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.


330 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Tomb with a View
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Tomb with a View, Credit: Seth Shostak
A century ago, British archaeologist Howard Carter opened the only surviving intact tomb from ancient Egypt. Inside was the mummy of the boy king T...

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


  • Added: Feb 26, 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 CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KBBI Alaska, KZUM, WRGY and more


  • Added: Mar 04, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
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
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
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
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 CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, KBBI Alaska, KZUM and more


  • Added: Apr 01, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 12
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 CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KBBI Alaska, WRGY, KZUM and more


  • Added: Apr 08, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
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
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
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 KBBI Alaska, KZUM, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., KTAL-LP [Las Cruces Community Radio], KIYU-FM and more


  • Added: Apr 29, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 10

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