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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.
6:42
For Some Olympians, Winning Medals Is All About Flow
Understanding fluid dynamics helps Olympians shave minutes off race times.
9:43
In Wind Tunnels, Ski Jumpers Become Flying Machines
Wind tunnels help Olympic ski jumpers balance between lift and drag.
17:41
Andy Weir: ‘The Martian’
Andy Weir’s novel of Mars survival mixes science fact and fiction.
12:04
Scientists Hunt for Morning Dew on Mars
Could mysterious dark streaks on Martian slopes be evidence of liquid water flows?
8:22
Out of the Bottle: Wine Psychology
How do our expectations, environment, and social cues trick us into believing our wine tastes better or worse?
28:34
Solving Life’s Everyday Problems, With Data
Data geeks say our “digital breadcrumbs” can reveal where to eat, who to date, or which bus to take.
8:43
Stem Cell Research Update
Researchers in a recent study report creating stem cells in 30 minutes through an acid bath.
9:53
Ice Science a Slippery Quandary for Physicists
Friction researcher and avid curler Robert Carpick discusses the tricky physics of ice.
6:32
Crafting the ‘Fastest Ice on Earth’
Marc Norman obsessively monitors the ice at the Utah Olympic Oval to create the perfect skating surface.
19:12
Can Gaming Make Us More Social?
NYU’s Katherine Isbister imagines a future where technology connects us to other people, not avatars.