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November 22, 2024
On the 50th anniversary of Lucy’s discovery, paleoanthropologists reflect on what she means to science, and what she taught us about ourselves. Plus, divers have recovered seeds of a long-lost rye variety from a 146-year-old shipwreck in Lake Huron. And, just in time for Thanksgiving, a potato researcher explains potato varieties, potato nutrition, and some tubular tuber facts.
15:58
A Web of Doubt
Author Charles Seife spots the falsehoods and fakes that make their way onto the information super highway.
17:28
How New Rules and Smart Tech Are Reinventing the Grid
After Superstorm Sandy, there was a lot of talk of a more distributed smart grid—a more resilient system. But how far have we come?
12:08
Celebrating Nature’s Summer Light Show, Fireflies
The flashing of lightning bugs is a favorite part of a lazy summer evening, but there’s a lot of hidden nighttime drama.
15:47
Meet the Mohawk Behind NASA’s Curiosity Mission
NASA’s “Mohawk Man,” Bobak Ferdowsi, talks public and private space exploration, plans for Europa, and whether or not we’ll be putting a human on Mars.
17:43
Do Your Patriotic Duty: Learn Math
Mathematician Edward Frenkel says a well-educated public is essential to democracy—and that includes being knowledgeable about math.
11:52
Ben Franklin: Sonic Explorer
Ben Franklin’s sonic experiments included inventing a new musical instrument and testing the limits of the human voice.
3:05
Arnold Relman, Health System Critic, Dead at 91
Relman called the American health care system a “new medical-industrial complex.” We remember him here with two archival clips.
31:02
Making Art From the DNA You Leave Behind
Artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg calls attention to genetic surveillance with artworks made from strangers’ DNA.
12:21
3-D Mammography Detects More Cancers, But Will It Save Lives?
A new study suggests that 3-D mammography detects more cancers than traditional digital mammography. But the technology is expensive, and there’s no indication yet that it catches more dangerous cancers, or is saving more lives.
13:24
Getting A Grasp On The Clever Cephalopod
The nautilus, the “living fossil” of cephalopods, can uncover the origins of the complex brain of modern cephalopods.