Big Picture Science

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Big Picture Science is a one-hour radio show and podcast that connects ideas in surprising and humorous ways to illuminate the origins, the behavior, and the future of life—and  technology—on Earth.

What came before the Big Bang?  How does the brain work? Will our descendents be human or machine?  What’s the origin of humor?  We ponder these questions daily... and expound on them weekly.

But, wait!  There’s more!

Are you a doubting Thomas?  Good.  Join us as we separate science from pseudoscience—and facts from the phony—in Skeptic Check, our monthly episode devoted to critical thinking.

Whether it’s astrology, Bigfoot, or just the incessant onslaught of UFOs, we take it all on, wielding the skeptical scalpel of solid science.

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

 

 

 

Series

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328 Pieces

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.


Pieces

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 KMXT, WHCP-LP Cambridge, KICI Iowa City, and RadioFreePalmer


  • Added: Mar 18, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 4
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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
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
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
Caption: Lithium Valley, Credit: Molly Bentley
The discovery of a massive amount of lithium under the Salton Sea could make the U.S. lithium independent. The metal is key for batteries in electr...

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


  • Added: Feb 19, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Caption: Alien Says What?, Credit: Seth Shostak
Whales are aliens on Earth; intelligent beings who have skills for complex problem-solving and their own language. Now in what’s being called a bre...

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


  • Added: Feb 12, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Caption: The Wrong Stuff, Credit: Seth Shostak
By one estimate the average American home has 300,000 objects. Yet our ancient ancestors had no more than what they could carry with them. How did ...

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


  • Added: Feb 05, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Caption: Skeptic Check: Hypnosis, Credit: Shannon Rose Geary
You are getting sleeeepy and open to suggestion. But is that how hypnotism works? And does it really open up a portal to the unconscious mind? Hypn...

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


  • Added: Jan 29, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
Caption: Inside Planets, Credit: Seth Shostak
With planets and moons, it’s what’s inside that counts. If we want to understand surface features, like volcanoes, or their history, such as how th...

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


  • Added: Jan 22, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Caption: Tech in Check, Credit: public domain
Worried that AI will replace you? It may not seem like the Hollywood writers’ strike has anything in common with the Luddite rebellion in England i...

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


  • Added: Jan 15, 2024
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14