sciences. Durrett's research in probability theory concerns problems that arise from ecology and genetics. He has developed mathematical... |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with C. Owen Lovejoy C. Owen Lovejoy was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007 for his work in the field of anthropology. Lovejoy overturned traditional models of human origins by integrating biomechanics into biological anthropology, demonstrating that the... |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with Albert Libchaber Albert Libchaber was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007 for his work in physics. Libchaber has made lasting and fundamental contributions to experimental chaos dynamics and its application to biological physics, from elucidating the... |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with John G. Hildebrand John G. Hildebrand was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007. His work on the functional organization, physiology, and development of the central olfactory system of insects has made him a pioneer in analyzing neural mechanisms... |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Kenneth A. Dawson Understanding the nanoparticle-protein corona using methods to quantify exchange rates and affinities of proteins for nanoparticles. |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Brian Spencer Targeted delivery of proteins across the blood--brain barrier. |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Andreas Reichenbach Müller cells are living optical fibers in the vertebrate retina. |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar Savanna chimpanzees use tools to harvest the underground storage organs of plants. |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Monica Olvera de la Cruz Faceting ionic shells into icosahedra via electrostatics. |
| 2019-Jun-06 • 5 minutes Interview with Cozzarelli Prize Winner Sandra Díaz Incorporating plant functional diversity effects in ecosystem service assessments |