This is the last episode of Living Lab Radio. Heather Goldstone will be joining Woods Hole Research Center to communicate about what is possibly the most pressing issue of our time: climate change. Elsa Partan will be staying at WCAI as a news

Is Winter Miserable for Wildlife?

Dec 22nd, 2019 11m 42s

Bridget B. Baker , Wayne State University While the weather outside may indeed get frightful this winter, a parka, knit hat, wool socks, insulated boots and maybe a roaring fire make things bearable for people who live in cold climates. But wha

Living Lab Radio: December 22 and 23, 2019

Dec 22nd, 2019 49m 30s

“If you have scientific misconduct, there are some clear rules that have been around for quite a while where your funding could be at jeopardy. We thought that sexual misconduct should be at that level. Even laboratory safety is an issue that c

What Makes Wine Dry? It’s Easy to Taste, but Much Harder to Measure

Dec 22nd, 2019 13m 3s

Aude Watrelot , Iowa State University When you take a sip of wine at a family meal or celebration, what do you notice? First, you probably note the visual characteristics: the color is generally red, rosé or white. Next, you smell the aromatic

MOSAiC Mission Aims to Paint More Complete Picture of Changing Arctic

Dec 16th, 2019 11m 1s

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual Arctic report card last week, with data tracking seven vital signs of Arctic health, including air and water temperatures, sea ice and tundra greenness. The conclusion: “Ar

Whakaari Volcano Eruption Reveals Difficulty in Forecasting Volcanic Events

Dec 16th, 2019 12m 54s

In the early hours of December 9th, the volcano known as Whakaari, or White Island off the northern coast of New Zealand erupted, killing several people .

Turning Off Volume on Skype Sheds Light on How Languages Emerge

Dec 16th, 2019 12m 43s

There are thousands of languages spoken around the world today. While we know how many of them are related to each other, we know very little about how they actually arose. "The main reason is because we can't travel back in time and go back to

Alone Time an Important Part of a Balanced Social Diet

Dec 16th, 2019 12m 53s

We all know we’re supposed to eat a balanced diet with a combination of different types of foods. A growing body of research suggests the same is true when it comes to social behavior – that a mixture of different types of social interactions,

Living Lab Radio: December 15, 2019

Dec 15th, 2019 49m 30s

“We get to read the whole book. Normally, you go out for a couple of months. It's like you have a complicated mystery and you get two chapters and you're supposed to figure out what's going on. But here, we've already started. We’re there in th

Parker Solar Probe Findings Surprise Scientists

Dec 9th, 2019 14m 7s

Last year, the Parker Solar Probe flew closer to the sun than anything ever has before. Now, scientists have released the first results, and there are some big surprises, like solar winds up to twenty five times faster than expected, and previo

How to Pick the 'Right' Amount to Spend

Dec 9th, 2019 11m

By Jay L. Zagorsky , Boston University Gift giving is a big deal this time of year. To find the “perfect” gift , Americans will spend about 15 hours shopping. Women will do about twice as much as men. And they’ll shell out about US$1 trillion o

We've Reached 'Peak Cow,' Report Says

Dec 8th, 2019 15m 52s

The Impossible Burger has put high tech meat alternatives on people’s plates and minds. But just how big could this emerging sector become? And how soon? A new analysis says it could make the cow all but obsolete in a matter of years.

A Mood Of Urgency At UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid

Dec 8th, 2019 8m 31s

This year’s United Nations conference on climate change is underway in Madrid, Spain, with about 25,000 people from 200 countries attending. The mood is one of urgency, according to participants.

Living Lab Radio: December 8, 2019

Dec 8th, 2019 49m 30s

“Essentially, the cost of producing protein is going to come down fast. So, it's five times cheaper by 2030 - and ten times by 2035 - than existing methods. And so, ultimately, this means 50 percent fewer cows by 2030. And it won't stop there.”

New Effort to Understand Arctic Craters Caused by Warming

Dec 2nd, 2019 14m 51s

In July of 2014, images of an enormous crater in the Siberian tundra captivated scientists and the public, alike. Others were soon found, and a cause proposed: climate change. Specifically, the finger was pointed at an underground build-up of m

Study: Does Science Advance One Funeral at a Time?

Dec 2nd, 2019 16m 41s

“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” – Max Planck The Nobel Prize-winning ph

Studies Show Meditation Can Reduce Pain AND Opioid Use

Dec 1st, 2019 12m 24s

A new meta-analysis of dozens of studies finds evidence that mind-body therapies, like meditation, can reduce not only pain, but also opioid use. “There have been other reviews of studies of mind body therapies for people experiencing various t

Defamation Case Mixes Climate Science and First Amendment

Dec 1st, 2019 5m 35s

Before heading home for turkey, the Supreme Court this week declined to hear a case pitting a prominent climate scientist against a conservative news outlet and a free-market think tank. To be clear, this is considered a win for the climate sci

Living Lab Radio: December 1, 2019

Dec 1st, 2019 49m 30s

"I didn't expect it then and I still don't expect it now. It's not something that any Arctic scientists talk about for this to happen on land - to have land explode because of a buildup of methane below the ground. It still surprises me now." -

Star Stories - A Tradition That Spans Time and Cultures

Nov 24th, 2019 13m 20s

Stargazing and storytelling are universal, age-old past-times. For millenia, people have looked to the sky, seen shapes in the stars, and attached stories to them. Constellations and their movements have been used to navigate the seas, predict

Cranberries Through History

Nov 24th, 2019 13m 53s

Cranberries are a staple on the American Thanksgiving table, but they used to be much more than a once-a-year novelty. They were a staple of Native American diets, and later, of early colonial diets. The ways that cranberries have been grown an

Bridging The Political Divide At Thanksgiving

Nov 24th, 2019 12m 12s

For many, the country's political divide has become intensely personal – dividing families and even breaking up Thanksgiving traditions. We all know the old adage about avoiding politics and religion at the dinner table, but it seems harder to

Nature News Headlines: Science funding lotteries, global map of Titan

Nov 24th, 2019 10m 5s

Our monthly rundown of science headlines from Nature News, this time with video and podcast editor Benjamin Thompson as tour guide: Researchers now have at least a draft genome sequence for every butterfly species in the U.S. and Canada. The tr

Living Lab Radio: November 24, 2019

Nov 24th, 2019 49m 30s

“The sky was always there; the sky was the storyboard, filled with tales about the meaning of life and social relations. And people were making patterns on this storyboard even before they were painting on the walls of caves. Certainly, prehist

Naomi Oreskes On Why We Should Trust Science

Nov 17th, 2019 15m 45s

We don’t tend to acknowledge this, but at the heart of Living Lab Radio lies the belief that science can provide factual information that can help us make better decisions as individuals, as communities, and as societies. But why should we trus