Big Picture Science

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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

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310 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

Caption: A Stellar Job, Credit: Seth Shostak
Stars do more than just twinkle. These boiling balls of hot plasma can tell us something about other celestial phenomena. They betray the hiding ...

Bought by KREV-LP, WRGY, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WYSO, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Jan 04, 2016
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: You Think; You're So Smart, Credit: Seth Shostak
Sure you have a big brain; it's the hallmark of Homo sapiens. But that doesn't mean that you've cornered the market on intelligence. Michael Pol...

Bought by KAZU Seaside, Calif., RadioFreePalmer, WMUU-LP, WRIR, WRGY and more


  • Added: Dec 28, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 6
Caption: Look Who's Not Talking, Credit: Seth Shostak
A U.S. Army major says that social media are breaking up our “band of brothers,” and that soldiers who tweet rather than talk have less cohesion in...

Bought by RadioFreePalmer, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WMUU-LP, WRIR, and WRGY


  • Added: Dec 14, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Happily Confused, Credit: Seth Shostak
Do you feel happy today? How about happily disgusted? Maybe sadly surprised, or sadly disgusted? Human emotions are complex. But at least they’...

Bought by KAZU Seaside, Calif., RadioFreePalmer, WMUU-LP, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., WRIR and more


  • Added: Nov 30, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 7
Caption: Climate Conversation, Credit: Seth Shostak
The Paris climate talks are scheduled to go ahead despite the terrorist attacks, and attendees hope to sign an international agreement on climate c...

Bought by C89.5 - KNHC Seattle, RadioFreePalmer, KPIP-LP, WRST-FM Oshkosh, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Nov 23, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Skeptic Check: Paleo Diet, Credit: Seth Shostak
Followers of the Paleo diet say we should eat what our ancestors ate 10,000 years ago, when our genes were perfectly in synch with the environment....

Bought by WRGY, WMUU-LP, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., RadioFreePalmer, and WRIR


  • Added: Nov 16, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
Caption: Skeptic Check: Check the Skeptics, Credit: Seth Shostak
A scientist tells us that more than half of all published scientific studies are wrong, but that science still remains the best tool we have for le...

Bought by WMUU-LP, KRPS, WRGY, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WRIR and more


  • Added: Oct 26, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Smiley Virus, Credit: Gary Niederhoff
For many, the word virus is a synonym for disease – diseases of humans, plants, and even computers. And yet the vast majority of viruses are not o...

Bought by WMUU-LP, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WMUU-LP, RadioFreePalmer, WRGY and more


  • Added: Oct 19, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 8
Caption: Space for Everyone, Credit: Seth Shostak
Want some great views? Consider buying yourself a ticket to ride … into space. Also, asteroids are not just threats – they’re also an opportunity...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, KRPS, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, KSKQ, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Oct 12, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 9
Caption: Martian Madness
Sure, you “heart” Mars. It’s the starkly beautiful setting for the new film “The Martian,” and NASA has just announced that the Red Planet has sou...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], Delta College Public Radio, WRIR, KREV-LP and more


  • Added: Oct 05, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 20