The first in a 9-part series dedicated to deep, intentional listening. Episodes of "The Listening Experience" will be released about every four months.

Cosmic Visions: Sounds of Space

Dec 21st, 2023 8m 45s

There's a lot to hear in outer space if you change the way you listen.

Cosmic Visions: Sonic Gravity

Dec 20th, 2023 13m 34s

The story of how gravitational waves were finally discovered and how we are making sense of them.

Cosmic Visions: Picturing the Universe

Dec 19th, 2023 11m 43s

Some of the most iconic images we have of the universe closely resemble 19th-century landscape paintings of the American West. A big part of the reason has to do with how scientists interpreted visual data from telescopes like Hubble.

Cosmic Visions: Dante's Universe

Dec 18th, 2023 10m 45s

With the telescopes of the 20th century, astronomers began to see a universe that just so happened to resemble the cosmos as described by a 13th century Italian poet…Dante Alighieri.

Cosmic Visions: Aliens

Dec 17th, 2023 11m 9s

An observational error in the 19th century leads to a belief that there is an advanced alien civilization on Mars...which leads to a boom in astronomy investment, research, and actual discoveries, including the first sighting of Pluto.

Cosmic Visions: Kepler's Fiction

Dec 16th, 2023 14m 16s

"Somnium" is considered one of the first pieces of science fiction. The short story, written in 1608, recounts a trip up to the moon. There are magical beings, aliens, drugs, and a perspective of the stars that would fundamentally change how pe

Cosmic Visions: Deep Patterns

Dec 15th, 2023 12m 4s

Near the end of the 11th century CE, there was a crisis in China’s Song Dynasty. The imperial calendars were filled with errors. To fix them, the imperial court would have to reform one of the most essential institutions in the empire: The Bure

Cosmic Visions: The Mayan Zero

Dec 14th, 2023 13m 26s

In the 9th century CE, Mayan astronomers were able to calculate the period of Venus down to the minute. They were only able to achieve this unrivaled accuracy because they had developed one of the most important mathematical concepts in human h

Cosmic Visions: The Beautiful Order

Dec 13th, 2023 10m 49s

In the 6th Century BCE, Ancient Greeks began thinking about the cosmos in a fundamentally new way. Their novel approach led them to believe the things they saw in the night sky were not ethereal, but solid bodies—balls of fire or rock that may

Cosmic Visions: Babylonian Astrology

Dec 12th, 2023 11m 31s

Some four thousand years ago, Babylonians began collecting celestial data for what is arguably the longest-running project in the history of science.

Cosmic Visions: Moon Stories

Dec 11th, 2023 12m 51s

Episode 1: Storytelling was one of the earliest ways humans tried to make sense of the heavens. The first object of major study was the moon, and that's because of an uncanny ability it has to keep time.

Cosmic Visions: Intro

Dec 11th, 2023 2m 37s

A new podcast about the history of astronomy

Ways of Knowing: Reading

Oct 9th, 2023 15m 4s

Episode 1 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Jesse Oak Taylor.

Ways of Knowing: Close Reading

Oct 9th, 2023 11m 34s

Episode 2 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Charles LaPorte.

Ways of Knowing: Close Reading Redux

Oct 9th, 2023 11m 54s

Episode 3 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Habiba Ibrahim.

Ways of Knowing: Environmental Humanities

Oct 9th, 2023 12m 48s

Episode 4 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Louisa Mackenzie.

Ways of Knowing: Disability Studies

Oct 9th, 2023 13m 42s

Episode 5 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Jose Alaniz.

Ways of Knowing: Visual Literacy

Oct 9th, 2023 10m 24s

Episode 6 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Diana Ruíz.

Ways of Knowing: Material Culture

Oct 9th, 2023 10m 26s

Episode 7 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Chad Allen.

Ways of Knowing: Translation

Oct 9th, 2023 11m 57s

Episode 8 of Ways of Knowing, an audio series about the humanities. Made by The World According to Sound and The University of Washington. This episode features the work of Maya Smith.