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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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

Caption: Catching Fire, Credit: Seth Shostak
We have too much “bad fire.” Not only destructive wildfires, but the combustion that powers our cars and provides electricity has generated a worry...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, WVTF, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KIYU-FM, CHSR-FM 97.9 and more


  • Added: May 08, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: Finding Endurance, Credit: Seth Shostak
In 1915, Endurance, the ship that took Ernest Shackleton to the Antarctic, was slowly crushed and sank. Shackleton, and the 28 men he brought with ...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., KIYU-FM, CHSR-FM 97.9, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: May 01, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: The Latest Buzz, Credit: Seth Shostak
Is your windshield accumulating less bug splatter? Insects, the most numerous animals on Earth, are becoming scarcer, and that’s not good news. The...

Bought by WVTF, KIYU-FM, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], RadioFreePalmer, WRGY and more


  • Added: Apr 24, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: CRISPR Mosquitoes, Credit: Seth Shostak
The powerful gene editing tool CRISPR is already being tested on animal and plant cells. It has even been used on humans. How might this revolutio...

Bought by KIYU-FM, CHSR-FM 97.9, WRGY, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KBBI Alaska and more


  • Added: Apr 17, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 12
Caption: Feeling Risky, Credit: Seth Shostak
It’s not just facts that inform our decisions. They’re also guided by how those facts feel. From deciding whether to buckle our seat belts to addre...

Bought by KAZU Seaside, Calif., KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Apr 10, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: Calling All Aliens, Credit: Seth Shostak
Are we alone in the universe? Is there other intelligence out there? COSMIC, the most ambitious SETI search yet, hopes to answer that. We hear upda...

Bought by WNED Buffalo, CHSR-FM 97.9, WVTF, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio] and more


  • Added: Apr 03, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: Make Space for Animals, Credit: Seth Shostak
Long before Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into space, Laika, a stray dog, crossed the final frontier. Find out what other surprising sp...

Bought by WGBH Radio Boston, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY and more


  • Added: Mar 27, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Caption: Skeptic Check: Do Your Own Research, Credit: Seth Shostak
Scientists are increasingly finding their expertise questioned by non-experts who claim they’ve done their own “research.” Whether advocating Iverm...

Bought by WVTF, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], CHSR-FM 97.9, WRGY, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Mar 20, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: Flower Power, Credit: Seth Shostak
Before everything could come up roses, there had to be a primordial flower – the mother, and father, of all flowers. Now scientists are on the hunt...

Bought by WVTF, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., CHSR-FM 97.9, WRGY, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting and more


  • Added: Mar 13, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
Caption: Waste Not , Credit: Seth Shostak
Why create more landfill? Resist the urge to toss those old sneakers or last year’s smart phone. Instead, let global junk entrepreneurs repurpose ...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], WRGY, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KBBI Alaska and more


  • Added: Feb 27, 2023
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14