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 
319 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

Skeptic Check: Data Bias
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Data Bias, Credit: Seth Shostak
Sexist snow plowing? Data that guide everything from snow removal schedules to heart research often fail to consider gender. In these cases, “refe...

Bought by KZYX, WVTF, CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY and more


  • Added: Sep 26, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16
De-Permafrosting
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: De-Permafrosting, Credit: Seth Shostak
Above the Arctic Circle, much of the land is underlaid by permafrost. But climate change is causing it to thaw. This is not good news for the plane...

Bought by KUHF, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, WHCP-LP Cambridge, KZUM and more


  • Added: Sep 19, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 17
Skeptic Check: Heal Thyself
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Heal Thyself, Credit: Seth Shostak
Do we need doctors? There are umpteen alternative sources of medical advice, including endless health tips from people without medical degrees. Wh...

Bought by WVTF, CHSR-FM 97.9, KZUM, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY and more


  • Added: Aug 29, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Platypus Crazy
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Platypus Crazy, Credit: Seth Shostak
They look like a cross between a beaver and a duck, and they all live Down Under. The platypus may lay eggs, but is actually a distant mammalian co...

Bought by WMUU-LP, WUFT, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, KZUM and more


  • Added: Aug 22, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Rip Van Winkle Worm
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Rip Van Winkle Worm, Credit: Seth Shostak
Your shower pipes are alive. So are your sinks, books, and floorboards. New studies of our homes are revealing just what lives there, from bacteria...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, KZUM and more


  • Added: Aug 15, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 14
Skeptic Check: Shared Reality
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Skeptic Check: Shared Reality, Credit: Seth Shostak
One of the many shocking aspects of the Capitol attack was that it revealed how thoroughly the nation had cleaved into alternate realities. How did...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., WLPR , WGBH Radio Boston, KCPW Salt Lake City, WVTF and more


  • Added: Jul 25, 2022
  • Length: 54:04
  • Purchases: 21
Sci-Fi From the Future
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Sci-Fi From the Future, Credit: Seth Shostak
Polls show that most Americans are uneasy about the unchecked growth of artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. We all hope to guide socie...

Bought by KTXK, CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KZUM, WRGY and more


  • Added: Jul 18, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Flush With Excitement
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Flush with Excitement, Credit: Seth Shostak
The toilet: A ubiquitous appliance that dates to the time of Shakespeare. But billions of people around the world still lack modern sanitation infr...

Bought by Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, KUCR 88.3 fm Riverside, Calif., WRGY, KZUM, CHSR-FM 97.9 and more


  • Added: Jul 11, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 15
Feet Don't Fail Me
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Feet Don't Fail Me, Credit: Seth Shostak
Standing on your own two feet isn’t easy. While many animals can momentarily balance on their hind legs, we’re the only critters, besides birds, fo...

Bought by CHSR-FM 97.9, Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, WRGY, KZUM, WHCP-LP Cambridge and more


  • Added: Jul 04, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 13
Skeptic Check: Hypnosis
From: Big Picture Science
Series: Big Picture Science
Caption: Skeptic Check: Hypnosis, Credit: Shannon Rose Geary
You are getting sleeeepy and open to suggestion. But is that how hypnotism works? And does it really open up a portal to the unconscious mind? Hypn...

Bought by WCAI / WNAN Cape & Islands, Mass., Cove Mountain Educational Broadcasting, CHSR-FM 97.9, KZUM, WRGY and more


  • Added: Jun 27, 2022
  • Length: 54:00
  • Purchases: 16

Actions

Playlists

none

People who work with Big Picture Science

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