February 21, 2025
The CEO of one of America’s oldest scientific societies discusses the recent cuts to scientific institutions, and how scientists can respond. Plus, flu infections are the highest they’ve been in nearly 30 years, and flu deaths this winter have surpassed COVID deaths. And, a video of a gloriously creepy anglerfish inspired tears and poetry online.
Monster Microbiology, 101
If werewolves and other ghouls existed, they’d surely have microbiomes.
12:08
Red Meat Ruckus, Electrifying Eels, and Sugar Overload
Science writer Ed Yong deciphers the WHO’s red meat announcement and explains how electric eels immobilize prey.
26:29
Monster Microbiome Mash
Just in time for Halloween, scientists Rob Dunn and Amanda Hale imagine what the microbiomes of werewolves, vampires, and other monsters might entail.
07:10
Sniffing Out Warnings From the Scent of Death
Researchers suggest that putrescine—a compound found in corpses—can trigger our defensive responses.
17:42
Discovering the Brain’s Ghoulish Glitches
Science writer Sam Kean discusses some of the brain’s most ghoulish glitches and what they can teach us about how healthy brains operate.
21:59
Spider Stories That’ll Stick With You
Cannibalism. Bondage. An offering of flesh. Spiders have weird (and wonderful) ways of enticing and entertaining their mates.
05:31
Diary of a Snake Bite Death
This week’s Macroscope video follows the detailed diary of herpetologist Karl P. Schmidt as he was dying from the venom of a snake bite.
‘Monster In A Barrel,’ And Other Haunting Ocean Drifters
Some predatory plankton appear innocent enough—until they go in for the kill.
Diary Of A Snakebite Death
Karl P. Schmidt, famed snake expert and herpetologist, made a detailed scientific account of the effect of venom from a snake bite in the human body—his body.
12:08
Sexually-Transmitted Ebola, Space Mining, and Cashless Countries
The public health implications of sexually transmitted Ebola and the move toward cashless societies.
17:24
Did Dark Matter Doom the Dinosaurs?
Physicist Lisa Randall explores the theory that a disc of dark matter could have been responsible for the catastrophic collision that extinguished the dinosaurs.
15:23
It All Started With a Hoverboard: How Back to the Future II Envisioned 2015
Academy Award-nominated visual effects art director John Bell talks about how he imagined the then-distant world of 2015 for “Back to the Future II.”
11:53
The Mysterious Flicker Behind Star KIC 8462852
Astronomers explore theories behind a distant star with a mysterious glow, including swarming comets and alien megastructures.
17:27
Government Glitches: What Happens When IT Projects Fail
Bob Charette reflects on a decades-worth of IT fails in government and what can be done to improve the outcome of these projects.
Cosmic Connections: Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs
An excerpt from “Dark Matter and the Dinosaurs.”
16:32
Build A Cabinet Of Curiosities
In his book “Cabinet of Curiosities,” nature writer Gordon Grice shares tips for building your own natural history collection.
The Hunt for Dark Matter
Deep in an abandoned gold mine in rural South Dakota, a team of physicists are hunting for astrophysical treasure.