Plus, an Apollo astronaut’s view from orbit… dining with South Korea’s first astronaut… and one of Britain’s great science fiction authors on how space science fuels the imagination.

Guests:

• Rusty Schweickart – Former NASA astronaut and Chairman of the Board of the B612 Foundation
• John Mankins – 25-year NASA veteran who managed the Agency’s exploration technology activities
• Sanjoy Som – Planetary scientist at the University of Washington, Seattle
• Will Whitehorn – President of Virgin Galactic
• Yi So-yeon – Biomechanical engineer and South Korean astronaut
• Stephen Baxter – Science fiction author, most recently of Weaver: Time’s Tapestry, Book Four
  

Descripción en español

Find out how throwing a burger on the grill has transformed our species… the 1% genetic difference that separate us from chimps… why we’re poorly adapted and stressed out … and why human evolution is not only on the move, but picking up the pace.

• Richard Wrangham – Biological anthropologist at Harvard University and author of Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human
• Katherine Pollard – Biostatistician at the Gladstone Institutes at the University of California, San Francisco
• Robert Sapolsky – Biological scientist at Stanford University and neurologist at Stanford’s School of Medicine. Author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Third Edition and, more recently, Monkeyluv: And Other Essays on Our Lives as Animals
• Gregory Cochran – Anthropologist at the University of Utah and co-author of The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution

Descripción en español

Find out how baby talk gave root to human language and why social isolation can make us sick. Plus, the joke’s on us – new research says we’re not the only laughing species: meet your giggling gorilla cousins.

And, what a writer’s visit to a chimp retirement center revealed about human discomfort with our animal ancestry.

• Dean Falk – Anthropologist at Florida State University and author of Finding Our Tongues: Mothers, Infants, and the Origins of Language
• John Cacioppo – Director of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago and co-author of Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social Connection
• Lori Marino – Biologist at Emory University
• Kathryn Denning – Anthropologist at York University
• Charles Siebert – Author of The Wauchula Woods Accord: Toward a New Understanding of Animals
• Marina Davila-Ross – Psychologist at the University of Portsmouth in the U.K.

Descripción en español

Also, life in an accelerating universe and why a spacecraft’s quirky trajectory may mean that the laws of motion need tweaking. And we revisit Stanley Kubrick’s epic film 2001: A Space Odyssey

Plus, Seth gets around … and around … when he takes a spin in a gravitational centrifuge.

Guests:

• John Keller – Deputy project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• Robert Kirschner – Astronomer at Harvard University
• Jaime Mateus – Graduate student at M.I.T.’s Manned Vehicle Laboratory
• Mark Frank – Astrodynamicist in California
• Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood – Stars of the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-06-08.mp3 Feel the need for speed? Well, you’ll need an extra helping of speed if you plan to leave the Earth and explore other parts of the solar system. On the 40^th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing, and as part of our series for the International Year of Astronomy: what it’s like to travel in a rocket (why you won’t feel any motion), and NASA’s plans for returning to the moon.

Also, life in an accelerating universe and why a spacecraft’s quirky trajectory may mean that the laws of motion need tweaking. And we revisit Stanley Kubrick’s epic film 2001: A Space Odyssey

Plus, Seth gets around … and around … when he takes a spin in a gravitational centrifuge.

Guests:

• John Keller – Deputy project scientist for NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
• Robert Kirschner – Astronomer at Harvard University
• Jaime Mateus – Graduate student at M.I.T.’s Manned Vehicle Laboratory
• Mark Frank – Astrodynamicist in California
• Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood – Stars of the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey

Descripción en español

]]> 2001: a Space Odyssey,2001,Gary Lockwood,Keir Dullea,dark energy,Apollo,centrifuge,LRO,Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter,Mark Frank,Jaime Mateus,Robert Kirshner,John Keller,IYA,astronomy,Bodies in Motion,humanit,Center for Great Apes,gorilla,orangutan,bonobo,c clean ]]> SETI Institute Dr. Robot, I presume? Your appendix may be removed by motor-driven, scalpel-wielding mechanical hands one day. Robots are debuting in the medical field… as well as on battlefields. And they’re increasingly making important decisions – on their own. But can we teach robots right from wrong? Find out why the onslaught of silicon intelligence has prompted a new field of robo-ethics.

Plus, robo-geologists: NASA’s vision for autonomous robots in space.

Guests:

• P.W. Singer – Director of the 21^st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution, and the author of Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century
• Wendell Wallach – Chair of a technology and ethics working group for Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, and the co-author of Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong
• Pablo Garcia – – Principal engineer working on medical robotics at SRI International, Menlo Park, California
• Robert Anderson – Planetary geologist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Robyn Asimov – Daughter of author Isaac Asimov

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-06-01.mp3 Dr. Robot, I presume? Your appendix may be removed by motor-driven, scalpel-wielding mechanical hands one day. Robots are debuting in the medical field… as well as on battlefields. And they’re increasingly making important decisions – on their own. But can we teach robots right from wrong? Find out why the onslaught of silicon intelligence has prompted a new field of robo-ethics.

Plus, robo-geologists: NASA’s vision for autonomous robots in space.

Guests:

• P.W. Singer – Director of the 21^st Century Defense Initiative at the Brookings Institution, and the author of Wired for War: The Robotics Revolution and Conflict in the 21st Century
• Wendell Wallach – Chair of a technology and ethics working group for Yale University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics, and the co-author of Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong
• Pablo Garcia – – Principal engineer working on medical robotics at SRI International, Menlo Park, California
• Robert Anderson – Planetary geologist, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Robyn Asimov – Daughter of author Isaac Asimov

Descripción en español

]]> spacecraft,robo-surgeons,warbots,robo-ethics,Trauma Pod,PacBot,Robyn Asimov,Robert Anderson,Pablo Garcia,Wendell Wallach,P W Singer,robots,Robots Call the Shots,2001: a Space Odyssey,2001,Gary Lockwood,Keir Dullea,dark energy,Apollo,centrifuge,LRO,Lunar R clean ]]> SETI Institute A new herbal supplements is on the shelf, and it claims to improve memory. Should you take it? It’s not easy to sort through the firehose of health and nutrition advice that comes at us daily. Find out how to get healthy about health advice, plus hear the story of Bernarr Macfadden, the eccentric who kicked off America’s fitness craze; he believed that eating less was good for you, but he didn’t believe germ theory.

Plus, our Hollywood skeptic spills his guts and other entrails for a phony class for nurses and Phil Plait gives us the latest lapse in critically-thinking brains.

It’s Skeptic Check… but don’t take our word for it.

Guests:

• Phil Plait – Author, badastronomy.com and Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . .
• Mark Adams – writer and editor, and author of Mr. America: How Muscular Millionaire Bernarr Macfadden Transformed the Nation Through Sex, Salad, and the Ultimate Starvation Diet
• Jim Underdown – Executive Director, Center for Inquiry, West – Los Angeles
• Steven Novella – Assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-05-25.mp3 A new herbal supplements is on the shelf, and it claims to improve memory. Should you take it? It’s not easy to sort through the firehose of health and nutrition advice that comes at us daily. Find out how to get healthy about health advice, plus hear the story of Bernarr Macfadden, the eccentric who kicked off America’s fitness craze; he believed that eating less was good for you, but he didn’t believe germ theory.

Plus, our Hollywood skeptic spills his guts and other entrails for a phony class for nurses and Phil Plait gives us the latest lapse in critically-thinking brains.

It’s Skeptic Check… but don’t take our word for it.

Guests:

• Phil Plait – Author, badastronomy.com and Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . .
• Mark Adams – writer and editor, and author of Mr. America: How Muscular Millionaire Bernarr Macfadden Transformed the Nation Through Sex, Salad, and the Ultimate Starvation Diet
• Jim Underdown – Executive Director, Center for Inquiry, West – Los Angeles
• Steven Novella – Assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine

Descripción en español

]]> fitness,nutrition,germ theory,entrails,autism,vaccines,feng shui,Bernarr Macfadden,diets,Playing Doctor,Skeptic Check,James Underdown,Jim Underdown,Phil Plait,Steven Novella,Mark Adams,spacecraft,robo-surgeons,warbots,robo-ethics,Trauma Pod,PacBot,Robyn A clean ]]> SETI Institute ENCORE We see a man laughing and we smile in response. Our heart goes out to the sad-looking woman on the train. Humans are empathetic creatures – we feel what others feel, even the emotions of strangers. And it may be due to brain cells that researchers have only recently discovered: mirror neurons. Find out how these mimicking cells help us survive cocktail parties, keep society humming, and even give rise to the concept of self.

Also, are humans born with a moral code? And, if human behavior is hard-wired – whatever becomes of free will?

Guests:

• Marc Hauser – Evolutionary psychologist and biologist at Harvard, author of Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong
  
  Take Marc’s Moral Sense Test
• Marco Iacoboni – Psychologist and neuroscientist at UCLA and the author of Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others
• Allen Stairs – Philosopher at the University of Maryland
• John-Dylan Haynes – Neuroscientist, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-05-18.mp3 ENCORE We see a man laughing and we smile in response. Our heart goes out to the sad-looking woman on the train. Humans are empathetic creatures – we feel what others feel, even the emotions of strangers. And it may be due to brain cells that researchers have only recently discovered: mirror neurons. Find out how these mimicking cells help us survive cocktail parties, keep society humming, and even give rise to the concept of self.

Also, are humans born with a moral code? And, if human behavior is hard-wired – whatever becomes of free will?

Guests:

• Marc Hauser – Evolutionary psychologist and biologist at Harvard, author of Moral Minds: How Nature Designed Our Universal Sense of Right and Wrong
  
  Take Marc’s Moral Sense Test
• Marco Iacoboni – Psychologist and neuroscientist at UCLA and the author of Mirroring People: The New Science of How We Connect with Others
• Allen Stairs – Philosopher at the University of Maryland
• John-Dylan Haynes – Neuroscientist, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin

Descripción en español

]]> why we do what we shoo be do be do,free will,morality,mirror neurons,John-Dylan Haynes,Allen Stairs,Marco Iacoboni,Marc Hauser,fitness,nutrition,germ theory,entrails,autism,vaccines,feng shui,Bernarr Macfadden,diets,Playing Doctor,Skeptic Check,James Unde clean ]]> SETI Institute With more water than land on this planet, Earth is more aptly-named “Ocean” or “Water.” The oceans have been here for billions of years, and make all life possible. Yet, it’s taken less than a century for humans to deal some serious blows to the watery cradle of our existence. Discover how our oceans are changing and the worrisome increase in their acidity from the maker of the documentary film, A Sea Change

Also, hear how hope is bubbling up for ocean recovery from famed oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Learn about her record-breaking voyages underwater and how her reprimand to a Silicon Valley entrepreneur gave birth to Google Ocean. Plus, farming the seas for new antibiotics.

Guests:

• Sylvia Earle – Oceanographer, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, founder of DeepSearch Foundation, and author of Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas (National Geographic Atlas)
• Sven Huseby – Co-producer of the documentary A Sea Change
• Peter Moeller – Toxin and Natural Products Chemist at NOAA
• Pacific Ocean – Largest oceanic division of the world, overlay of the Pacific Plate

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-05-11.mp3 With more water than land on this planet, Earth is more aptly-named “Ocean” or “Water.” The oceans have been here for billions of years, and make all life possible. Yet, it’s taken less than a century for humans to deal some serious blows to the watery cradle of our existence. Discover how our oceans are changing and the worrisome increase in their acidity from the maker of the documentary film, A Sea Change

Also, hear how hope is bubbling up for ocean recovery from famed oceanographer Sylvia Earle. Learn about her record-breaking voyages underwater and how her reprimand to a Silicon Valley entrepreneur gave birth to Google Ocean. Plus, farming the seas for new antibiotics.

Guests:

• Sylvia Earle – Oceanographer, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence, founder of DeepSearch Foundation, and author of Ocean: An Illustrated Atlas (National Geographic Atlas)
• Sven Huseby – Co-producer of the documentary A Sea Change
• Peter Moeller – Toxin and Natural Products Chemist at NOAA
• Pacific Ocean – Largest oceanic division of the world, overlay of the Pacific Plate

Descripción en español

]]> Google Ocean,Seas the Moment,antibiotics,novel drugs,ocean acidification,sea change,oceans,Pacific Ocean,Peter Moeller,Sven Huseby,Sylvia Earle,why we do what we shoo be do be do,free will,morality,mirror neurons,John-Dylan Haynes,Allen Stairs,Marco Iacob clean ]]> SETI Institute ENCORE Remember Mr. Potato Head? You changed his look by snapping in plastic mustaches, googly eyes and feet. Now imagine doing the same with a living cell: inserting the genes you want to create the organism you want. Welcome to the world of synthetic biology. It has potential to create new bio-fuels and life-saving drugs. It also ushers in a host of ethical and safety concerns. We examine both when we discuss this emerging science of mix and match genes.

Plus, does doing an end run around Mother Nature challenge the essence of life itself?

Guests:

• Jay Keasling – professor of chemical engineering and biological engineering at UC Berkeley and founder of Amyris Biotechnologies
• Jonathan Eisen – biologist at UC Davis
• Jim Thomas – researcher at ETC group in Ottawa, Canada
• Ed Regis – science writer and author of What Is Life?: Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology
• Michael Dosmann – curator of Living Collections at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-05-04.mp3 ENCORE Remember Mr. Potato Head? You changed his look by snapping in plastic mustaches, googly eyes and feet. Now imagine doing the same with a living cell: inserting the genes you want to create the organism you want. Welcome to the world of synthetic biology. It has potential to create new bio-fuels and life-saving drugs. It also ushers in a host of ethical and safety concerns. We examine both when we discuss this emerging science of mix and match genes.

Plus, does doing an end run around Mother Nature challenge the essence of life itself?

Guests:

• Jay Keasling – professor of chemical engineering and biological engineering at UC Berkeley and founder of Amyris Biotechnologies
• Jonathan Eisen – biologist at UC Davis
• Jim Thomas – researcher at ETC group in Ottawa, Canada
• Ed Regis – science writer and author of What Is Life?: Investigating the Nature of Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology
• Michael Dosmann – curator of Living Collections at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

Descripción en español

]]> genes that fit,life,ethics,synthetic biology,genes,Michael Dosmann,Ed Regis,Jim Thomas,Jonathan Eisen,Jay Keasling,Google Ocean,Seas the Moment,antibiotics,novel drugs,ocean acidification,sea change,oceans,Pacific Ocean,Peter Moeller,Sven Huseby,Sylvia Ea clean ]]> SETI Institute It’s always a surprise to go digging in Seth’s garage – who knows what we’ll find! In this impressive heap of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of old radio tubes and hydraulic jacks, we stumble upon the secrets to our galaxy’s central black hole… witness the dance of the PhD theses… uncover the genome of milk (while moo-ving boxes) and … hey? Who’s that crunching numbers in the corner? It’s astrophysicist Mario Livio addressing the mathematical mysteries of universe.

Guests:

• Andrea Ghez – Astronomer at University of California, Los Angeles
• Kathryn Denning – Professor of Anthropology at York University
• Mario Livio – Senior Astronomer at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute and author of Is God a Mathematician?
• John Bohannon – Gonzo Scientist and Contributing Correspondent for Science
• Katrien Kolenberg – Astrophysicist, University of Vienna
• Danielle Lemay – Nutrition Scientist at the University of California, Davis

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-04-27.mp3 It’s always a surprise to go digging in Seth’s garage – who knows what we’ll find! In this impressive heap of paraphernalia, tucked between boxes of old radio tubes and hydraulic jacks, we stumble upon the secrets to our galaxy’s central black hole… witness the dance of the PhD theses… uncover the genome of milk (while moo-ving boxes) and … hey? Who’s that crunching numbers in the corner? It’s astrophysicist Mario Livio addressing the mathematical mysteries of universe.

Guests:

• Andrea Ghez – Astronomer at University of California, Los Angeles
• Kathryn Denning – Professor of Anthropology at York University
• Mario Livio – Senior Astronomer at the Hubble Space Telescope Science Institute and author of Is God a Mathematician?
• John Bohannon – Gonzo Scientist and Contributing Correspondent for Science
• Katrien Kolenberg – Astrophysicist, University of Vienna
• Danielle Lemay – Nutrition Scientist at the University of California, Davis

Descripción en español

]]> cosmology,physics,math,mathematics,Kathryn Denning,milk genome,cattle,dancing PhD,black holes,Danielle Lemay,Katrien Kolenberg,John Bohannon,Mario Livio,Andrea Ghez,genes that fit,life,ethics,synthetic biology,genes,Michael Dosmann,Ed Regis,Jim Thomas,Jon clean ]]> SETI Institute For nearly four billion years, life has been swimming and shuffling across our planet. But how can we deduce what it was like? You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to track the clues of life that came before – call on an anthropologist or biologist. From fossils to alien radio signals, find out how to interpret the clues that living organisms leave behind, and hear adventure stories in the evolution of life on Earth.

Also, the discovery of a dino-eating crocodile and the tale of scientist/explorer/polymath Idaho Brown.

Join TeamSETI today and buy a signed copy of Seth's book for $15! Already a member? Sign in to TeamSETI to buy your copy today.

Guests:

• Sean Carroll - Molecular biologist and geneticist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and author of Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species
• Paul Sereno - Paleontologist at the University of Chicago, and National Geographic Explorer in Residence
• Seth Shostak - Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute and author of Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-04-20.mp3 For nearly four billion years, life has been swimming and shuffling across our planet. But how can we deduce what it was like? You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to track the clues of life that came before – call on an anthropologist or biologist. From fossils to alien radio signals, find out how to interpret the clues that living organisms leave behind, and hear adventure stories in the evolution of life on Earth.

Also, the discovery of a dino-eating crocodile and the tale of scientist/explorer/polymath Idaho Brown.

Join TeamSETI today and buy a signed copy of Seth's book for $15! Already a member? Sign in to TeamSETI to buy your copy today.

Guests:

• Sean Carroll - Molecular biologist and geneticist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and author of Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species
• Paul Sereno - Paleontologist at the University of Chicago, and National Geographic Explorer in Residence
• Seth Shostak - Senior Astronomer at the SETI Institute and author of Confessions of an Alien Hunter: A Scientist's Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence

Descripción en español

]]> aliens,crocodiles,hominids,Java Man,Idaho Brown,archaeology,paleontology,extraterrestrials,fossils,dinosaurs,Paul Sereno,Sean Carroll,Seth Shostak,cosmology,physics,math,mathematics,Kathryn Denning,milk genome,cattle,dancing PhD,black holes,Danielle Lemay clean ]]> SETI Institute Europe is a country. Six justices sit on the Supreme Court. The Vietnamese attacked Pearl Harbor. If ignorance is bliss, this is one happy-go-lucky country. The average American's grasp of history, current events, and geography is so poor, according to one journalist, we've become a nation of dunces, seriously undermining our own future.
Keeping ourselves in the dark.

Find out why "F" stands for American intellect and what's behind the national trend of dumbing down. Also, the story of the brilliant Russian geneticist who paid the ultimate price during Stalin's Terror in the 1930s.

Plus, Brains on Vacation assesses the doomsday threat of the Large Hadron Collider. And, hunting for ghosts in Hollywood.

It's Skeptical Sunday... but don't take our word for it.

Guests:

• Susan Jacoby - Author of The Age of American Unreason
• Peter Pringle - Journalist and author of The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov: The Story of Stalin's Persecution of One of the Greatest Scientists of the Twentieth Century
• Phil Plait - Astronomer and keeper of the website www.badastronomy.com
• James Underdown - Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry West in Los Angeles

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-04-13.mp3 Europe is a country. Six justices sit on the Supreme Court. The Vietnamese attacked Pearl Harbor. If ignorance is bliss, this is one happy-go-lucky country. The average American's grasp of history, current events, and geography is so poor, according to one journalist, we've become a nation of dunces, seriously undermining our own future.
Keeping ourselves in the dark.

Find out why "F" stands for American intellect and what's behind the national trend of dumbing down. Also, the story of the brilliant Russian geneticist who paid the ultimate price during Stalin's Terror in the 1930s.

Plus, Brains on Vacation assesses the doomsday threat of the Large Hadron Collider. And, hunting for ghosts in Hollywood.

It's Skeptical Sunday... but don't take our word for it.

Guests:

• Susan Jacoby - Author of The Age of American Unreason
• Peter Pringle - Journalist and author of The Murder of Nikolai Vavilov: The Story of Stalin's Persecution of One of the Greatest Scientists of the Twentieth Century
• Phil Plait - Astronomer and keeper of the website www.badastronomy.com
• James Underdown - Executive Director of the Center for Inquiry West in Los Angeles

Descripción en español

]]> Joseph Stalin,Nikolai Vavilov,education,ignorance,Hollywood Reality Check,Brains on Vacation,Skeptical Sunday,Jim Underdown,James Underdown,Phil Plait,Peter Pringle,Susan Jacoby,aliens,crocodiles,hominids,Java Man,Idaho Brown,archaeology,paleontology,extr clean ]]> SETI Institute We should award frequent travel miles to your brain. After all, it’s evolved a long way from the days of guiding brachiation from tree-to-tree to become the three pounds of web-surfing, Sudoku-playing powerhouse it is today. But a suite of technologies may expand human brains further still.

From smart pills to nano-wires: discover the potential – and peril – of neuro-engineering to repair and enhance our cognitive function.

Also, how our brains got so big in the first place: a defense of the modern diet.

Guests

• Bill Leonard - department chairman and professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University
• Michael Gazzaniga - neuroscientist and director of the University of California – Santa Barbara’s SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind. Author of Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique
• Ian Pearson - futurologist at Futurizon
• Steven Rose - biologist and director of the Brain and Behavior Research Group at the Open University in London. Author of The Future of the Brain: The Promise and Perils of Tomorrow's Neuroscience
• Ed Boyden - neuroscientist at MIT’s Media Lab and Department of Biological Engineering

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-04-06.mp3 We should award frequent travel miles to your brain. After all, it’s evolved a long way from the days of guiding brachiation from tree-to-tree to become the three pounds of web-surfing, Sudoku-playing powerhouse it is today. But a suite of technologies may expand human brains further still.

From smart pills to nano-wires: discover the potential – and peril – of neuro-engineering to repair and enhance our cognitive function.

Also, how our brains got so big in the first place: a defense of the modern diet.

Guests

• Bill Leonard - department chairman and professor of Anthropology at Northwestern University
• Michael Gazzaniga - neuroscientist and director of the University of California – Santa Barbara’s SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind. Author of Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique
• Ian Pearson - futurologist at Futurizon
• Steven Rose - biologist and director of the Brain and Behavior Research Group at the Open University in London. Author of The Future of the Brain: The Promise and Perils of Tomorrow's Neuroscience
• Ed Boyden - neuroscientist at MIT’s Media Lab and Department of Biological Engineering

Descripción en español

]]> Ed Boyden,futurologist,future,diet,evolution,neuro-engineering,brain,brains,Steven Rose,Ian Pearson,Michael Gazzaniga,Bill Leonard,Joseph Stalin,Nikolai Vavilov,education,ignorance,Hollywood Reality Check,Brains on Vacation,Skeptical Sunday,Jim Underdown, clean ]]> SETI Institute Ever try talking to an alien? In the movies, they always speak perfect English. But what if we really made contact? Could we just whip out a universal translator - or even a babelfish - to understand one another?

Let's say we do learn to communicate: what to say, what to say? We'll hear the protocol for just how to reply to ET. And, from Klingon to Esperanto: the recipe for creating a language from scratch.

Plus, get ready to babble with your Blackberry: how computers are learning to recognize - and respond - to human speech.

Q1=B4t'.f:t'.ql. P4&=tr'w.k*.k*n.=D5^Q5=P4^B5 P4&=D1>s'.t*.ql.=B5
What does this mean? Listen to the show to find out!

Guests:

• Terrence Deacon - Professor of anthropology and neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley
• Douglas Vakoch - Director of Interstellar Message Composition, SETI Institute
• Donald Boozer - Librarian, Coordinator of Cleveland Public Library's recent exhibit "Esperanto, Elvish, and Beyond...The World of Constructed Languages"
• Jim Glass - Director of the Spoken Language Systems Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Systems.
  Ask MIT's Jupiter about the weather!

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-03-30.mp3 Ever try talking to an alien? In the movies, they always speak perfect English. But what if we really made contact? Could we just whip out a universal translator - or even a babelfish - to understand one another?

Let's say we do learn to communicate: what to say, what to say? We'll hear the protocol for just how to reply to ET. And, from Klingon to Esperanto: the recipe for creating a language from scratch.

Plus, get ready to babble with your Blackberry: how computers are learning to recognize - and respond - to human speech.

Q1=B4t'.f:t'.ql. P4&=tr'w.k*.k*n.=D5^Q5=P4^B5 P4&=D1>s'.t*.ql.=B5
What does this mean? Listen to the show to find out!

Guests:

• Terrence Deacon - Professor of anthropology and neuroscience, University of California, Berkeley
• Douglas Vakoch - Director of Interstellar Message Composition, SETI Institute
• Donald Boozer - Librarian, Coordinator of Cleveland Public Library's recent exhibit "Esperanto, Elvish, and Beyond...The World of Constructed Languages"
• Jim Glass - Director of the Spoken Language Systems Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Systems.
  Ask MIT's Jupiter about the weather!

Descripción en español

]]> artificial intelligence,constructed languages,speech,communication,language,Jim Glass,Donald Boozer,Douglas Vakoch,Terrence Deacon,Ed Boyden,futurologist,future,diet,evolution,neuro-engineering,brain,brains,Steven Rose,Ian Pearson,Michael Gazzaniga,Bill L clean ]]> SETI Institute Pick a number, any number. Got it? Good. Is it a lucky or unlucky? Is it a code that gives you a clue to the future? A lot of people assign all sorts of magical significance to numbers. From Friday the 13th to lucky number 7 – we’ll find out whether the idea of digits of destiny adds up. Plus, 666 and 616: find out what famous figures these figures code for.

Learn the numbers that do have significance in math and nature: how a honey bee’s lineage is an example of the Fibonacci series.

Meanwhile, Brains on Vacation quashes satellite fireball rumors, and our Hollywood skeptic gives a “how to” for faking UFO photos.

It’s Skeptical Sunday.. but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:

• Phil Plait - Astronomer and author of badastronomy.com and Death from the Skies!
• Richard Wiseman - Psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in England
• David Parker - Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham in England
• Pat McKeague - Teacher in San Luis Obispo in California
• Jim Underdown - Executive Director, Center for Inquiry in Los Angeles

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-03-23.mp3 Pick a number, any number. Got it? Good. Is it a lucky or unlucky? Is it a code that gives you a clue to the future? A lot of people assign all sorts of magical significance to numbers. From Friday the 13th to lucky number 7 – we’ll find out whether the idea of digits of destiny adds up. Plus, 666 and 616: find out what famous figures these figures code for.

Learn the numbers that do have significance in math and nature: how a honey bee’s lineage is an example of the Fibonacci series.

Meanwhile, Brains on Vacation quashes satellite fireball rumors, and our Hollywood skeptic gives a “how to” for faking UFO photos.

It’s Skeptical Sunday.. but don’t take our word for it!

Guests:

• Phil Plait - Astronomer and author of badastronomy.com and Death from the Skies!
• Richard Wiseman - Psychologist at the University of Hertfordshire in England
• David Parker - Professor of New Testament Textual Criticism and Paleography at the University of Birmingham in England
• Pat McKeague - Teacher in San Luis Obispo in California
• Jim Underdown - Executive Director, Center for Inquiry in Los Angeles

Descripción en español

]]> James Underdown,superstition,Fibonacci series,Caligula,Nero,616,666,Friday the 13th,Jim Underdown,Pat McKeague,David Parker,Richard Wiseman,Phil Plait,numerology,numbers,artificial intelligence,constructed languages,speech,communication,language,Jim Glass clean ]]> SETI Institute Hollywood horror flicks have captivated us with alien blobs, but the slime slithering on our own planet is as beguiling. From microscopic machines to life on ocean floors, new research reveals how essential slime is to life on Earth, and possibly other worlds.

Discover the new materials made from hagfish slime… the social life of a slime mold… and the threat posed by the gray goo of self-replicating nanobots.

Plus, it’s been 50 years since it first oozed across the screen: why there’s no escape from The Blob!

Guests:

• Tori Hoeler - Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center
• Douglas Fudge - Biologist, University of Guelph, Canada
• John Tyler Bonner - Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, and author of The Social Amoebae: The Biology of Cellular Slime Molds
• Chris Phoenix - Director of Research, Center for Responsible Technology
• Andre Bormanis - Television Writer and Producer

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-03-16.mp3 Hollywood horror flicks have captivated us with alien blobs, but the slime slithering on our own planet is as beguiling. From microscopic machines to life on ocean floors, new research reveals how essential slime is to life on Earth, and possibly other worlds.

Discover the new materials made from hagfish slime… the social life of a slime mold… and the threat posed by the gray goo of self-replicating nanobots.

Plus, it’s been 50 years since it first oozed across the screen: why there’s no escape from The Blob!

Guests:

• Tori Hoeler - Astrobiologist, NASA Ames Research Center
• Douglas Fudge - Biologist, University of Guelph, Canada
• John Tyler Bonner - Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, and author of The Social Amoebae: The Biology of Cellular Slime Molds
• Chris Phoenix - Director of Research, Center for Responsible Technology
• Andre Bormanis - Television Writer and Producer

Descripción en español

]]> Andre Bormanis,The Blob,Hollywood,nanotechnology,gray goo,slime molds,hagfish,astrobiology,Chris Phoenix,John Tyler Bonner,Douglas Fudge,Tori Hoeler,Slime,James Underdown,superstition,Fibonacci series,Caligula,Nero,616,666,Friday the 13th,Jim Underdown,Pa clean ]]> SETI Institute ENCORE Forgot your own birthday? Misplaced your Shih Tzu? Did you put the milk in your backpack and the iPod in the fridge? Age may bring wisdom but – alas – not a boost in RAM. But there’s hope – scientists are discovering that the brain is more malleable than thought. We’ll hear about the science of neuroplasticity and what you can do to slow that cerebellum slide. Ever been to a brain gym?

>p>Plus, why the brains of London cabbies are bigger than those of your average commuter.




Guests:

• Michael Merzenich – Professor Emeritus Neuroscientist, University of California, San Francisco
• Gordy Slack – Science journalist and author of The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA
• Sam Wang – Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Molecular Biology at Princeton University and the author of Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget how to Drive and other Puzzles of Everyday Life
• Lisa Schoonerman – Co-founder, VibrantBrains
• Jan Zivic – Co-founder, VibrantBrains

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-03-09.mp3 ENCORE Forgot your own birthday? Misplaced your Shih Tzu? Did you put the milk in your backpack and the iPod in the fridge? Age may bring wisdom but – alas – not a boost in RAM. But there’s hope – scientists are discovering that the brain is more malleable than thought. We’ll hear about the science of neuroplasticity and what you can do to slow that cerebellum slide. Ever been to a brain gym?

>p>Plus, why the brains of London cabbies are bigger than those of your average commuter.




Guests:

• Michael Merzenich – Professor Emeritus Neuroscientist, University of California, San Francisco
• Gordy Slack – Science journalist and author of The Battle Over the Meaning of Everything: Evolution, Intelligent Design, and a School Board in Dover, PA
• Sam Wang – Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Molecular Biology at Princeton University and the author of Welcome to Your Brain: Why You Lose Your Car Keys but Never Forget how to Drive and other Puzzles of Everyday Life
• Lisa Schoonerman – Co-founder, VibrantBrains
• Jan Zivic – Co-founder, VibrantBrains

Descripción en español

]]> brain gym,neuroplasticity,brain,Jan Zivic,Lisa Schoonerman,Sam Wang,Gordy Slack,Michael Merzenich,Andre Bormanis,The Blob,Hollywood,nanotechnology,gray goo,slime molds,hagfish,astrobiology,Chris Phoenix,John Tyler Bonner,Douglas Fudge,Tori Hoeler,Slime,Ja clean ]]> SETI Institute While the Kepler spacecraft hunts for habitable planets beyond the solar system, we’ve let one of our own planets slip away! Find out why Pluto’s demotion to dwarf status created a public uproar as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson reads us his hate mail. From third-graders!

Also, how we might find Earth-like planets… the possibility of life on Saturn’s moon Titan… and TED Prize winner Jill Tarter’s vision for finding E.T.

And, the man who made it all possible: 400 years of Galileo and the telescope. Part of our series for the International Year of Astronomy.

Guests

• Neil deGrasse Tyson - Astrophysicist, Head of the Hayden Planetarium, and author of The Pluto Files:The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet
• Alan Stern - Planetary Scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, lead investigator on NASA’s New Horizons Mission
• Jeffrey Van Cleve - Astronomer at the Kepler Mission Science Office
• Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist and Lead for NASA’s Cassini Mission
• Jill Tarter - Director of SETI Research at the SETI Institute
• Andy Fraknoi - Astronomer at Foothill College and author of Voyages Through the Universe

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0800 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-03-02.mp3 While the Kepler spacecraft hunts for habitable planets beyond the solar system, we’ve let one of our own planets slip away! Find out why Pluto’s demotion to dwarf status created a public uproar as astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson reads us his hate mail. From third-graders!

Also, how we might find Earth-like planets… the possibility of life on Saturn’s moon Titan… and TED Prize winner Jill Tarter’s vision for finding E.T.

And, the man who made it all possible: 400 years of Galileo and the telescope. Part of our series for the International Year of Astronomy.

Guests

• Neil deGrasse Tyson - Astrophysicist, Head of the Hayden Planetarium, and author of The Pluto Files:The Rise and Fall of America’s Favorite Planet
• Alan Stern - Planetary Scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, lead investigator on NASA’s New Horizons Mission
• Jeffrey Van Cleve - Astronomer at the Kepler Mission Science Office
• Carolyn Porco - Planetary scientist and Lead for NASA’s Cassini Mission
• Jill Tarter - Director of SETI Research at the SETI Institute
• Andy Fraknoi - Astronomer at Foothill College and author of Voyages Through the Universe

Descripción en español

]]> New Horizons,Andy Fraknoi,Andrew Fraknoi,Jill Tarter,Carolyn Porco,Jeffrey Van Cleve,Alan Stern,Neil deGrasse Tyson,SETI,Galilleo,planets,Saturn,Cassini,Kepler,Pluto,brain gym,neuroplasticity,brain,Jan Zivic,Lisa Schoonerman,Sam Wang,Gordy Slack,Michael M clean ]]> SETI Institute Love makes us feel warm and mushy, but the sweet sting of Cupid's arrow makes a compelling chemistry lesson, too. Research into animal mating and human courtship provides clues to an eternal mystery: what's the purpose of love?

Learn lessons from the family values of field mice, and affectionate same-sex penguin pairs. Plus: Darwin's take on speed dating, and the science of smooching.

Guests

• Helen Fisher - Anthropologist, Rutgers University
• Sarah Woodley - Biologist, Duquesne University
• Skyler Place - Doctoral Student, Indiana University's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
• Larry Young - Neurobiologist, Emory University
• Marlene Zuk - Biologist, University of California, Riverside

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_09-02-23.mp3 Love makes us feel warm and mushy, but the sweet sting of Cupid's arrow makes a compelling chemistry lesson, too. Research into animal mating and human courtship provides clues to an eternal mystery: what's the purpose of love?

Learn lessons from the family values of field mice, and affectionate same-sex penguin pairs. Plus: Darwin's take on speed dating, and the science of smooching.

Guests

• Helen Fisher - Anthropologist, Rutgers University
• Sarah Woodley - Biologist, Duquesne University
• Skyler Place - Doctoral Student, Indiana University's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
• Larry Young - Neurobiologist, Emory University
• Marlene Zuk - Biologist, University of California, Riverside

Descripción en español

]]> love potion,speed dating,voles,penguins,field mice,courtship,mating,kissing,Marlene Zuk,Larry Young,Skyler Place,Sarah Woodley,Helen Fisher,chemistry,love,New Horizons,Andy Fraknoi,Andrew Fraknoi,Jill Tarter,Carolyn Porco,Jeffrey Van Cleve,Alan Stern,Neil clean ]]> SETI Institute ENCORE How did the first cells make the scene? Could there be critters on some newly discovered planets? And what happens if we ever encounter weird life? These may not be the sort of questions you hear being bandied about in your local coffee shop, but they were hot topics at the AbSciCon conference held recently in Santa Clara, California, and sponsored by the SETI Institute.

AbSciCon stands for Astrobiology Science Conference, and Seth was there, talking to researchers about progress in puzzling out how life began on Earth, and where it might have gained a claw-hold elsewhere. Could there be certain parts of our Galaxy that are off-limits for life? Also, hear whether our universe has special properties that render it just dandy for life, and whether we should be looking for viruses on Mars.

Guests:

• Diana Valencia – Planetary physicist at Harvard University
• Charley Lineweaver – Cosmologist at the Australian National University
• David Deamer – Research scientist at the University of California at Santa Cruz
• Baruch Blumberg – Scientist at the Fox Chase Cancer Institute, Nobel Prize winner, and Trustee at the SETI Institute
• Matthew Kenworthy – Astronomer at the University of Arizona
• Eric Korpela – Research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley
• Richard Muller – Physicist, University of California, Berkeley
• Kathryn Denning – Anthropologist at York University

Descripción en español

]]> Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800 http://dlc.sun.com/seti/podcast/AWA_08-05-05.mp3 ENCORE How did the first cells make the scene? Could there be critters on some newly discovered planets? And what happens if we ever encounter weird life? These may not be the sort of questions you hear being bandied about in your local coffee shop, but they were hot topics at the AbSciCon conference held recently in Santa Clara, California, and sponsored by the SETI Institute.

AbSciCon stands for Astrobiology Science Conference, and Seth was there, talking to researchers about progress in puzzling out how life began on Earth, and where it might have gained a claw-hold elsewhere. Could there be certain parts of our Galaxy that are off-limits for life? Also, hear whether our universe has special properties that render it just dandy for life, and whether we should be looking for viruses on Mars.

Guests:

• Diana Valencia – Planetary physicist at Harvard University
• Charley Lineweaver – Cosmologist at the Australian National University
• David Deamer – Research scientist at the University of California at Santa Cruz
• Baruch Blumberg – Scientist at the Fox Chase Cancer Institute, Nobel Prize winner, and Trustee at the SETI Institute
• Matthew Kenworthy – Astronomer at the University of Arizona
• Eric Korpela – Research scientist at the University of California, Berkeley
• Richard Muller – Physicist, University of California, Berkeley
• Kathryn Denning – Anthropologist at York University

Descripción en español

]]> extraterrestrial life,aliens,origins of life,life,SETI,Astrobiology Science Conference,AbSciCon 2008,Kathryn Denning,Richard Muller,Eric Korpela,Matthew Kenworthy,Baruch Blumberg,David Deamer,Charley Lineweaver,Diana Valencia,love potion,speed dating,vole clean