American Scientist Podcast: Recent Episodes
American Scientist Magazine
Periodic audiocasts from American Scientist, a publication of Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society.
The FIFA World Cup kicks off today in North America, as qualifying teams compete for the sport's most coveted prize: The World Cup trophy.
Not to be overlooked, the commemorative ball is more than eye-catching visual design. Its surfaces can comprise different numbers of panels, new textural elements, and seams that vary in depth, width, and length.
In this extended interview of cover story "Balls in the Air," associate editor Nicholas Gerbis converses with physicist John Eric Goff about how such surface factors affect drag—and how that football-slowing force can suddenly change at certain speeds.
Recorded on April 30, 2026.
This episode is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Nicholas Gerbis.
American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
The FIFA World Cup kicks off today in North America, as qualifying teams compete for the sport's most coveted prize: The World Cup trophy.
Not to be over looked, the commemorative ball is more than eye-catching visual design. Their surfaces can comprise different numbers of panels, new textural elements, and seams that vary in depth, width, and length.
In this extended interview of cover story "Balls in the Air," associate editor, Nicholas Gerbis converses with physicist John Eric Goff about how such surface factors affect drag—and how that football-slowing force can suddenly change at certain speeds.
Recorded on April 30, 2026.
This episode is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Nicholas Gerbis.
American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
Today, we’re joined by Dr. Cecilie S. Traberg.
The transcript for this episode will be available the day following the original airdate.
Links/Sources mentioned:
- Dr. Traberg’s website: https://www.cecilietraberg.com/
- Solomon’s Secret, a digital murder mystery game designed to explore the psychology of misinformation and social influence
- Dr. Traberg’s research:
- Traberg, C. S., Roozenbeek, J., & van der Linden, S. (2022). Psychological Inoculation against Misinformation: Current Evidence and Future Directions. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 700(1), 136–151.
- Traberg, C. S., & van der Linden, S. (2022). Birds of a feather are persuaded together: Perceived source credibility mediates the effect of political bias on misinformation susceptibility. Personality and Individual Differences, 185, 111269.
- Traberg, C. S., Roozenbeek, J., & van der Linden, S. (2024). Gamified inoculation reduces susceptibility to misinformation from political ingroups. Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review.
- Traberg, C. S., Harjani, T., Roozenbeek, J., & van der Linden, S. (2024). The persuasive effects of social cues and source effects on misinformation susceptibility. Scientific Reports, 14(1).
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Cecilie Traberg, Morten, T., & van. (2024). Counteracting socially endorsed misinformation through an emotion-fallacy inoculation. Advances In/Psychology, 2.
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Other relevant studies:
- Marks, J., Copland, E., Loh, E., Sunstein, C. R., & Tali Sharot. (2018). Epistemic spillovers: Learning others’ political views reduces the ability to assess and use their expertise in nonpolitical domains. Cognition, 188, 74–84.
- Hassoun, A., Beacock, I., Consolvo, S., Goldberg, B., Kelley, P. G., & Russell, D. M. (2023). Practicing information sensibility: How Gen Z engages with online information. In Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-17).
- Vidgen, B., Taylor, H., Pantazi, M., Anastasiou, Z., Inkster, B., & Margetts, H. (2021). Understanding vulnerability to online misinformation.
- Gawronski, B., Ng, N. L., & Luke, D. M. (2023). Truth sensitivity and partisan bias in responses to misinformation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
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Garrett, R. K., & Bond, R. M. (2021). Conservatives’ susceptibility to political misperceptions. Science Advances, 7(23).
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One example of unintentionally spread misinformation: How a simple math error sparked a panic about black plastic kitchen utensils
- Some examples of (earned) distrust of institutions:
- 5 times the US government revealed secrets it tried to keep hidden
- Why we know so little about women’s health
- NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet
Wired For This is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Celia Ford.
American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
Subscribe to American Scientist: https://subscribe.americanscientist.org/AMS/?f=paid
Music by Nat Keefe
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Today, we’ll hear from Dr. Dan Willingham, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia. He’s taught there since 1992, and until about 2000, studied the neural basis of learning and memory. But today, all of his research concerns the application of cognitive psychology to K-16 education.
He’s the author of several books, including the best-selling Why Don't Students Like School?, and most recently, Outsmart Your Brain. His writing on education has appeared in twenty-three languages. In 2017 he was appointed by President Obama to serve as a Member of the National Board for Education Sciences.
Transcript
Links/Sources mentioned:
- Dr. Willingham’s books:
- Why Don’t Students Like School?
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Outsmart Your Brain
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Some relevant op-eds written by Dr. Willingham:
- Why Aren’t We Curious About the Things We Want to Be Curious About? – New York Times (October 18, 2019)
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You Still Need Your Brain - New York Times (May 19, 2017)
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Dr. Willingham’s graduation speech for the University of Virginia’s Class of 2024
- Dr. Willingham’s TikTok, where he posts short videos about cognitive science and education
- A collection of Dr. Willingham’s academic articles
Wired for This is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Celia Ford.
American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
Subscribe to American Scientist: https://subscribe.americanscientist.org/AMS/?f=paid
Music by Nat Keefe
Follow us on social media:
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Facebook
Instagram
In this episode, we're talking about how we consume, process, and share information—and how all of this is changing as our relationships with technology evolve.
Jason Lodge is the Director of the Learning, Instruction, and Technology Lab and Professor of Educational Psychology in the School of Education at The University of Queensland, in Australia. He explores the cognitive, metacognitive, and emotional aspects of learning, particularly in higher education and digital environments. He’s also an award-winning educator and advisor to the Australian Government on technology in education.
Philipp Lorenz-Spreen leads the junior research group “Computational Social Science” within the Center Synergy of Systems at TU Dresden, in Germany. He and his team study the societal impact of digitalization, and how complex online discourse affects democracies worldwide.
Transcript
Links/Sources mentioned:
- Dr. Jason Lodge’s website
- Some of Dr. Lodge’s relevant studies:
- Lodge, J. M., Yang, S., Furze, L., & Dawson, P. (2023). It’s not like a calculator, so what is the relationship between learners and generative artificial intelligence?. Learning: Research and Practice, 9(2), 117-124.
- Lodge, J. M. (2023). Misjudgements of Learning in Digital Environments. Pedagogy and Psychology in Digital Education, 239–247.
- Arguel, A., Lockyer, L., Kennedy, G., Lodge, J. M., & Pachman, M. (2019). Seeking optimal confusion: a review on epistemic emotion management in interactive digital learning environments. Interactive Learning Environments, 27(2), 200-210.
- Panadero, E., Broadbent, J., Boud, D., & Lodge, J. M. (2019). Using formative assessment to influence self-and co-regulated learning: the role of evaluative judgement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 34, 535-557.
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Scharff, L., Draeger, J., Verpoorten, D., Devlin, M., Dvorakova, L. S., Lodge, J. M., & Smith, S. V. (2017). Exploring metacognition as a support for learning transfer. Teaching and Learning Inquiry, 5(1).
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Dr. Philipp Lorenz-Spreen’s website
- Some of Dr. Lorenz-Spreen’s relevant studies:
- Philipp Lorenz-Spreen, Oswald, L., Lewandowsky, S., & Hertwig, R. (2022). A systematic review of worldwide causal and correlational evidence on digital media and democracy. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(1), 74–101.
- Baumann, F., Lorenz-Spreen, P., Sokolov, I. M., & Starnini, M. (2020). Modeling Echo Chambers and Polarization Dynamics in Social Networks. Physical Review Letters, 124(4).
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Philipp Lorenz-Spreen, Bjarke Mørch Mønsted, Philipp Hövel, & Lehmann, S. (2019). Accelerating dynamics of collective attention. Nature Communications, 10(1).
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Other relevant links:
- van den Broek, G., Takashima, A., Wiklund-Hörnqvist, C., Karlsson Wirebring, L., Segers, E., Verhoeven, L., & Nyberg, L. (2016). Neurocognitive mechanisms of the “testing effect”: A review. Trends in Neuroscience and Education, 5(2), 52–66.
- Brian Resnick for Vox: Yes, the internet is destroying our collective attention span.
- Jason Lyon for Quanta Magazine: To Pay Attention, the Brain Uses Filters, Not a Spotlight
Wired For This is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Celia Ford.
American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
Subscribe to American Scientist: https://subscribe.americanscientist.org/AMS/?f=paid
Music by Nat Keefe
Follow us on social media:
Bluesky
Facebook
Instagram
Emma Levine and Shereen Chaudhry join this episode of Wired for This.
The transcript for this episode will be available the day following the airdate.
Links/Sources mentioned:
- HOPE LAB, led by Dr. Levine and Dr. Chaudhry with Dr. Erika Kirgios and Dr. Jane Risen
- Some relevant HOPE LAB research from Dr. Shereen Chaudhry:
- Chaudhry, S.J. & Loewenstein, G. (2019) “Thanking, apologizing, bragging, and blaming: Responsibility exchange theory and the currency of communication.” Psychological Review, 126(3), 313-344.
- Chaudhry, S.J. & Wald, K.A. (2022) “Overcoming listener skepticism: Costly signaling in communication increases perceived honesty,” Current Opinion in Psychology, 101442.
- Molnar, A., Chaudhry, S.J., & Loewenstein, G. (2023) “’It’s not about the money. It’s about sending a message!’: Avengers Want Offenders to Understand the Reason for Revenge,” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 174, 104207.
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Chaudhry, S. J., & Burdea, V. The apologizer’s dilemma: Two-sided transgressions introduce concerns about relative blame. Preprint.
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And from Dr. Emma Levine:
- Jensen, S., Levine, E., White, M., Huppert, E., Bartels, D., Berman, J., Dietvorst, B., Epley, N., Gaertig, C., Graham, J., Herzog, N., & Landy, J. Lying is sometimes ethical, but honesty is the best policy: The desire to avoid harmful lies leads to moral preferences for unconditional honesty. Preprint.
- Levine, E. E. (2022). Community standards of deception: Deception is perceived to be ethical when it prevents unnecessary harm. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 151(2), 410.
- Levine, E. E., & Lupoli, M. J. (2022). Prosocial lies: Causes and consequences. Current Opinion in Psychology, 43, 335–340.
- Levine, E., & Munguia Gomez, D. (2021). “I’m just being honest.” When and why honesty enables help versus harm. Journal of personality and social psychology, 120(1), 33.
- Levine, E. E., Roberts, A. R., & Cohen, T. R. (2020). Difficult conversations: navigating the tension between honesty and benevolence. Current Opinion in Psychology, 31, 38–43.
- Levine, E. E., & Wald, K. A. (2020). Fibbing about your feelings: How feigning happiness in the face of personal hardship affects trust. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 156, 135–154.
- Levine, E. E., & Cohen, T. R. (2017). You Can Handle the Truth: Mispredicting the Consequences of Honest Communication. SSRN Electronic Journal.
- Lupoli, M. J., Levine, E. E., & Greenberg, A. E. (2018). Paternalistic lies. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 146, 31–50.
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Levine, E. E., Hart, J., Moore, K., Rubin, E., Yadav, K., & Halpern, S. D. (2017). The Surprising Costs of Silence: Asymmetric Preferences for Prosocial Lies of Commission and Omission. SSRN Electronic Journal.
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Other relevant studies:
- Zhu, J., & Molnar, A. The End of Writing as We Know It? Generative AI May Undermine the Social Signaling Function of Writing. Preprint.
- Timmermans, E., Hermans, A.-M., & Opree, S. J. (2020). Gone with the wind: Exploring mobile daters’ ghosting experiences. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38(2), 026540752097028.
- Eyal, T., Steffel, M., & Epley, N. (2018). Perspective mistaking: Accurately understanding the mind of another requires getting perspective, not taking perspective. Journal of personality and social psychology, 114(4), 547.
- Wald, K. A., Kardas, M., & Epley, N. (2024). Misplaced divides? Discussing political disagreement with strangers can be unexpectedly positive. Psychological Science, 35(5), 471-488.
- Dungan, J. A., & Epley, N. (2024). Surprisingly good talk: Misunderstanding others creates a barrier to constructive confrontation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 153(3), 779.
- Rogers, T., Zeckhauser, R., Gino, F., Norton, M. I., & Schweitzer, M. E. (2017). Artful paltering: The risks and rewards of using truthful statements to mislead others. Journal of personality and social psychology, 112(3), 456.
What does it take to change a mind?
In episode two of Wired for This, we’ll hear from Dr. Katy Milkman, James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and host of the behavioral economics podcast Choiceology. She cofounded the Behavior Change for Good Initiative and has advised organizations such as Google, the White House, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Her research on behavior change has been published in top journals and featured in her bestselling book How to Change. In 2022, Dr. Milkman was also named one of 10 Innovators Shaping the Future of Health by Fortune Magazine and won Penn’s highest teaching award,Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching.
Transcript
Links/Sources mentioned:
- More from Dr. Milkman:
- Website
- How to Change, her self-help book
- Milkman Delivers, her behavioral science Substack
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Choiceology, her podcast on how to make better judgments and avoid costly mistakes
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Dr. Milkman’s studies:
- Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Riis, J. (2014). The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior. Management Science, 60(10), 2563–2582.
- Beshears, J., Dai, H., Milkman, K. L., & Benartzi, S. (2021). Using fresh starts to nudge increased retirement savings. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 167, 72–87.
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Milkman, K. L., Minson, J. A., & Volpp, K. G. (2014). Holding the hunger games hostage at the gym: An evaluation of temptation bundling. Management science, 60(2), 283-299.
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Other academic work discussed
- Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006). Making it safe: the effects of leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), 941–966.
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck
- Asch conformity experiments, designed by Solomon Asch
- Petrik, R., Vega, J., & Vindas-Meléndez, A. (2022). A Reflection on Growth Mindset and Meritocracy. Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, 12(1), 408–421.
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Wired for This is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Celia Ford.
Music by Nat Keefe
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American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
Subscribe to American Scientist: https://subscribe.americanscientist.org/AMS/?f=paid
Follow us on social media:
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Welcome to Wired for This—a deep dive into how we think, believe, change, and connect. In this limited series, we’ll explore the psychology of human behavior and neuroscience—what drives us forward, what holds us back, and how we navigate a world bursting with noise, contradiction, and complexity.
Dr. Paul A. O’Keefe is a social psychologist and professor of organisational behaviour at the University of Exeter Business School. His research examines how psychological barriers—particularly beliefs about abilities, interest, and opportunity—shape the goals people pursue and their potential to achieve them. He and his team design growth-mindset interventions, tested through randomized controlled field experiments, to foster thriving in work, education, and health contexts. Dr. O’Keefe also directs the Mindsets & Motivation Lab and serves as an Associate Editor at Journal of Experimental Psychology: General.
The transcript for this episode is available here.
Links/Sources mentioned:
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol Dweck
- Stop Trying to ‘Find’ Your Passion — There’s a Better Way to Love What You Do, by Paul O’Keefe for Scientific American
- The Mindsets & Motivation Lab, led by Paul O’Keefe at the University of Exeter Business School.
Examples of their research we mentioned:
- O’Keefe, P. A., Ramya, S. M., & Horberg, E. J. (2025). A growth-theory-of-interest intervention helps align science students with a new multidisciplinary curriculum. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 81, 102371.
- O’Keefe, P. A., Horberg, E. J., Lee, F., & Dweck, C. S. (2023). Implicit theories of opportunity: When opportunity fails to knock, keep waiting or start cultivating? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 124(6), 1146–1173.
- O'Keefe, P. A., Horberg, E. J., Dweck, C. S., & Walton, G. M. (2023). A growth-theory-of-interest intervention increases interest in math and science coursework among liberal arts undergraduates. Journal of educational psychology, 115(6), 859.
- O’Keefe, P. A., Lee, H. Y., & Chen, P. (2021). Changing students’ beliefs about learning can unveil their potential. Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 8(1), 84-91.
- O’Keefe, P. A., Dweck, C. S., & Walton, G. M. (2018). Implicit theories of interest: Finding your passion or developing it?. Psychological science, 29(10), 1653-1664.
- The Utility-Value Intervention, a book chapter by Chris Hulleman and Judith Harackiewicz
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Wired for This is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Celia Ford.
American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
Subscribe to American Scientist, today.
Music by Nat Keefe
Follow us on social media:
Bluesky
The American Scientist Podcast presents a new audio series, Wired for This, premiering on September 10, 2025. Wired for This offers an in-depth look at how we think, believe, change, and connect.
In this bi-weekly limited series, we’ll examine the psychology of human behavior and neuroscience—what drives us forward, what holds us back, and how we navigate a world bursting with noise, contradiction, and complexity.
Hosted by journalist and former neuroscientist Celia Ford, the show features interviews with scientists like Paul O’Keefe, whose research explores how psychological barriers influence the goals people pursue and their potential to reach them.
We’ll also hear from behavioral science professors Emma Levine and Shereen Chaudhry on how to navigate
difficult conversations in high-stress environments.
Jason Lodge and Phillip Lorenz-Spreen discuss how we consume, process, and share information, and how these processes are changing as our relationships with technology evolve.
Each episode will challenge your thinking and offer fresh perspectives on the world around us.
Tune into Wired for This every other Wednesday starting September 10, 2025, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and more. Follow the American Scientist Podcast today to stay updated on new episodes.
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Wired for This is produced and edited by Nwabata Nnani and hosted by Celia Ford.
American Scientist has been in publication since 1913 and is published by the nonprofit Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society. The magazine focuses on producing narrative-driven features by scientists about their own peer-reviewed work. The publication also produces shorter-form staff-written news articles, as well as blogs, multimedia, and social media. See more at www.americanscientist.org
Subscribe to American Scientist: https://subscribe.americanscientist.org/AMS/?f=paid
Music by Nat Keefe
Follow us on social media:
- Bluesky
Chris Pickard is a materials scientist who employs what are called first principles methods—modeling techniques that work out material properties using fundamental rules such as quantum mechanics and Newton’s laws. Trained as a condensed matter physicist, he refocused on materials science just as interest in the field was exploding amid advancements in computation. Switching between empirical and theoretical sciences was good preparation for a field that works closely with experimentalists and testers, and that is itself becoming more empirical under the influence of machine learning. Pickard spoke with American Scientist associate editor Nicholas Gerbis about his early successes in studying hydrogen under high pressure, and his hopes for the future of his field. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
For more on this episode, visit https://www.americanscientist.org/article/first-principles-and-beyond.
Unlock full access to the American Scientist magazine by subscribing today at https://subscribe.americanscientist.org/AMS/?f=paid
An interview with the president and founder of African Gong, Elizabeth Rasekoala. Her current book "Race and Sociocultaral Inclusion in Science Communication" brings together perspectives from science communicators from the global south. Host, Katie L. Burke, Digital Features Editor at American Scientist. Edited by Nwabata Nnani.
An interview with Virginia Tech environmental engineer, Linsey Marr. Her expertise in aerosols came to center stage as she and her colleagues worked for years to change policies based on faulty ideas about the transmission of the coronavirus. Host, Katie L. Burke, Digital Features Editor at American Scientist.
We'll hear from science communication leaders and podcasters on why podcasting is an important platform for Science. Interviews from Samir Honwad—professor at the University of Buffalo, Wendy Zuckerman—host of Science VS and 2022 Sigma Xi IFORE award winner, and Aaron Scott and Emily Kwong from NPR Short Wave as well as one of their guests Dr. Tiana Williams-Claussen from the Yurok Tribe.Host, Jordan Anderson.
Andrea "Annie" Kritcher discusses her and her team's achieved ignition, raising new hopes for fusion as a practical energy source.Host Corey S. Powell and American Scientist Magazine.
Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias is melding enviromental data and how these early populations interacted. Host Corey S. Powell and American Scientist Magazine.
The collision of the Great Resignation and long-standing gender inequities in medicine is heightening calls for improved family leave policies at American health care institutions. Host Jordan Anderson and American Scientist editor Katie L. Burke discuss caregiving support policies, bringing in perspectives from interviewees Christina Mangurian of UCSC, Jessica Lee of UCSC, and Neda Laiteerapong of University of Chicago.
On using synthetic biology to create next-generation diagnostics and therapeutics -- an interview with James J. Collins of Harvard and MIT, one of founders of the field.
How science fiction promotes science curiosity and why that matters. Hear from science communication practitioners and scholars Reyhaneh Maktoufi, Thomas DeFrantz, and Stephanie Castillo.
The first images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) are already transforming our view of the universe. Hear from John Mather, Nobel Laureate and senior project scientist for JWST at NASA.
There are many ways organisms adapt to their environments, which can be seen both with the eye and in an organism's genetic sequence.
Researchers are working to understand the cellular composition and diversity of the brain, creating a catalog of cell types as well as seeking to plot the relationships, structures, and functions of those cell types.
Arrays of microneedles that could replace injections have been the subject of research for some 50 years, but have not yet been commercially successful. A new type of high-resolution 3D printing could change that.
As entomologist Suzanne W.T. Batra has long argued, there are far better pollinator bees than they honeybee. Hear an interview with the researcher whose colleagues at the USDA named a research conference "Batrafest" to honor her.
Liquid-filled scaffolds that are not enclosed, but don’t leak? A team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory came with a 3D-printed unit with an internal structure that water clings to and flows into... even though it has holes.
Rewards and pitfalls to communicating science on social media: a discussion with Michael Xenos at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, BlackInNeuro and SciComm Collective's Danielle Nadin, and Samantha Yammine, also known on the internet as Science Sam.
Astrophysicist Hakeem Oluseyi discusses his memoir, A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Streets to the Stars.
Structural problems in STEM workplaces, and the importance of inclusivity in institutions -- a conversation with Shirley Malcom.
Structural problems in STEM workplaces, and the importance of inclusivity in institutions -- a conversation with Shirley Malcom.
Lessons from past biotechnology controversies and the potentials and concerns that lie ahead -- a conversation with Insoo Hyun.
Approaches to engage marginalized communities -- a conversation with Stephaun Elite Wallace.
How science communicators are using music to make science more reflexive, equitable, and engaging to audiences.
Seeking to better describe the world, researchers are attempting to blend the languages of science and art.
An interview with virologist Peter Jay Hotez on the anti-vaccine movement and other challenges to vaccine development, including poverty, war and conflict, urbanization, and climate change.
An interview with Anina Rich, who heads the Perception in Action Research Centre at Macquarie University and the Synaesthesia at Macquarie research group. She investigates synesthesia to learn about how the brain integrates information.
An interview with Manuel Lima, Senior UX Design Leader for Google, avid historian, and author of books exploring how certain visual themes, such as circles, go back to the beginnings of human understanding.
An interview with atmospheric scientist Ben Santer, who helped to author the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's famous conclusion in 1995 of the “discernible human influence on global climate” and who has continued his research through to the present day at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States.
All-ages programming is a challenge, but Tinkercast's "WOW in the World" is popular among both parents and children.
Detecting gerrymandering is an active research field, particularly given new voting methods such as ranked-choice voting, but ending the practice takes more than mathematical know-how.
New imaging reveals the hidden structure that makes enamel in human teeth so tough, inspiring researchers to use the knowledge to create tougher synthetic materials.
An interview with high school teacher Matt Brady -- author of "The Science of Rick and Morty: The Unofficial Guide to Earth's Stupidest Show" -- on his use of pop culture in the science classroom.
An interview with University of Maryland engineer Ryan Sochol, whose team has developed a technique to do three-dimensional printing at capillary sizes, for better modeling of living systems.
An interview with Geraldine L. Richmond, Presidential Chair in Science and professor of chemistry at the University of Oregon, and the current President of Sigma Xi, the organization that publishes American Scientist magazine.
Coal-ash spills and water quality: an interview with Avner Vengosh, a geochemist at Duke University, on his latest research.
Overuse, population growth, and climate change are turning water into a powerful tool for conflict in many parts of the world.
An interview with Jeff Dean, head of artificial intelligence at Google, about the major advances and concerns facing current artificial intelligence research, and how it interfaces with human society.
Young women have a low risk of heart disease, and sex differences in this bodily system could help explain why.
A new pharmaceutical specifically for postpartum depression is approved and a large, ongoing study may yield insight into depression generally, informing future treatment.
An interview with Ulrich Parlitz, a biomedical physicist, on using artificial intelligence to predict the propagation of the heart's electrical signals in order to make defibrillation safer.
An interview with Anna Marie Skalka, whose primary research focus has been understanding viruses’ many functions -- both harmful and helpful.
Studying the neurons of a most elusive and delicate animal, hydra, required a new trap, which worked... at least for a little while. Here's our interview with Jacob Robinson, a neuroengineer at Rice University, whose team developed that trap.
At age 31, astrophysicist Gene Parker, now 91, mathematically described what we now call the "solar wind." This August, NASA launched the Parker Solar Probe -- the first mission named after a living person -- to study the Sun and solar wind, seeking to solve a sixty-year-old mystery.
Reading from "The People Vs Tech: How the Internet Is Killing Democracy (and How We Save It)," author Jamie Bartlett tells one story of Donald Trump's campaign's digital strategy and their collaboration with Facebook in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election.
Mapping "star stuff" onto the periodic table -- an interview with Jennifer Johnson, a professor of astronomy at the Ohio State University who studies the history of the Milky Way and its stars.
An interview with the TESS mission's Sara Seager, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at MIT who focuses on theoretical models of atmospheres and interiors of all kinds of exoplanets as well as novel space science missions.
An interview with Jamie Bartlett on his new book, "The People Vs. Tech: How the Internet is Killing Democracy (and How We Save It)."
Our voices reveal many cues about sex, gender, and sexual orientation, but science doesn't support the stereotypes.
A zoologist and a composer combine efforts, setting a scientific talk about the eastern coyote to a soundtrack.
The first 3D imaging of the intricate cardiac conduction system provides new detail for researchers and surgeons.
For thousands of years, humanity has been computing the exact timing of eclipses. We're close. But with a little more data, we could be even closer still.
How all that fake news -- designed to sway public opinion, sway your vote, pile on insults -- gets around.
An interview with a biologist who studies physiological mechanisms of complex social behavior about new research on the hormones that affect bird behavior.
A discussion of three different experiences at three different Marches for Science, as well as some lessons learned in taking the next steps in advocating for science-based policy.
An interview with a microbiologist about research on using the belly's bacteria to avoid the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
A discussion about how to address the uncertainty about science's role in our federal government and the consequences of political interference.
Even though they are far smaller than the shortest wavelength of visible light, tiny biological objects can finally be imaged in multiple hues.
On the tough decision of whether to use chemotherapy to treat cancer while pregnant, and the resources available to help patients and their doctors make that decision.
Prospero, the world's first graphene-coated airplane, took flight this year. Hear a short conversation with University of Central Lancashire's Billy Beggs, the leader of the team who created it.
Initial studies from the U.S. National Toxicology Program indicate that black cohosh extract -- widely marketed to treat women's health issues -- is genotoxic.
A discussion with Virginia Tech graduate student Siddharta Roy on his experiences uncovering the Flint water crisis and how it has affected his outlook on science and his career.
A discussion on the use of computer models to screen chemicals for their toxicity--virtually--and so avoid time-intensive and expensive toxicology screenings, including animal testing.
A discussion about the what happens in the part of the Internet that's anonymous but where market mechanisms, technology, ethics, and human behavior still mix.
An evolutionary anthropologist thinks there are three particular ways that natural selection has made our sleep different from that of other great apes.
How and why did we evolve to dance? It's only human, but the benefits are like what chimps get from grooming one another.
Geochemist Avner Vengosh of Duke University describes the water issues posed by fracking that he thinks should be of top concern and discusses the politically charged environment surrounding this practice of shale gas extraction.
Right now, if one of your body parts fails, the only option for replacement is a transplant. Enter regenerative medicine, a fledgling field with the aim of regrowing parts from a person’s own cells. Researchers in that field are now amplifying their efforts with 3D printing technology, to create scaffolds from organic materials that cells need to grow into their final forms. Richard Wysk, a professor of industrial and systems engineering at North Carolina State University, discusses the latest successes with this research, and the timeline for creating more complicated structures.
Caryn Babaian, an artist and a biology instructor at Bucks County Community College, in Newtown, Pennsylvania, has found a visual format that encourages her students to see and think about these all-important interactions. Here she explains why the mandala, a Buddhist or Hindu graphic symbol of the universe, lends itself so well to the teaching of biology.
Biologist Rob Dunn of North Carolina State University sat down to discuss the evolution of the heart, including why dog years are different than people years and the fascinating overlooked research of cardiologist Helen Taussig. At the end of the interview, Dunn divulges how he finds obscure science stories and his advice for students looking to do novel research like his.
Ana Barros, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Duke University and a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer, discusses how engineering can prepare us for extreme weather events, but also how changing climate and population conditions can affect the ability of infrastructure to hold up over time. She suggests that more investment needs to be in place for ensuring infrastructure is maintained, as well as adapting to and mitigating our role in climate change.
Biologist Michael Eisen, who is also one of the founders of the open-access publisher Public Library of Science (PLOS), discussed how the idea for PLOS and the open-access movement began.
Terrence Holt, PhD, is a research associate professor in the Department of Social Medicine and a clinical assistant professor of geriatric medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). Alongside his medical background, he is also an adjunct assistant professor of English and comparative literature also at UNC, where he teaches courses on medicine and society and on the writing of autobiographical narrative. Dr. Holt is an award-winning author who has published numerous articles and two books, the most recent one titled, Internal Medicine. Sandra J. Ackerman, senior editor at American Scientist magazine interviewed Dr. Holt about his most recent book and how he sees the intersection of medicine and narrative.
Cosmic rays have mysterious qualities about them that scientists continue to research in order to better understand their origins and composition. Dr. Eun-Suk Seo, a professor of physics at the University of Maryland, and her colleagues, fly enormous balloons as large as a football stadium and a volume of 40-million-cubic feet for extended periods over Antarctica to reach as close to the top of the atmosphere as possible. The instruments in the balloons can then record the particles coming from cosmic rays before they break up in the atmosphere. Dr. Seo further explains how her work can help humans understand the origins of cosmic rays and why they are so highly energetic.
Have you ever wondered whether animals have personalities the way people do? Dr. Andy Sih, a professor of ecology at the University of California, Davis, researches animal personalities and shows that traits, such as an individuals level of aggressiveness versus passivity, can impact an individuals survival as well as the well-being of its surrounding group. Dr. Sih's work on insects even has implications for understanding how human behaviors are controlled by personality.
F. Ivy Carroll is a distinguished fellow for medicinal chemistry at the Research Triangle Institute, where he is the director of their Center for Organic and Medicinal Chemistry. Carroll has spent more than 30 years studying potential treatments for substance abuse. Among them are two compounds, RTI-336 and JDTic, that he and colleagues studied as potential treatments for cocaine abuse, as well as a potential diagnostic agent for Parkinson’s disease, called Iodine-123 RTI-55. Associate editor Katie L. Burke interviews Dr. Carroll beginning with how he became involved with this research.
Its difficult to envision what dimensions beyond 3D are, and why physicists, chemists, and mathematicians want to study them. Duke University chemist Patrick Charbonneau studies the theory behind the formation of glass, tackling questions about an area of research called the glass problem. His research has helped progress this field to a new paradigm. American Scientist associate editor Katie L. Burke interviewed him in September 2013.
When people think of the fastest animals, most consider running cheetahs, flitting hummingbirds, or jumping kangaroos. But there's a level above what we think of as fast: Ultrafast organisms conserve energy and move in nano- or even micro-seconds. Sheila Patek, PhD, an associate professor in the biology department at Duke University, discusses her research on ultrafast creatures, including the powerful punch of the mantis shrimp and the force behind trap-jaw ants. By using high-speed digital cameras, Dr. Patek and her colleagues are among the first in their field to successfully analyze in slow motion the biology and intention behind these movements.
When people think of the fastest animals, most consider running cheetahs, flitting hummingbirds, or jumping kangaroos. But there's a level above what we think of as fast: Ultrafast organisms conserve energy and move in nano- or even micro-seconds. Sheila Patek, PhD, an associate professor in the biology department at Duke University, discusses her research on ultrafast creatures, including the powerful punch of the mantis shrimp and the force behind trap-jaw ants. By using high-speed digital cameras, Dr. Patek and her colleagues are among the first in their field to successfully analyze in slow motion the biology and intention behind these movements.
There are major discrepancies between model predictions and observations on cosmic dust and the theories of dust nucleation and formation. New additions to the theory may improve its performance and its ability to predict the properties and formation of nanoparticles. Listen to Dr. Lazzati discuss his research on cosmic dust with managing editor Fenella Saunders in this podcast
Gene therapy and genomic engineering are rapidly burgeoning areas of research. Dr. Charles Gersbach of Duke University sat down with associate editor Katie L. Burke to discuss the history of gene therapy and what we can do now that we couldn’t do even a few years ago.
Over two decades of research, veterinarian and professor of medicine Ed Breitschwerdt of North Carolina State University has shown that these bacteria can infect humans and other mammals, causing a variety of perplexing symptoms.
Because penguins have been around for over 60 million years, their fossil record is extensive. Fossils that Dr. Ksepka and his colleagues have discovered provide clues about migration patterns and the diversity of penguin species. Dr. Ksepka goes into more depth about how his research is piecing together the evolutionary puzzle of penguins and other related bird species.
In American Scientist 's first Google Hangout On Air, managing editor Fenella Saunders talks with Prof. Dr. Peter Gruss, president of the Max Planck Society, a nonprofit research organization that has promoted research at its own institutes since 1948, about growing basic research and the various ways to do so.
Dr. Darlene Taylor uses molecular engineering to develop what she calls smart materials- substances that can sense and respond in some way to a change in their environment. Perhaps the most exciting use for smart materials is helping to deliver powerful drugs to specific target sites deep inside the body without affecting other tissues along the way.
Dr. Antonio Baines is an associate professor in the Department of Biology at North Carolina Central University, an adjunct professor in the Department of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a cancer researcher. PancreasClick to Enlarge Image Dr. Baines research focuses on understanding a gene called Ras, and its role as a molecular target in pancreatic cancer. His research aim is to target certain points in the pathway of pancreatic cancer in order to increase the effectiveness of treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. Baines goes into more depth about how his research could increase understanding of how to combat pancreatic cancer.
Most scientists will tell you that one of the inspirations for their work is to somehow benefit mankind, whether thats through new medicines or a better understanding of the formation of the universe. But how can scientists ensure that mankind knows about their work? Science author and journalist Dennis Meredith discusses how scientists can become better communicators of their research.
Dr. Ron Alterovitz, an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, talks about current and future research and challenges involving robots used in clinical and home environments.
Dr. Ilse Ipsen, a professor in the Department of Mathematics at North Carolina State University, goes in-depth about how mathematicians can use the Monte Carlo method, and other tools, to wrestle with the deluge of data emerging from the wide variety of scientific research areas.
Dr. Sukanta Basu, an associate professor at North Carolina State University, talks about the benefits and challenges of wind power and what it could mean for the future of renewable energy.
Brian Hare, professor of evolutionary anthropology and member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University, is interested in what dogs can do cognitively that humans and other primates cannot do. Are humans really the most intelligent species? Hare compares psychology within primates as well as between primates and nonprimates through the Hominoid Psychology Research Group and the citizen science project that he launched, Dognition. You can find out how your dog's breed compares in intelligence measures with other dog breeds, based on Hare's research, by visiting Dognition's new data visualizations.
Karl Wegmann, a geologist at North Carolina State University, may change how people view earthquake risks in the eastern Mediterranean. He has also helped date the age of stone tools on Crete, artifacts that suggest that we Homo sapiens were not the first of our lineage to build or use boats.
Current therapies are very good at keeping HIV under control, but they never completely cure it. David Margolis, a physician and researcher at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, studies the molecular biology of HIV infections. In this podcast, Margolis speaks with associate editor Elsa Youngsteadt about what it will take to cure a person (or a mouse) of HIV.
Southern Appalachian forests are a global biodiversity hotspot. But theyre also rich with coal. Duke University ecologist Emily Bernhardt led a recent study that documents the long-term, widespread effects of surface coal mining on the regions waterways.
Duke University geneticist Misha Angrists genome is a public document, thanks to his participation in Harvard's Personal Genome Project. Angrist reflects on the medical and ethical implications of the project in his 2010 book, Here is a Human Being: At the Dawn of Personal Genomics.
Duke University evolutionary anthropologist Anne Pusey shares insights from long-term studies of chimpanzee behavior at Gombe National Park in Tanzania, where Jane Goodall began observing chimpanzees more than 50 years ago.
North Carolina State University entomologist Coby Schal discusses the return of bed bugs, why pesticides wont stop them and the best theories for why the tiny pests are spreading around the world.
North Carolina State University historian William Kimler charts the changing image of Charles Darwin through time from dim but perseverant naturalist to revered founder of evolutionary theory.
Phaedra Boinodiris, Serious Games program manager at IBM, explains how she designs computer games that teach students and trainees to solve complex problems in business management and city planning
James Evans, a clinical researcher in genetics at the University of North Carolina and a member of the U.S. Secretary of Health's advisory committee on Genetics, Health and Society, urges us to support genomics medicine research, but asks us to temper our enthusiasm until it becomes a proven tool.
Jeffrey Sonis, physician and public health research scientist at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, is developing ways to gauge how groups of people scarred by mass murder respond to revisiting a traumatic history.
Geoffrey Ginsburg, director of the Center for Genomic Medicine at Duke University, presents advances and ongoing research in personalized medicine, from prescribing cancer drugs to predicting flu symptoms.
David Eggleston, director of the Center for Marine Science and Technology, North Carolina State University, discusses the challenges of conserving and restoring North Carolina coastal ecosystems, particularly oyster reefs.
National Evolutionary Synthesis Center assistant director of science Craig McClain explores how the meager availability of food on the deep seafloor shapes the ecology and evolution of the animals that live there.
North Carolina State University engineer Alex Huang discusses research on new electric grid technologies that could better utilize renewable energy sources
Duke University anthropologist Steven Churchill presents his research on the evolutionary origins of projectile weaponry
University of North Carolina chemist Thomas Meyer discusses the status of the world's energy supply
S. Stanley Young, director of bioinformatics at the National Institute of Statistical Sciences, critiques statistical analysis by some epidemiologists
North Carolina State University genomicist Jorge Piedrahita describes his research with cloned swine