D Peterschmidt is a producer, host of the podcast Universe of Art, and composes music for Science Friday’s podcasts. They’re drawn to stories about art, technology, and the environment.
Before joining the team at Science Friday, D. was a product intern for NPR, where they helped out with podcast content management, social media strategy, and designed promo art.
D grew up in San Diego, where they learned hip slang like “swoll,” “clean,” and “off the flame” to describe muscle definition.
When they’re not working, you might find them playing Super Smash Bros. with their family, making 8-bit covers of TV show theme songs, or playing D&D as a clumsy bard named Chip Chap Chopman.
17:08
What To Do When Your Hypothesis Is Wrong? Publish!
In an effort to learn from scientific failure, The Journal of Trial Error only publishes “negative” results.
‘Inside Out 2’ And The Psychology Behind Teenage Angst
Psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour helped make the film more scientifically accurate to how a teenager’s mind works.
11:05
Why It Took Decades For This Octopus To Be Recognized
The larger Pacific striped octopus is unusually social. But it wasn’t recognized by scientists until 2015, despite one man’s efforts.
11:44
Elephants Seem To Use Names For Each Other
A new study used machine learning to analyze elephant vocalizations and identified “contact rumbles” that appear to function as names.
The Bird Call That Music Producers Love To Use In Pop Songs
The eerie calls of the common loons have been heard in songs by Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, and more.
11:37
A Week Of Milestones For Spaceflight
Boeing’s Starliner successfully launched and docked at the ISS, SpaceX’s Starship rocket launched and returned, and Hubble had a hiccup.
16:56
Step Aside, DNA. It’s RNA’s Time To Shine.
The COVID vaccines proved that RNA could be extremely powerful. A new book explores even more medical applications for the tiny molecule.
8:27
Which Animals Like Cities Most? Slugs And Snails Top The List.
Researchers used data from the crowd-sourcing nature observation app iNaturalist to rank animals’ tolerance of urban environments.
12:17
Right-To-Repair Laws Gain Steam In State Legislatures
A growing number of states are adopting laws that force companies to give consumers better options to repair their devices.
This Scientist’s Memoir Charts Her Journey From Acting To Astrobiology
In her new memoir, astrobiologist Dr. Aomawa Shields describes how a quest for life in the cosmos helped her find meaning on Earth.