Big Picture Science

GroupAccount image

Big Picture Science is a one-hour radio show and podcast that connects ideas in surprising and humorous ways to illuminate the origins, the behavior, and the future of life—and  technology—on Earth.

What came before the Big Bang?  How does the brain work? Will our descendents be human or machine?  What’s the origin of humor?  We ponder these questions daily... and expound on them weekly.

But, wait!  There’s more!

Are you a doubting Thomas?  Good.  Join us as we separate science from pseudoscience—and facts from the phony—in Skeptic Check, our monthly episode devoted to critical thinking.

Whether it’s astrology, Bigfoot, or just the incessant onslaught of UFOs, we take it all on, wielding the skeptical scalpel of solid science.

It’s Skeptic Check... but don’t take our word for it!

 

 

 

Series

Series image
330 Pieces

Big Picture Science is a weekly one-hour science magazine that connects ideas in surprising and humorous ways to illuminate the origins and evolution of life and technology on this planet… and beyond.


Pieces

Piece image
Hey, Alexa, why don’t you laugh at my jokes? Teaching a computer to recognize humor is difficult because no clear definition of humor exists. Send...

Bought by WMUU-LP, WUFT, CHSR-FM 97.9, KMUN, KAZU Seaside, Calif. and more


  • Added: May 25, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Caption: Vaccine, When?, Credit: Seth Shostak
It will be the shot heard ‘round the world, once it comes. But exactly when can we expect a COVID vaccine? We discuss timelines, how it would wor...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, KMUN, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, Royalton Community Radio, KBBI Alaska and more


  • Added: May 18, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Caption: To the Bat Cave
To fight a pandemic, you first need to understand where a virus comes from. That quest takes disease ecologist Jon Epstein to gloomy caverns where ...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, KTRT RADIO INC, KMUN, WUFT, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: May 11, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: Covid Conspiracy
Nature abhors a vacuum, but conspiracy theorists love one. While we wait for scientists to nail down the how and why of the coronavirus, opportuni...

Bought by KZUM, CHSR-FM 97.9, KMUN, RadioFreePalmer, KICI Iowa City and more


  • Added: Apr 30, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 12
Caption: Treating the Virus, Credit: Seth Shostak
It’s not like waiting for Godot, because he never arrived. A coronavirus vaccine will come. But it is still months away. Meanwhile, scientists a...

Bought by KOJB 90.1 FM The eagle, Royalton Community Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KUNM, WRGY and more


  • Added: Apr 20, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: Zombies, Bigfoot, and Max Brooks
What do a zombie attack and a viral pandemic have in common? They are both frightening, mindless, and relentless in their assault. And both requi...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, Royalton Community Radio, WPCA-LP, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Apr 06, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Caption: Let's Take a Paws, Credit: Seth Shostak
Humans aren’t the only animals stressed-out by social distancing. Narwhals send out echolocation clicks to locate their buddies and ease their lon...

Bought by KAZU Seaside, Calif., CHSR-FM 97.9, WRGY, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KICI Iowa City and more


  • Added: Mar 30, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
Piece image
“Climate change at warp speed” is the way one scientist described the coronavirus outbreak. Recorded before a live audience at the Seattle AAAS mee...

Bought by WMUU-LP, CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, Royalton Community Radio, KICI Iowa City and more


  • Added: Mar 23, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Caption: It's In Material, Credit: It's In Material
Astronauts are made of the “right stuff,” but what about their spacesuits? Find out why suiting up on Mars will require more flexibility, and the...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., Royalton Community Radio, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash. and more


  • Added: Mar 16, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Caption: Skeptic Check: Pandemic Fear, Credit: Seth Shostak
Contagion aside, coronavirus is a powerful little virus. It has prompted a global experiment in behavior modification: elbow bumps instead of hand...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, Royalton Community Radio, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., WRGY and more


  • Added: Mar 09, 2020
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 21