Marine biologist Colleen Reichmuth says that few mammals can match the vocal talents of the walrus.Produced by David Levin. Original interview by Doug Hamilton. Learn more at pbs.org/novaNOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, th…

In this episode, biochemist Erika Ebbel describes how a mentor helped her transform into a scientist when she was 11 years old.Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview by Josh Seftel and Tom Miller. Exclusive funding for "The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers" provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.Learn more at pbs.org/n…

NOVA scienceNOW's Dean Irwin discusses what he learned about this new computer technology while producing his story on digital art authentication.Podcast produced by David Levin. Music by Jeff Allen. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston.Funding for NOVA scienceNOW is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, th…

In order to develop from an embryo, animals as different as fruit flies and humans call on a nearly identical set of genes. But how does this one common genetic toolkit create so many different species? It turns out that it's not the genes you have-- it's how you use them.Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interviews by John Rubin. NOVA is p…

After Pluto was discovered in 1930, it enjoyed the title of planet for more than 75 years. But in 2006, that all changed. At a meeting in Prague, the International Astronomical Union adopted a new definition for planethood, leaving the solar system with only eight planets. But not everyone agrees with its decision. In this podcast, planetary scient…

In this podcast, biologist Maydianne Andrade explains that sexual cannibalism-a gruesome mating behavior shown of Redback Spiders-is a prime example of how evolution works.Podcast produced by David Levin. Interview by Josh Seftel. Funding for NOVA scienceNOW is provided by the National Science Foundation, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Al…

In the months after 9/11, New York City faced a difficult decision. What should it do with the site where the twin towers once stood? For architecture critic Paul Goldberger, there was only one choice: rebuild.Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medica…

Could permafrost under Martian soil be the key to finding life on the red planet? Chris McKay, a planetary scientist for NASA, thinks there's a good chance we'll see evidence of ancient microbes if we just follow the ice.Podcast produced by David Levin. Interview by Anna Lee Strachan. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided…

For thousands of years, people around the world have modified their bodies with tattoos and piercings. But some cultures, like the ancient Inca in Peru, took that practice beyond skin deep. They sometimes used ropes and boards to slowly change the shape of human skulls. It’s a process called "cranial modification" In this podcast, bioarcheologist V…

In this podcast, marine biologist Roger Hanlon explains why octopuses are masters of camouflage.Podcast produced by David Levin. Interview by Susan Lewis. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television …

In this podcast, we spoke to former NASA Public Affairs Officer Steve Nesbitt. Nesbitt announced more than a dozen Space Shuttle missions, giving play-by-play radio commentary as the craft flew into orbit. Nesbitt spoke to us about his experience as the public voice of NASA the early days of the Shuttle program, and gave his thoughts on its retirem…

In this podcast, learn why studying the emotions of our close primate relatives--chimpanzees and bonobos--might shed light on the evolution of human culture.Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,…

Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks has come across plenty of odd stories while studying the human brain, but none are quite as mysterious as that of his colleague, Tony Cicoria. In 1994, Cicoria was struck by lightning, and developed a sudden, inexplicable passion for playing and writing piano music. In this podcast, hear Sacks describe Cicoria's …

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, marine biologist Colleen Reichmuth describes the many ways a walrus can communicate using sound.Produced by David Levin. Original interview by Doug Hamilton. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H.…

In this podcast, art historian Jeff Hurwitt explains what made the Parthenon the greatest temple of Ancient Greece.Produced by Susan Lewis. Original interview by Gary Glassman. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public t…

Egyptologist Mark Lehner thinks it took almost 20,000 people to build the Great Pyramids. But where did all those workers live? In this podcast, Lehner describes how he found evidence of a “lost city” on the Giza plateau.Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Peter Tyson. Music courtesy Pharaoh's Daughter (freemusicarchive.org/music…

WiTricity, a small startup based outside of Boston, is creating a system that can transmit electricity wirelessly. It’ll make charging electric cars easy, eliminating the need for bulky cables. What impact might this have on the electric vehicle market?Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided…

Thirty years ago, a violent eruption ripped through the side of Mt. St. Helens in western Oregon. The blast killed 57 people and countless animals, and turned hundreds of miles of forest into barren wasteland. In this podcast, hear from ecologist Charlie Crisafulli on the slow recovery of the Mt. St. Helens ecosystem, and learn how the timing of th…

Steven Chu is the U.S. Secretary of Energy under President Obama. He’s a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, and a big proponent of renewable power, like wind and solar. He says that although they’re essential to fight climate change, that’s only one reason we should adopt them in the United States. Another reason is purely economic—there’s a lot of mon…

Archeologist Bill Dever says that in addition to the Hebrew god Yahweh, ancient Israelites may have worshipped a Canaanite female goddess called Asherah.This podcast was produced by David Levin and Susan Lewis. Interview by Gary Glassman. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughe…

In the year 2000, the United Nations set out to make basic maternal healthcare a universal right within 15 years. How far have we come worldwide? In this podcast, we talked to Adrienne Germain, president of the International Women's Health Coalition. They're a group that works closely with the U.N. to improve the health and rights of women worldwid…

Are workers at U.S. nuclear power plants fully prepared to deal with emergencies triggered by natural disasters? To find out, we visited the training center for Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. Pilgrim is on the Atlantic coast near Plymouth, Massachussets, about an hour's drive south of Boston. It's one of 23 nuclear plants in the U.S. that use the s…

Galileo has been called the "father of modern science". His observations of the night sky in the early 1600s confirmed a new model of the universe, where the Earth orbited the sun—not the other way around. But before he was studying the universe, Galileo was working on practical problems. And his early goals for the telescope weren't so scientific.…

Astronomer Seth Shostak thinks that if alien intelligence is out there, we'll know it when we see it.Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.Hear other experts descri…

Cognitive scientist Steven Pinker says that modern human intelligence is the result of thousands of years of accumulated knowledge. Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television vi…

Theoretical psychologist Nicholas Humphrey explains the concept of social intelligence.Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.Hear other experts describe what intell…

In this podcast, roboticist Rodney Brooks describes what "intelligence" means in his field.Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.Hear other experts describe what in…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, naturalist E.O. Wilson describes the challenges of understanding how ecosystems evolve.Produced by David Levin. Original interview by Gail Willumsen. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, Davi…

On August 14, 2003, the biggest blackout in American history struck the Northeast U.S. and parts of Canada. 50 million people lost power, and the blackout showed how vulnerable and even outdated our electricity system is. To fix that problem, some energy experts think it's time to upgrade to a "smart grid," one that uses digital technology to regul…

Most passenger jets today fly under computer control, at least to some extent. Usually, those computers make flying safer. But like any machine, they can sometimes break down, leading, in rare cases, to major accidents. In this interview, aviation expert Bill Voss explains why he thinks airlines should put more emphasis on solving computer automati…

After the crash of Air France Flight 447 in 2009, widespread debate appeared on the Internet about whether a lightning strike could have brought the plane down. Just how dangerous is lightning to an aircraft in flight? In this podcast, aviation safety expert John Cox and veteran airline pilot Martin Alder weigh in.Podcast produced by David Levin. I…

Some parrots can talk-but can they really understand what they're saying?In this podcast, researcher Irene Pepperberg describes her cognitive experiments with African grey parrots, and discusses why the line between human and animal intelligence is sometimes blurry.Produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Major funding for NOVA …

In the growing field of nanotechnology, engineers are creating countless new microscopic materials. They're used in thousands of consumer goods, from cell phones to cosmetics and sunscreen. But how safe are they? To find out, we talked to Andrew Maynard, physicist and director of the Risk Science Center at the University of Michigan. We talked to h…

Stopping signs of life and starting them again might seem like pure sci-fi—but cell biologist Mark Roth says it's very possible. In this podcast, he explains why.Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcas…

The next generation of spacecraft will travel faster than ever before. But they might not be propelled by rockets. If Dean Alhorn has his way, they’ll be powered by light. Alhorn is an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight center. He designs solar sails. They’re basically big silver kites in space that are pushed along by the sun’s rays. And Alh…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, geologist Chris Goldfinger describes why earthquakes in one part of the globe might trigger others worldwide.Produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the H…

In this podcast, hear how a newly identified wreck found outside the harbor may rewrite the history of the Japanese attack.Produced by David Levin. Original interviews by Kirk Wolfinger. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, an…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explains that despite all the doomsday claims on the Internet, the world will NOT end in 2012.Produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, …

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, African-American chemistry pioneer Percy Julian gives his take on scientific language. Produced by David Levin and Susan Lewis NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard H…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, Native American geologist Alexandrea Bowman describes her path to science, which led from baby seals to Long Island Sound. Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview by Josh Seftel and Tom Miller. NOVA is produced by …

If you could take a drug that could erase your memories, would you do it? It’s not such a hypothetical question—neuroscientists have identified a drug that can wipe out memory in rats. It’s not something that could be used on humans, but its existence raises a lot of big ethical issues. To sort those out, we talked to Art Caplan, director of the Ce…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, biochemist Erika Ebbel describes how a mentor helped her transform into a scientist when she was 11 years old.Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview by Josh Seftel and Tom Miller. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Bosto…

In this podcast, NASA psychologist Al Holland discusses some of the the mental challenges astronauts might face during a mission to Mars.Podcast produced by David Levin. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and pub…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, geologist Adrienne Block explains how she investigates mountains that lie beneath the humongous ice sheets of Antarctica.Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview by Josh Seftel and Tom Miller. NOVA is produced by WG…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson describes how the universe called him when he was nine years old. Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview by Josh Seftel and Tom Miller. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Fundin…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, climate scientist Gavin Schmidt explains why the Earth needs to see a doctor… today.Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview by Josh Seftel and Tom Miller. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is pro…

In the 1960s, a new theory surfaced that claimed Stonehenge was the work of ancient astronomers, and that its giant stone pillars were used to predict eclipses of the moon and sun. But was there anything to the idea? To find out, we talked to NOVA's senior science editor, Evan Hadingham. He trained as an archeologist and has written two books on St…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode hear from engineer Colin Angle, cofounder of iRobot, the company that makes the Roomba vacuum cleaner. In this podcast, he explains how small inventions can yield huge results.Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview…

New DNA evidence shows that dogs were probably domesticated from wolves in the Middle East about eight thousand years ago. But wolves are generally fierce animals that travel in packs, and they’re usually afraid of humans. That's pretty far off from the behavior of today's family pets. So how could that poodle in your backyard have come from a wolf…

NOVA Minutes are a regular radio features that air three times per week on 89.7 WGBH-FM in Boston. In this episode, experimental psychologist Laurie Santos explains how she studies monkeys in order to learn how humans think.Produced by David Levin and Rob Chapman. Original interview by Josh Seftel and Tom Miller. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston.…