The Show About Science

Jesse Schell is a video game designer and a professor of entertainment technology at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also the creator of “Happy Atoms,” a game that helps kids learn how atoms bond to form new molecules. Jesse joins Nate on this episode to talk about how “Happy Atoms” uses technology like augmented reality…

When organs like kidneys and livers fail, it can be scary—especially for kids. But the science of regenerative medicine, where new organs are created from a patient’s own cells and tissue, is a promising new field in medicine. Dr. Anthony Atala is the Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and he joins…

Last summer, Nate was walking to the train when he spotted a giant wasp carrying a cicada. Later he discovered that the insect he saw was a cicada killer wasp. These insects will paralyze cicadas with their venomous sting, but luckily rarely sting humans. Blake Newton is an entomologist at the University of Kentucky. He…

David Shoesmith is a professor of electrochemistry and corrosion science at the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He joins Nate on this episode of The Show About Science to explain why metal rusts and how it corrodes. They also talk about an experiment that you can conduct at home to see rust form.

Kids can do amazing things. And if you need proof of that, look no further than this episode of The Show About Science! First up is kid inventor Allie Weber, the host of the YouTube channel Tech-nic-Allie Speaking. After that is the story of Sophia Spencer, who inspired the hashtag #BugsR4Girls and co-authored a research…

What can we learning from studying teeth? As it turns out, quite a bit! Dr. Tanya Smith is working to understand how teeth grow, why they vary, and how this information can advance the field of human evolutionary biology. Dr. Smith joins Nate on this episode to talk about her work.

J Steele-Louchart is a Perceptual Navigation Instructor with World Access for the Blind. Blind from the age of 12, J began teaching himself Perceptual Navigation based on materials published online by World Access For The Blind Lead Founder and President Daniel Kish. Now J teaches others how to see the world around them using their…

What could be more fun than learning about the science of ice cream? Eating it of course! Rich Hartel is a professor and food engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he runs the Hartel Lab. He joins Nate on the show today to talk about the science behind everyone’s favorite dessert.

A thermophile is an organism that thrives in very high temperatures. You can find them living in the hot springs at Yellowstone National Park. These geothermal pools draw visitors to the park each year because of their beautiful colors. Tim McDermott is a soil and environmental biologist at Montana State University who has been researching…

Tim Howard turned a vacation to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands into an amazing hour of great audio for WNYC’s Radiolab. He now works as an editor on Reply All, a podcast about the internet. Tim joins Nate on this episode to talk about the science of audio storytelling, his trip to Galapagos and a…