Perpetual Notion Machine: Recent Episodes
Perpetual Notion Machine
In this edition of The Perpetual Notion Machine, sixth-generation farmer and business manager Chris Wilson describes the journey to regenerative farming on the land that his extended family has worked from homesteading in 1848 to Wilson Organic Farms today. The broad implications of viable sustainable agriculture and associated environmental benefits are discussed with Citizens’ Climate Lobby activists Stan Frey and Steve Lewis with host Patrick Sajbel.
The practices of regenerative agriculture provide better drought & flood resistance, better soil management and higher carbon sequestration. Experiences and teachings in organic farming are shared at the farmer-led Fields of Sinsinawa center, the UW Madison OGRAIN organic network and the Rodale Institute for the transition from conventional, chemical-based farming practices.
Practical guidance for anyone can be found in A Soil Owner’s Manual: How to Restore and Maintain Soil Health, by Jon Stika.
Image courtesy of Wilson Organic Farms
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The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with Colleen Robinson, certified mindful outdoor guide, Wisconsin Master Naturalist instructor, and founder of Nature’s Good Company. We discuss the mental and physical benefits of time spent in nature and green spaces, and how we can create reciprocity with the earth. “As we build these relationships,” she says. “Our environmental knowledge, desire for change, and abilities to care for a place we are connected to grows.”
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An hour before the season kickoff at nearby Camp Randall, a group of five people gathered at WORT to sample a wide variety of fermentation products. PNM host Patrick Sajbel and co. were guided by David Kohlwey, vintner and cider maker, wine chemist, and Wisconsin State Fair judge. The art and chemistry of cider making is explored, from color and aroma to tasting for tannins, acidity and sweetness.
Kohlwey encourages others to join his passion for home fermentation via local groups like the Prairie Home Vintners and Wisconsin Vintners Association, Inc.
Featured image courtesy of guest David Kohlwey.
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Professor Julie Klinger joins host Ryan Coogan to discuss rare earth elements, their role in the green energy transition, and the complex geopolitics and supply chains behind them.
Photo Courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory
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Madison bicycling legend Colin O’Brien joins WORT PNM host Patrick Sajbel to discuss his career in bike building, bike racing, leading bike tours even helping injured riders in recovery. Working from his Cronometro shop, he has provided customized service to cyclists of all levels of performance.
Photo Credit: Cronometro
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WORT 89.9FM Madison · Modern Cannabis in WisconsinIan Marsden is the owner and mind behind Turtle Island Dispensary here in Madison, Wisconsin. He shares his passion for exploring the corners of the mind as a business owner as well as supporting indigenous rights and fighting the Enbridge pipeline.
Ian, Codename Moon Turtle, is knowledgeable about the hemp and psychedelic side of Wisconsin. He joins mad scientist host Wally in the WORT studio on 4/17/2025.
Public domain image from Franz Eugen Köhler’s Medizinal-Pflantzen. Published and copyrighted by Gera-Untermhaus, FE Köhler in 1887 (1883–1914).
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The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with Charles Carlin, Director of Strategic Initiatives with Gathering Waters, Wisconsin’s Alliance for Land Trusts, about Knowles-Nelson Lobby Day taking place March 12, 2025. The DNR has requested $100 million in annual funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program over the next decade. Advocates for the program will meet downtown and march to the Capitol to meet with representatives and senators to rally support for the program. Numerous polls and surveys conducted over the years have show that 9 in 10 Wisconsin residents, across political affiliations, support increased investment to protect natural areas in the state. We talk about the efforts to secure this funding within the current political climate.
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Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with Dr. Mahendra Shrestha with the International Crane Foundation, about a successful collaboration to preserve flyway habitat for the Siberian Crane in China. This 10-year effort almost doubled the population of the bird within their range. Photo courtesy of the International Crane Foundation.
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The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering the addition of the monarch butterfly to the endangered species list, and are set to announce a decision the week of December 9, 2024. We speak with Dan Salas, he and his team work with the Wisconsin Butterfly Collaborative to preserve Monarch habitat on utility and transportation rights of way in the state. Landowner resources for butterfly conservation are available at Monarch Joint Ventures.
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The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with Tony Kuchma and Erin Giese. They are working with the Oneida Nation to restore historically tribal land that was once farmland.
Photo: Oneida Bird Monitoring Program
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Jennifer Reddell is a conservation biologist for the DNR, and a bat expert working with the Wisconsin Bat Project. She talked to WORT about the eight different types of bats found in Wisconsin: the Little Brown bat, the Big Brown bat, the Tri-colored bat, and the Northern Long-eared bat. The Migratory bats who move south in the winter are the Hoary bat, the Silver-haired bat, the Eastern Red Bat, and the Evening Bat. The migratory species are not affected by white-nose syndrome, which is a fungus found in the caves of the hibernating bats, wiping out 80% of little brown bats in Wisconsin.
Redell talks to WORT about the latest developments with the devastating disease, recent conservation efforts, and the light that seems to finally be shining at the end of the cave for Wisconsin bats.
Redell encourages citizen scientists to build bat houses, monitor bat roosts, and track echolocation calls to observe the local bats in your area.
Photo Courtesy: Chali Pittman
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Dr. Edgar Spalding sat down with WORT to talk about citizen science, dragonfly walks at the UW Arboretum, recently discovered species of dragonflies, and more!
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Dr. Edgar Spalding on Dragonflies, Damselflies, and Citizen Science appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with USDA Forester Karl Welch about his work in the Chequamegon National Forest. We talk about Wisconsin’s evergreen trees, among them pines, spruce, tamarack, and cedars.
This show is part of WORT’s two-day drive to inform our listeners about easy ways to provide financial support to WORT! We talk about both Evergreen donations (get it?) and how qualified listeners can give via IRA distributions if they choose. To find out more about how to donate to WORT, please visit out website at www.wortfm.org and click on the orange donate button.
Other websites for this show:
Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest – Home
Wisconsin’s evergreens–exploration for kids!
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UW-Madison scientists have developed a new technique for identifying and analyzing a single molecule.
The new development, published in the May edition of the journal Nature, is the most sensitive way of identifying single molecules yet. With a variety of applications in a wide variety of scientific fields, it offers a future of “new microscopic perspective of unprecedented detail.”
The technique uses mirrors and fiberoptic cables to illuminate microcavities, or optical microresonators —tiny spaces where light is briefly trapped in both space and time — in order to illuminate a molecule’s presence. Not only can microcavities help identify a molecule, they can also help determine a molecule’s shape and other qualities.
The technique was developed by a team of researchers led by Dr. Randy Goldsmith, a professor of chemistry at UW-Madison. He heads up the Goldsmith Group, which studies chemical and biophysical systems via single-molecule techniques (what the group website describes as a “profound and absolutely delightful way of doing science”).
Goldsmith earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biology at Cornell University, his PhD from Northwestern while studying electron transfer, and completed postdoctoral work at Stanford. In 2022, he was named a Schmidt Science Polymath. On this edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine, he joins host Matthew Leeford in the studio to talk more about his work.
Feature image used with permission, courtesy of Dr. Randy Goldsmith.
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The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with UW Professor Francisco Pelegri about his research and how it is advancing work within the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Great Lakes Biobank. Pelegri is a professor and genetics researcher who is department chair at the UW-Madison Departments of Genetics and Medical Genetics. His work includes finding ways to preserve the DNA of threatened animal species before they lose biodiversity within their populations, similar to the seed banks currently preserving biodiversity among plants. We discuss the science behind this work, the land ethic that informs it, and the global impact of the technology.
Photo: Francisco Pelegri with dwarf danio fish. Bryce Richter/University of Wisconsin-Madison. Courtesy of On Wisconsin Magazine.
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Photo courtesy of Kallie Moore.Kallie Moore manages the paleontology collection at the University of Montana and co-hosts the YouTube channel PBS Eons.
She also recently published a children’s nonfiction book, Tales of the Prehistoric World: Adventures from the Land of the Dinosaurs (Neon Squid Books, 2022).
In March, she came to Madison as the campus’s spring Science Journalist in Residence, where she shared her expertise in science communication with students in journalism and communication courses, and gave a public lecture on science communication.
WORT’s Perpetual Notion Machine was at that public lecture. And host Allison Jacoby was so impressed that she reached out for an interview shortly after.
You can follow Moore @FossilLibrarian on Twitter and @fossil_librarian on Instagram.
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The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with geologist Eric Carson about the geological history of Wisconsin’s Driftless Area, where the lack of glacial deposits and glacial landforms indicate that this portion of the midwest has apparently never been covered by glaciers (source: Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey publication). Research is still underway to further understand the geological forces that contributed to the unique landscape.
Map courtesy of Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey
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You may have seen trendy temperature blankets on social media where crocheters around the world record their temperature each day or week using different colors for different temperatures. This results in a colorful array, and a crafty way to visualize trends over time.
Our guest on this episode of Perpetual Notion Machine is Andrew Hahn, a Newsroom Developer at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who crocheted a beautiful bathymetric map of Lake Mendota using worsted weight wool and acrylic.
He and host Lauren Hicks discuss the untraditional ways of data visualization and how journalists are turning to crochet to tell data stories. They also weave into conversation how data is becoming more intertwined with art and the importance of data visualization.
About the guest:
Andrew Hahn is a Newsroom Developer at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a UW-Madison Alum, and a map fanatic who used crochet to illustrate Wisconsin lakes.
You can find more of Andrew’s work on his Twitter. You can also read his most recent article titled “Actors, athletes, and spies: These 72 people are the most ‘famous’ from each county in Wisconsin.”
Photo by Andrew Hahn.
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In this edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine, new host Andy Lamia sits down with Andrea Lopez Lang to talk about polar vortexes, and how to get started in an atmospheric sciences career.
Andrea Lopez Lang is Associate Professor in the Department of Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences at the University of Albany, where she leads a research group that studies topics like tropopause and jet dynamics, synoptic processes in troposphere-stratosphere coupling, the interaction between weather systems and stratospheric flow, dynamics of cool-season variability, and predictability and uncertainty of high-impact weather at subseasonal lead times
She is currently a Visiting Professor at the UW Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. You can follow her on Twitter @alopezlang.
Cover photo of typical polar vortex configuration in November, 2013. Public domain image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, obtained through Wikimedia.
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On this edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine, we speak with University of California-Berkeley professor and author David Sedlak about his latest book Water for All: Global Solutions for a Changing Climate, published in 2023 by Yale University Press. In it, he identifies six water crises and sites ways these could be mitigated to meet water needs across the globe–not only for people, but for ecosystems.
David Sedlak is the Plato Malozemoff Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and director of the Berkeley Water Center. He earned his Ph.D. in Water Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1992 and B.S. in Environmental Science from Cornell University in 1986. He is the author of the award-winning book Water 4.0: The Past, Present, and Future of the World’s Most Vital Resource. David’s Ted Talk, Four ways we can avoid catastrophic drought has over a million views.
This interview originally aired in two parts on February 8 and 15, 2024.
Author photo: Shira Bezalel
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The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with ecologist Carl Safina about his latest book Alfie & Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe. The book tells the story of Alfie, a near-death baby Eastern Screech Owl that Safina and his wife Patricia rehabilitated. Alfie had a remarkable impact on their lives as she thrived and raised her own family. Carl’s relationship with Alfie led him to ask questions about how humans relate to the natural world “across cultures and throughout history.”
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post A Conversation with Ecologist Carl Safina appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
Robot combat bots engage in thrilling battles that showcase the fusion of engineering prowess and strategic ingenuity. These formidable machines enter the arena with the sole purpose of annihilating opponents.
I talked to Joseph Betz, Founder of Betz Botz and host to the Gears of the Harvest Tournament. He’s spent a lifetime involved with the hobby, and now he’s pushing the sport forward by getting others involved.
Midwest Robot Combat Association 2023 Finals
Image courtesy: StockRocket
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The Perpetual Notion Machine takes a look a land conservation in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin through the lens of volunteers and staff working to restore the ecology at the Wild Oaks Preserve. The preserve is one of five Ambassador Properties owned by the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, which also works with local landowners to preserve and grow publicly-accessible land in the area.
Photo of volunteers working at the Wild Oaks Preserve by Catherine Garvens.
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It’s deer season! With a harvest, it’s important to take precautions against Chronic Wasting Disease, a prion disease in deer.
Heather Inzalaco from the Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at UW-Madison tells us about CWD, and a new creepy-crawly place where she found it lurking.
More information about this research is available here:
https://news.wisc.edu/ticks-may-be-able-to-spread-chronic-wasting-disease-between-wisconsin-deer/
https://www.wendyturner.org/
Image: Paul Danese, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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In this pledge drive addition, The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with Tim Hansel, Wisconsin Master Naturalist and The Prairie Enthusiasts volunteer about how the management and restoration of prairie and oak savanna in Wisconsin may change in the face of global warming and climate change.
Tim Hansel has a PhD in Philosophy from UW Madison and a BS in Meteorology from Valparaiso University. He is a volunteer with the Wisconsin Master Naturalist program and for The Prairie Enthusiasts-Empire Sauk Chapter, and works as the education coordinator for The Friends of Pheasant Branch Conservancy. Tim is researching climate change trends in the midwest and impacts on the management of tallgrass prairie and oak savanna in Wisconsin.
Photo of the Mounds View Grassland at sunset courtesy of Catherine Garvens.
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post Managing prairie and oak savanna during climate change appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
AI is everywhere these days, including at the doctor’s office. In the new book Future Care: Sensors, Artificial Intelligence, and the Reinvention of Medicine, cardiologist Jag Singh provides an overview of where we’re at in digitizing various aspects of the healthcare system, from medical research; to monitoring symptoms, diagnosis, and interventions; all the way to hospital management. He presents a vision of what medical care may look like in the future, as technologies to gather, analyze, and synthesize medical data, continue to develop. On this week’s PNM, we discuss with Jag how these new approaches have the potential to restructure how healthcare works.
Future Care is available wherever books are sold. More information about Jag Singh’s work is at https://www.jagsinghmd.com/
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Perpetual Notion Machine contributor Catherine Garvens speaks with Dr. Anne Pringle about her research into the invasive Death Cap Mushroom in California and her lab’s ongoing research in the field […]
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Science communication involves conveying complex scientific concepts in a clear manner to the public, policymakers, and journalists. Each crisis is unique in its urgency and severity, thus scientists must be […]
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IUDs, or intra-uterine devices, are gaining in popularity with as a form of birth control, with more than a 99% efficacy at preventing pregnancy. But, it wasn’t always like this. […]
The post The Necessity of Diverse Teams in Health Design, with Dr. Catherine Kl... appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
How much are you willing to pay for a public benefit that you can’t pick up with your hands? Our guest this week is Daniel Phaneuf, Professor of Agricultural and […]
The post Pricing Pollution (and other environmental conditions) appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
Cosmology is the branch of science that seeks to understand the origin, evolution, and large-scale structure of the universe. It encompasses a wide range of topics, from the study of […]
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The Perpetual Notion Machine host Catherine Garvens speaks with Jason Stein, Vice President and Research Director at the Wisconsin Policy Forum. In March 2023, they published a report titled This Land […]
The post The Past and Future of Conservation Funding in Wisconsin appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
How do you make science news interesting and understandable? Why is anti-science on the rise? Award-winning science journalist Claudia Wallis joins Perpetual Notion Machine host Patrick Sajbel to talk about the art of science communication and to delve into the alarming trend of a growing anti-science movement within the United States.
Claudia Wallis has served as science editor for 40 Time magazine cover stories, managing editor of Scientific American Mind magazine and contributing editor and columnist at Scientific American. Her work has appeared in a wide range of other major publications including The New York Times, Fortune, Parade and Rolling Stone.
Cartoon Credit: Tom Dunne for American Scientist
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On today’s episode, we continue our journey through the world of experiments, curiosity and the people who made them. In this second part, we explore more of the people behind the experiments.
What if…
We could go back in the time and see how the atom was split. Or, discover the mystery of light, both wave and particle. Examine X-rays for the first time.
What if we could travel to the present and see how these experiments changed the world? In Suzie Sheehy’s book, The Matter of Everything, we can.
On Perpetual Notion Machine, host Anita Nsubuga explores the many discoveries, people, and science with particle physicist, Dr. Suzie Sheehy in her book. More than theorems and experiements, the scientists stand out as people on a quest for knowledge. Some spurred on by competition; others through merticulous methods and principles.
This is part 2, the journey continued.
Stay tuned (again).
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Bioelectronics is a new area of study and industry that combines biology and electronics to develop devices and systems capable of interfacing with living organisms. It focuses on creating biocompatible sensors, implants, and bioelectronic circuits to monitor and modulate biological functions. These advancements have the potential to revolutionize healthcare by enabling precise diagnostics, targeted therapies, and even restoring lost sensory or motor functions.
Dr. Ying Li joins us to discuss his research team’s recently published paper on computational simulations of potential bioelectronics.
Dr. Ying Li is an Associate Professor at the U-W College of Engineering in Madison. Dr. Li has received numerous achievements in research including the NSF CAREER Award (2021), Air Force’s Young Investigator Award (2020), 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award (2020), and multiple best paper awards from major conferences. He has authored and co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. Most recently his research team has released a paper in the journal Science Advances about flexible bioelectronics.
Machine learning enables interpretable discovery of innovative polymers for gas separation membranes
Dr. Ying Li
Image courtesy: WikimediaImages / PIXABAY
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A study published in Science in 2019 found that 3 billion birds have been lost since 1970. The Perpetual Notion Machine takes a look at existing and new programs to save Wisconsin’s declining bird population. Host Catherine Garvens speaks with folks from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin about the Great Wisconsin Birdathon, which raises money for the Bird Protection Fund. We also feature two of the programs in the state that receive support from that fund–Important Bird Areas, and the SOS Save Our Songbirds program.
Other organizations mentioned in this story:
Wisconsin Bird Conservation Partnership
Audubon Great Lakes
The image used in this posting is courtesy of SOS Save Our Songbirds. Original graphic by Earl Madden.
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If you take a stroll down the lakeshore path skirting Lake Mendota, you are likely to encounter one of Madison’s most charismatic residents, the Sandhill crane. These graceful and stately birds are beloved by Madisonians for their distinctive trumpet-like calls and their tall stature. While a cultural and ecological pillar of Madison, the Sandhill crane is also a conservation success story. Due to habitat loss and overhunting in the first half of the 20th century, it was estimated that only a few dozen individuals remained in the state. However, through pioneering legislative protection and the efforts ENGO’s and the Wisconsin DNR, the population has recovered and now numbers in the thousands. Unfortunately, conservation challenges currently afflict many species of cranes all of the globe. Two species of particular concern are the Red-Crowned and White-naped cranes of southeast Asia.
To learn more about the plight of these two species and the efforts currently being made to preserve their dwindling populations, we spoke with Dr. Eugenia Bragina whom recently published an article in the Journal of Ornithological Science on this very topic. Dr. Bragina is an Honorary Postdoctoral Fellow with the SILVIS Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and also the Coordinator of Scientific Capacity Development for the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Arctic Beringia Program. Dr. Bragina is a native of Russia, and educator whom earned her undergraduate and doctoral degrees in population ecology and Zoology from Moscow State University. As a subject matter expert, Dr. Bragina has been featured in the NY Times and published numerous peer-reviewed publications on wildlife and habitat conservation methods.
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Renowned ethologist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall came to UW-Madison last week. Speaking at Memorial Union, Dr. Goodall shared her story and encouraged action for the future of our environment.
Goodall was the first ethologist to see the animals fashioning tools and eating meat. Her findings challenged conventional notions about primates and provided evidence for the evolutionary relationship between humans and chimpanzees.
And she’s been a wildlife protector and advocate for restoring damaged habitats since the mid 1980s. Her latest book, “The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times,” chronicles her life’s work and her optimism that humankind will come together to protect the environment.
Perpetual Notion Machine host Taylor Woelfel headed down to the event on Sunday, March 26. In tonight’s episode, Woelfel delves deep into Dr. Goodall’s philosophy and plays some clips from the event.
Image courtesy World Bank Photo Collection on flickr.com.
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate hereThe post How Dr. Jane Goodall Inspires Hope appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
What if…
We could go back in the time and see how the atom was split. Or, discover the mystery of light, both wave and particle. Examine X-rays for the first time.
What if we could travel to the present and see how these experiments changed the world? In Suzie Sheehy’s book, The Matter of Everything, we can.
On Perpetual Notion Machine, host Anita Nsubuga explores the many discoveries, people, and science with particle physicist, Dr. Suzie Sheehy in her book. More than theorems and experiements, the scientists stand out as people on a quest for knowledge. Some spurred on by competition; others through merticulous methods and principles.
Stay tuned.
Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here
More Posts for Show: Perpetual Notion MachineThe post The Matter of Everything appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.
If you haven’t heard of a heat pump yet, you probably will soon. How a heat pump works to effectively extract energy from the environment is explained by guest Doug Edwards on this episode of the Perpetual Notion Machine, hosted by Patrick Sajbel with Connor Stephans.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 has been called “…the single largest action ever taken by Congress and the US government to combat climate change” -Rhodium Group.
Citizens are now incented to reduce carbon in the atmosphere by taking advantage of increasingly renewable electricity. In transportation, we know that this means electric vehicles, but for heating and cooling of buildings we need to warm up to the idea of using HEAT PUMPS.
Edwards has a chemical engineering BS from UW and an MS from Cal Berkely and an MBA from NYU. But most importantly, he is a hands-on engineer who has successfully commissioned a heat pump at a family home in Northern Wisconsin.
Photo: Pump operating in winter credit: Doug Edwards
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Nuclear fusion is the source of energy at the core of our sun. Recent news of experimental advancements has fueled talk of the promising potential for harnessing this source of energy on earth.
In this live edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine, host Patrick Sajbel is joined by guest Dr. Stephanie Diem, assistant professor in Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin.
Dr. Diem talks about the challenges and successes of research and the path towards scale-up to practical use of fusion technology as a carbon-free energy source of the future. She works in ongoing collaboration with experts as well as public outreach to educate on the fundamental science and technology opportunities.
Photo: Steffi Diem, professor of engineering physics in the College of Engineering, checks out the Pegasus-III Lab in the Engineering Research Building. PHOTO: BRYCE RICHTER
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The Perpetual Notion Machine speaks with Nick Bayly, Chief of Migration Biology at SELVA in Bogota, Columbia. He is studying bird migration through the Neotropical Region of Central and South America to understand the needs of long-distance migratory birds that breed in Wisconsin and other area of North America, and migrate south during the winter. The Neotropical Flyways Project receives funding from the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin’s Bird Protection Fund.
Photo of Cerulean Warbler fitted with transmitter in Costa Rica taken by Paz Angulo. Courtesy of The Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin.
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In Wisconsin’s earliest days as a state, a vision to awaken a scientific spirit and foster creative activity was formalized in the year 1870 when The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters was chartered by the state legislature. Over a century and a half later, the Wisconsin Academy continues to bring art and science together to bring inspiration to technological activism.
The Wisconsin Academy supports endeavors across a wide range of science and art, such as
- the State Poet Laureate
- the James Watrous Gallery
- the Climate and Energy Initiative (and the recent Climate Fast Forward conference in October 2022)
In this edition of The Perpetual Notion Machine, host Patrick Sajbel welcomes Erika Monroe-Kane, the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters. Originally from Missouri, Monroe-Kane has served on boards and committees here in Madison, including the Forward Theater Company, Community Justice, Inc., Foundation for Madison Public Schools, and she is on the project team for The Center for Black Excellence and Culture.
Photo: Participants Creating Art at Climate Fast Forward. Credit: John Greenler, Wisconsin Academy
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Wild horses and burros still roam in many states in the Western US. Unfortunately, the populations have increased beyond what the ecosystem can sustain. In order to alleviate this pressure, […]
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Perpetual Notion Machine host Catherine Garvens speaks with the editors of the new book Amphibians and Reptiles of Wisconsin, published November 1, 2022 by the University of Wisconsin Press. The book […]
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There’s an air of excitement in late autumn as we prepare to witness one of the world’s greatest animal migrations. Sandhill Cranes have returned from the brink of extinction and […]
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On tonight’s episode of Perpetual Notion Machine host Emily Morris speaks with Antarctic explorer and creative director Ariel Waldman (arielwaldman.com). She is a National Geographic Explorer who created the project […]
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Pleasant to nose and soothing to the mind, some scents evoke calmness and peace. Others remind us of the holidays – the smell of pumpkin pie in the fall, sticky […]
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The Madison Public Library debuted it Naturalist in Residence Program in September 2022. Join Perpetual Notion Machine host Catherine Garvens, Madison Public Library (MPL) Community Engagement Librarian Kristina Gómez, and […]
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This week on PNM, Emily and Serena have a new installment of science news, where we round up some intriguing science news from around the world and in our neighborhood, […]
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It is 8am,on a wintry Monday. You have your coffee cup in hand as you rush towards the bus stop. It is the middle of winter, so the buses are […]
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There’s no time like a beautiful August day to head to the UW Arboretum. Join us for a guided walking tour of the Longenecker Horticultural Gardens. Curator David Stevens leads […]
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The lifecycle of monarch butterflies is one of the most remarkable of any migrating species. As familiar as these beautiful insects are, last month monarchs were listed as endangered species. […]
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If you’re bored this summer, look no further than the local library! This week on PNM, we spoke with Liz Boyd, marketing specialist at the Madison Public Library. There are […]
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This week on PNM, Emily and Serena embark on an experimental episode of PNM science news chat, where we round up some intriguing science news from around the world and […]
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Cheese curds (those chewy nuggets of milk found in the farm’s market ). Frigid winters (puffy, cozy coats worn on the lakes, fishing).Fish fry Fridays (buttery flakes of walleye served […]
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Hello Wisconsin it is 7:01pm you are listening to the Perpetual Notion Machine on WORT 89.9 FM Madison. I’m your host Emily Morris. On tonight’s episode of PNM I’m taking […]
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Various practices of mindfulness, which emphasize paying attention to the present moment, have gained enormous popularity in efforts to reduce stress and improve mental well being. Many studies have shown […]
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When we eat delicious Wisconsin cheese, what is the story our senses tell us? At the Center for Dairy Research at UW-Madison, dairy producers and researchers work together to create […]
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Harnessing the power of the atomic nucleus for peaceful purposes was one most of the most astonishing scientific and technological achievements of the past century. Yet, after a few decades […]
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“What is morality?” might be the biggest unanswered question facing humanity, other than what caused the Big Bang to form the universe. You might think the answer is simple: what […]
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The bride walks down the aisle with the Canon in D, softly echoing her steps. The almost crescendo as Queen sings “Galileo” in Bohemian Rhapsody. The animated crescondos and vistas […]
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The coronavirus is a highly contagious and deadly disease that turned into a pandemic for us humans. Now, a highly contagious and deadly avian flu virus is devastating the chickens […]
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A pristine Wisconsin lake can provide a reference to change in our ecosystems and an opportunity to reflect on ourselves. Author and naturalist John Bates returns to the Perpetual Notion […]
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This year’s UW-Madison Science Expeditions will held this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 8, 9, and 10. All around campus, there will be events of all kinds from tours, to […]
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Tonight on Perpetual Notion Machine host Emily Morris talks with Sanjay Limaye. Sanjay is a Distinguished Scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Space Science and Engineering Center who studies what […]
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Coral reefs cover only 1% of the ocean, but they’re essential for healthy ocean ecosystems, and for protecting us on land from damage from the impact of waves. According to […]
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COVID-19 has required us to stay at home and not socialize with people in groups. This self-imposed isolation has lead to mental and emotional stress. But this has also lead […]
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On tonight’s episode of Perpetual Notion Machine host Emily Morris talks with Emily Spilman from the Environmental Working Group. We talk about the ingredients in personal care and cleaning products […]
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Welcome to this special edition of the Perpetual Notion Machine for our 25th Anniversary! We took a break from our normal guest interview format to talk all about community science […]
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Our favorite breads and pastries have arrived at their distinctive flavors and textures through years of experimentation in the kitchen, finding the right ingredients and sequence of handling to get to the right crumb or bite. With modern food science research, growers, manufacturers, and cooks can hone in on the building blocks of ingredients that do exactly what they’re looking for. Bakery science is one example of how understanding food chemistry can help fine-tune beloved recipes and also forge technologies to develop new foods.
On today’s PNM, guest Audrey Girard guides us through wheat varieties optimized for different foods, why your whole-wheat bread doesn’t rise up as fluffy as white bread can, how polyphenols can give plant-based meats a meatier bite, and more.
Dr. Girard is an assistant professor of food science at UW Madison, where her lab researches protein chemistry.
Image: FranHogan, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Ever wonder why some people don’t believe the truth or facts, even when the evidence supporting it is overwhelming? It’s like what they believe is more important than the truth. Take those that don’t believe vaccinations work, or might even be more harmful than the disease itself, and this in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Or how about suddenly believing that elections are rigged, even when for years they knew elections were run fairly and accurately. So, why is it that people’s beliefs outweigh reality? Is there a scientific or psychological answer?
Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine welcomes UW-Madison psychologist Markus Brauer to the program. In a conversation with PNM’s Dennis Shaffer, Markus explains confirmation bias, or the tendency people have to embrace information that support their beliefs and reject information that contradicts their beliefs. Confirmation bias seems like a contradiction in itself, since all human beings should have the capacity to think, reason, and process information. But being human is partly why confirmation bias occurs, which has both positive and negative effects.
Also, one good reason that creates confirmation bias has to do with Markus’ field of research – group dynamics and inter-group processes. As social animals, humans want to be in groups where we are welcomed and accepted, and give us self-esteem. Because of this need, we may fall victim to the group’s false beliefs.
For more information on confirmation bias, check out this Britannica webpage and this webpage from Simply Psychology.
And here’s a really good article from the New Yorker on Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds, which I hope it’s OK to post.
Feature Image courtesy: Wonderlane via Flickr
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The world’s most powerful space telescope launched on Christmas Day and is now positioned a million miles from earth. Host Patrick Sajbel is joined by aerospace engineer Thomas Harkins to talk about the deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Harkins brings a unique behind-the-scenes view at Mission Control, from the launch through the stages of commissioning.
Note: As discussed in the interview, here is the video and dramatic view as the James Webb Space Telescope separates from its Ariane 5 rocket, as viewed from the rocket
Interested in more the science of the JWST? Check out the Perpetual Notion Machine episode from December.
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Harmful algal blooms can result in toxins in lakes that result in fish kills and disrupt access for recreation and other economic activities. Although there is a hypothesis that increasing eutrophication and climate change lead to more severe algal blooms, our guest Grace Wilkinson reports in a recent article that algal blooms in 323 lakes in the US have variable outcomes in algal blooms, with no clear increase in blooms across lakes.
Join us as we discuss causes and consequences of algal blooms, the challenges and rewards of long-term ecological monitoring, and the impacts of restoration efforts and what communities can do to protect our lakes.
Dr. Grace Wilkinson is an assistant professor at the UW Madison Center for Limnology, where her lab researches patterns and controls on aquatic ecosystem function. There will be an upcoming opportunity for volunteers to help monitor water quality in the Madison area. More information will be available at https://limnology.wisc.edu/ in the coming months.
Image courtesy of: Smaack, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Comedian Jackie Kashian is out with her sixth comedy album, this time written during pandemic lockdown and perfected over countless Zoom shows. Released in fall 2021, Stay-Kashian touches on Jackie’s observations on flirting and gender, to useful advice from her father, to her very uncomfortable discovery on a hotel room floor.
A stand-up comedian since the mid-’80s, Jackie Kashian has appeared widely on television and tours internationally. She is also host of The Dork Forest podcast — where she invites significant figures to tell us about their dorkdoms. She has a second podcast about the comedy world called the Jackie and Laurie Show, co-hosted with fellow stand-up comic Laurie Kilmartin.
A native of south Milwaukee and an alum of UW-Madison, Jackie Kashian has returned briefly to the Badger State during our coldest month of the year. She joins us ahead of several performances at the Comedy on State – two shows on Friday, January 28 and Saturday, January 29. Tickets and more information are available here.
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The ancient game of chess is experiencing a new renaissance. Bruce Pandolfini has seen it all, and joins host Patrick Sajbel as he shares his perspective as a chess coach, author, and consultant.
His career took off while reporting for PBS on the 1972 Fischer-Spassky world championship match in Reykjavik, Iceland. As teacher and coach, he was portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the 1993 movie ‘Searching for Bobby Fischer’. Pandolfini was recently chief consultant for the wildly popular Queen’s Gambit Netflix series, where he not only trained all the actors, but also worked on the original novel with writer Walter Tevis in 1982.
He is an author of numerous chess instruction books and joins us from his home in New York.
Photo courtesy of Freepik.com
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Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine discusses a very somber subject, suicide. Deciding to end one’s own life has been with us, probably, forever. But, we want to know some of the complexity and psychology behind why this occurs, especially now, with the mental strain of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our guest Chuck Raison, a psychiatrist in human ecology at UW-Madison, talks with PNM’er Dennis Shaffer. The overall rate of suicide has been steadily increasing for the last couple of decades, hitting 14.2 suicides per 100,000 people in 2018. The steady increase ended in 2019 when the number dropped a little below 14.2. But surprisingly, in a report that came out last November, the number of suicides dropped again in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.
According to Chuck, the pandemic has clearly caused a high rise in mental strain from depression, anxiety, and loneliness, which often lead to signs of suicide like helplessness and hopelessness. But in the past, most successful suicides are committed by older white males, who appear to suffer from a more severe type of depression that makes them more determined to be successful. Many more younger people ATTEMPT suicide but are not successful. COVID-19 may have changed the scenario. For young people depression generally comes and goes, but during this pandemic, depression tends to hit harder and more swiftly, and committing suicide becomes an impulsive, and now more successful, decision. Chuck says that this needs to be studied intensely if this becomes the norm in suicides in the future. Impulsive suicides provide no signs or signals for the victim to receive the help he/she needs.
For more information, here are several websites: National Institute of Mental Health, the CDC, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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The food plants we eat every day haven’t always looked the way they do now. Through the process of domestication, humans have selected plant populations for traits that we find desirable, leading to crop plants that may be drastically different from their wild ancestors. On today’s episode of Perpetual Notion Machine, ethnobotanists Eve Emshwiller and Alex McAlvay join host Serena Zhao for an exploration of different forms of domestication from plants to ecosystems, and the importance of genetic diversity in crop species.
Our guests have a recent paper “Brassica rapa Domestication: Untangling Wild and Feral Forms and Convergence of Crop Morphotypes” that examines the wild ancestors of turnips and relatives. Dr. Emshwiller is an Associate Professor of Botany at UW-Madison, and Dr. McAlvay is an Assistant Curator in the Institute of Economic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden.
Tune in to find out what dogs have in common with broccoli, and more!
Images courtesy of: Clark, Jim (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) on Wikimedia Commons/USDA Lance Cheung, via CC 2.0
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Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine provides an eclectic mix presented by longtime PNM’er Dennis Shaffer. He discloses some of the top science news stories of 2021, at least those considered important by the editors of the Smithsonian Magazine. Of those in the top ten, perhaps the most obvious is the rollout of the vaccines to guard against COVID-19, even though the rollout was pretty shaky, and the launch, finally, of the James Webb Space Telescope. Also, we have two short clips of past PNM shows. Since PNM celebrated 25 years on the air in October, we talk with two original PNM’ers, Kris Wedding Crowell and Kelly Loyet, that aired on a 10th anniversary show back on 2006. And we have a short clip from a show last October when PNM’er Anita Nsubuga talked with Lucas Richert about psychedelics. And there’s some Christmas music, and a couple of science-themed songs, one by The Dandy Warhols.
If you want to read more the top science stories of 2021, click on this link to the Smithsonian Magazine.
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Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine welcomes back Ajay Sethi to talk about the new omicron variant of COVID-19. Ajay is an epidemiologist and Associate Professor of population health sciences at UW-Madison. With omicron only discovered about a month ago, Ajay distinguishes what we know from what we don’t know yet. One thing we do know is how contagious this variant is compared to the previous ones, even infecting those with vaccinations. In just one week the number of cases involving omicron went from just 4% to 75%. But for now, omicron doesn’t seem to be more severe than even the delta variant. So far, even vaccinated people appear to have mild symptoms. And thus for added protection, Ajay highly recommends getting a booster shot. As contagious as omicron, the most vulnerable continue to be the unvaccinated. And with so many still unvaccinated and the omicron variant having 50 mutations, the next variant could be even more deadly.
For more information, here’s a link to the CDC webpage on omicron.
And here’s the main webpage on COVID-19 from Public Health Madison and Dane County.
Image courtesy: Gerd Altmann via Pixabay
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Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine explores the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The launch date is scheduled for December 22. This will be the most advanced technologically engineered telescope ever designed, at least 10 times more powerful than the Hubble Space Telescope. Joining us is Michael Maseda, an Assistant Professor in astronomy at UW-Madison.
Of course, the most pronounced piece of equipment is the telescope, which is composed of a mirror assembly. The JWST has the biggest one yet, 21 feet across, which makes it easier to see faint light from further away. But that is pretty big to be confined inside a capsule on a journey to its final destination. So this mirror will be folded into 18 hexagons, and then unfold during deployment. Also, the JWST will capture light mostly from the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Michael says this will give us a chance to see things on a different scale than Hubble. And one of the instruments on the JWST that Michael was involved with could capture images that falls right into his area of study, the formation and evolution of galaxies.
For more information, check out the JWST website, this NASA website, and this website from the Space Telescope Science Institute. Here is a nice website that compares Webb vs. Hubble.
Image Courtesy: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez via Flickr (artist conception)
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Host Patrick Sajbel welcomes a force in science education for more than a half century, Professor Bassam Shakhashiri.
Shakhashiri reflects on the need for science literacy in the general public and the importance of the conversation to achieve this. He has been recognized with the first award of the William T. Evjue Distinguished Chair for the Wisconsin Idea (a position held for 20 years), and assistant director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), with the National Science Board’s Public Service Award.
In addition to a 51-year professional career in the University of Wisconsin Department of Chemistry, he also served as the President of the American Chemical Society, one of the world’s largest scientific organizations with over 150,000 members in 150 countries.
Over the course of 50+ years, he has prepared a library of tools and presentations that can be used by educators, citizens and anybody with science curiosity.
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Every school term, UW-Madison’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications and University Communications invites a science writer to campus as the Science Journalist in Residence. This provides that person a chance to interact with students and to share their journalism experience and expertise. Tonight, the Perpetual Notion Machine has the privilege of also tapping into that experience with the current Science Journalist in Residence Caroline Chen. Caroline works for ProPublica as their investigative health reporter, currently focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic.
PNM’s newest volunteer Serena Zhao talks with Caroline on what it’s like reporting on COVID-19, and also the challenges of doing her job under COVID-19 conditions. And she discusses how she manages the uncertainty inherent in science, especially pronounced with COVID-19.
Image Courtesy: Bill Graf for UW-Madison
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