Big Picture Science

GroupAccount image

Big Picture Science is a one-hour radio show and podcast that connects ideas in surprising and humorous ways to illuminate the origins, the behavior, and the future of life—and  technology—on Earth.

What came before the Big Bang?  How does the brain work? Will our descendents be human or machine?  What’s the origin of humor?  We ponder these questions daily... and expound on them weekly.

But, wait!  There’s more!

Are you a doubting Thomas?  Good.  Join us as we separate science from pseudoscience—and facts from the phony—in Skeptic Check, our monthly episode devoted to critical thinking.

Whether it’s astrology, Bigfoot, or just the incessant onslaught of UFOs, we take it all on, wielding the skeptical scalpel of solid science.

It’s Skeptic Check... but don’t take our word for it!

 

 

 

Series

Series image
Big Picture Science 
330 Pieces

Big Picture Science is a weekly one-hour science magazine that connects ideas in surprising and humorous ways to illuminate the origins and evolution of life and technology on this planet… and beyond.

Pieces

Replace What Ails You
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: Replace What Ails You, Credit: Seth Shostak
Germs can make us sick, but we didn’t know about these puny pathogens prior to the end of the 19th century. Germ theory and antibiotics created a...

Bought by WRST-FM Oshkosh, WRGY, RadioFreePalmer, WMUU-LP, WRIR and more


  • Added: Jan 25, 2016
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 6
Apt to Adapt
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: Apt to Adapt, Credit: Seth Shostak
Humans are changing their environment faster than their genes can keep pace. This has led to a slew of diseases, from backache to diabetes, says o...

Bought by KUNM, WRGY, WMUU-LP, RadioFreePalmer, and WRIR


  • Added: Jan 11, 2016
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
A Stellar Job
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: A Stellar Job, Credit: Seth Shostak
Stars do more than just twinkle. These boiling balls of hot plasma can tell us something about other celestial phenomena. They betray the hiding ...

Bought by KREV-LP, WRGY, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WYSO, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Jan 04, 2016
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 6
You Think; You're So Smart
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: You Think; You're So Smart, Credit: Seth Shostak
Sure you have a big brain; it's the hallmark of Homo sapiens. But that doesn't mean that you've cornered the market on intelligence. Michael Pol...

Bought by KAZU Seaside, Calif., RadioFreePalmer, WMUU-LP, WRIR, WRGY and more


  • Added: Dec 28, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 6
Look Who's Not Talking
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: Look Who's Not Talking, Credit: Seth Shostak
A U.S. Army major says that social media are breaking up our “band of brothers,” and that soldiers who tweet rather than talk have less cohesion in...

Bought by RadioFreePalmer, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WMUU-LP, WRIR, and WRGY


  • Added: Dec 14, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
Happily Confused
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: Happily Confused, Credit: Seth Shostak
Do you feel happy today? How about happily disgusted? Maybe sadly surprised, or sadly disgusted? Human emotions are complex. But at least they’...

Bought by KAZU Seaside, Calif., RadioFreePalmer, WMUU-LP, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., WRIR and more


  • Added: Nov 30, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 7
Climate Conversation
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: Climate Conversation, Credit: Seth Shostak
The Paris climate talks are scheduled to go ahead despite the terrorist attacks, and attendees hope to sign an international agreement on climate c...

Bought by C89.5 - KNHC Seattle, RadioFreePalmer, KPIP-LP, WRST-FM Oshkosh, WMUU-LP and more


  • Added: Nov 23, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 9
Skeptic Check: Paleo Diet
From: Big Picture Science
Caption: Skeptic Check: Paleo Diet, Credit: Seth Shostak
Followers of the Paleo diet say we should eat what our ancestors ate 10,000 years ago, when our genes were perfectly in synch with the environment....

Bought by WRGY, WMUU-LP, KMRE-LP Bellingham, Wash., RadioFreePalmer, and WRIR


  • Added: Nov 16, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 5
Skeptic Check: Check the Skeptics
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Skeptic Check: Check the Skeptics, Credit: Seth Shostak
A scientist tells us that more than half of all published scientific studies are wrong, but that science still remains the best tool we have for le...

Bought by WMUU-LP, KRPS, WRGY, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WRIR and more


  • Added: Oct 26, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 9
Smiley Virus
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Smiley Virus, Credit: Gary Niederhoff
For many, the word virus is a synonym for disease – diseases of humans, plants, and even computers. And yet the vast majority of viruses are not o...

Bought by WMUU-LP, 91.7 WHUS Storrs, WMUU-LP, RadioFreePalmer, WRGY and more


  • Added: Oct 19, 2015
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 8

Actions

Playlists

none

People who work with Big Picture Science

User image
Barbara Vance
Producer
Caption: PRX default User image
Gary Niederhoff (Admin)