Big Picture Science

Series produced by Big Picture Science

Series image

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.

From free-thinking robots... to the recipe for dark matter... to the mix-and-match genes of synthetic biology, we have it all! One episode a month, Skeptic Check, is devoted to critical thinking.

Produced at the SETI Institute and hosted by Seth Shostak and Molly Bentley.

Big Picture Science can be found on iTunes and other podcast sites. Radio stations carrying the program are listed on our "listening" page at radio.seti.org

The program is freely available to radio stations for broadcast.

The show began with the title Are We Alone? in 2002.


334 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Allergy Reason
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Allergy Reason, Credit: Seth Shostak
Runny nose. Itchy, watery eyes. Sneezing. If you don’t have allergies, you probably know someone who does. The number of people with allergies, inc...

Bought by KBBI Alaska, KZUM, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], WMUU-LP, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Jul 22, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
CRISPR Mosquitoes
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
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 revolution...

Bought by KTXK, CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KZUM, KBBI Alaska and more


  • Added: Jul 15, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Don't Lighten Up
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Don't Lighten Up, Credit: Seth Shostak
A canopy of stars in the night sky is more than breathtaking. Starlight is also an important tool that astronomers use to study our universe. But t...

Bought by KTXK, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Jul 08, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Aliens Now
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Aliens Now, Credit: Shannon Rose Geary
We are closer than ever to finding aliens according to astrophysicist Adam Frank. He isn’t alone in his optimism. Over the last two decades, the to...

Bought by KTXK, CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WHCP-LP Cambridge, WRGY and more


  • Added: Jul 01, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Skeptic Check: The Body Electric
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: The Body Electric, Credit: Seth Shostak
Electricity plays an important role in our everyday lives, including allowing our bodies to communicate internally. But some research claims electr...

Bought by Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, WMUU-LP, KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash. and more


  • Added: Jun 24, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 11
Flower Power
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
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 CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, KBBI Alaska, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash. and more


  • Added: Jun 17, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Animals Being Jerks
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Animals Being Jerks, Credit: Seth Shostak
They’re cute and cuddly. But they can also be obnoxious. Science writer Mary Roach has numerous tales about how our animal friends don’t always bow...

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


  • Added: Jun 10, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
Post Social Media
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Post Social Media, Credit: Seth Shostak
Before you check your social media feeds today. And post. And post again. And get into an argument on Twitter, lose track of time and wonder where ...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KZUM, WRGY, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Jun 03, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
Skeptic Check: Feeling Risky
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Skeptic Check: 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 Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KBBI Alaska, KZUM, WRGY, WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass. and more


  • Added: May 27, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
The Play's the Thing
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: The Play's the Thing, Credit: Seth Shostak
Has children’s play become too safe? Research suggests that efforts to prioritize safety harms children’s mental and physical development during pl...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, KZUM, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: May 13, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Nuts and Bolts
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Nuts and Bolts, Credit: Seth Shostak
How frequently do you think about fasteners like screws and bolts? Probably not very often. But some of them a storied history, dating back to Egyp...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KZUM, WRGY, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: May 06, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Phreaky Physics
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Phreaky Physics, Credit: Seth Shostak
It was a radical idea a century ago, when Einstein said space and time can be bent, and gravity was really geometry. We hear how his theories inspi...

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


  • Added: Apr 29, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
De-Permafrosting
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: De-Permafrosting, Credit: Seth Shostak
Above the Arctic Circle, much of the land is underlaid by permafrost. But climate change is causing it to thaw. This is not good news for the plane...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KZUM, WRGY, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Apr 22, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
For the Birds
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: For the Birds, Credit: Seth Shostak
Birds have it going on. Many of these winged dinosaurs delight us with their song and brilliant plumage. Migratory birds travel thousands of miles ...

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


  • Added: Apr 15, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Fungi Fear
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Fungi Fear, Credit: Seth Shostak
The zombie eco-thriller “The Last of Us” has alerted us to the threats posed by fungi. But the show is not entirely science fiction. Our vulnerabi...

Bought by KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KBBI Alaska, WRGY and more


  • Added: Apr 08, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Coffee of the Future
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Coffee of the Future, Credit: Shannon Rose Geary
Drinking a cup of coffee is how billions of people wake up every morning. But climate change is threatening this popular beverage. Over 60% of the ...

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


  • Added: Apr 01, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: When the Moon Hits Your Eye, Credit: Seth Shostak
The Great North American Solar Eclipse will trace a path of shadow across Mexico and 13 U.S. States on April 8th. Phil Plait, also known as The Bad...

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


  • Added: Mar 25, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Skeptic Check: Asteroid Mining
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Asteroid Mining, Credit: Seth Shostak
Asteroids are rich in precious metals and other valuable resources. But mining them presents considerable challenges. We discuss these, and conside...

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


  • Added: Mar 18, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Feet Don't Fail Me
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Piece image
Standing on your own two feet isn’t easy. While many animals can momentarily balance on their hind legs, we’re the only critters, besides birds, fo...

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


  • Added: Mar 11, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Lady Parts
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Lady Parts, Credit: Molly Bentley
The Supreme Court’s ruling on Roe has ignited fierce debate about bodily autonomy. But it’s remarkable how little we know about female physiology. ...

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


  • Added: Mar 04, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15

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