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Big Picture Science

The surprising connections in science and technology that give you the Big Picture. Astronomer Seth Shostak and science journalist Molly Bentley are joined each week by leading researchers, techies, a... Read more

Ranked #1

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Shell on Earth

Shell on Earth

(repeat) We all may retreat to our protective shells, but evolution has perfected the calcite variety to give some critt... Read more

9 Dec 2019

54mins

Ranked #2

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Before the Big Bang

Before the Big Bang

It’s one of the biggest questions you can ask: has the universe existed forever? The Big Bang is supposedly the moment i... Read more

24 Feb 2014

54mins

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Ranked #3

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Skeptic Check: Science Blunders

Skeptic Check: Science Blunders

We’ve all had an “oops” moment. Scientists are no exception. Sometimes science stumbles in the steady march of progress.... Read more

28 Jan 2013

54mins

Ranked #4

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Skeptic Check: Flat Earth

Skeptic Check: Flat Earth

(repeat) The Earth is not round. Technically, it’s an oblate spheroid. But for some people, the first statement is not e... Read more

29 Jul 2019

54mins

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Ranked #5

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Whither the Weather?

Whither the Weather?

We all talk about the weather. And now scientists are doing something about it: providing more accurate warnings before ... Read more

14 Jan 2013

54mins

Ranked #6

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Martian Madness

Martian Madness

It’s the starkly beautiful setting for the new film “The Martian,” and – just in time – NASA has announced that the Red ... Read more

5 Oct 2015

54mins

Ranked #7

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Do Computers Byte?

Do Computers Byte?

The march of computer technology continues. But as silicon chips and search engines become faster and more productive – ... Read more

15 Jan 2011

52mins

Ranked #8

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Solar System Vacation

Solar System Vacation

Ever gone bungee jumping on Venus? Of course not. No one has. However your great-great-great grandchildren might find th... Read more

10 Aug 2015

54mins

Ranked #9

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Alien Invasion

Alien Invasion

They’re heeeere! Yes, aliens are wreaking havoc and destruction throughout the land. But these aliens are Arizona beetle... Read more

20 Jun 2011

54mins

Ranked #10

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Fuel's Paradise

Fuel's Paradise

You know the joke about the car and the snail. Look at that escargot? Well, snails may be the only thing not powering th... Read more

6 Aug 2012

54mins

Ranked #11

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Skeptic Check: Monster Mashup

Skeptic Check: Monster Mashup

Monsters don’t exist. Except when they do. And extinction is forever, except when it isn’t. So, which animals are mythic... Read more

13 Apr 2015

54mins

Ranked #12

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Skeptic Check: ESP or Think Again

Skeptic Check: ESP or Think Again

You’re right: it’s a show about ESP. And, correct again: we’re excited about the publication of a paper that claims prec... Read more

30 Jan 2011

51mins

Ranked #13

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Skeptic Check: Brain Gain

Skeptic Check: Brain Gain

(repeat) Looking to boost your brainpower? Luckily, there are products promising to help. Smart drugs, neurofeedback exe... Read more

26 Aug 2019

54mins

Ranked #14

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Whodunit, Who'll Do It?

Whodunit, Who'll Do It?

The tools of forensics have moved way beyond fingerprint kits. These days, a prosecutor is as likely to wave a fMRI brai... Read more

18 Feb 2013

54mins

Ranked #15

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Skeptic Check: Rational Lampoon

Skeptic Check: Rational Lampoon

(repeat) Two heads may be better than one. But what about three or more? A new study shows that chimpanzees excel at com... Read more

28 Oct 2019

54mins

Ranked #16

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Hawkingravity

Hawkingravity

(repeat) Stephen Hawking felt gravity’s pull. His quest to understand this feeble force spanned his career, and he was t... Read more

11 Mar 2019

54mins

Ranked #17

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Light, the Universe, and Everything

Light, the Universe, and Everything

What’s it all about? And we mean ALL. What makes up this vast sprawling cosmos? Why does it exist? Why do we exist? Why ... Read more

2 Jan 2012

54mins

Ranked #18

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Skeptic Check: Monsters, Magic, and Music

Skeptic Check: Monsters, Magic, and Music

If Bigfoot walks through a forest and no one sees him, does he exist? It’s the job of paranormal investigator Joe Nickel... Read more

27 Aug 2012

54mins

Ranked #19

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Skeptic Check: Paleo Diet

Skeptic Check: Paleo Diet

What’s for dinner? Meat, acorns, tubers, and fruit. Followers of the Paleo diet say we should eat what our ancestors ate... Read more

16 Nov 2015

54mins

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