Transistor

PRX

A podcast of scientific questions and stories featuring guest hosts and reporters.

  • 9 minutes 44 seconds
    No Inoculation without Representation!

    Vaccinations, in one form or another, have been around longer than the United States. In fact, during the Revolutionary War in 1776, future first lady Abigail Adams pursued the controversial scientific technique to protect her 5 children against a threat more dangerous than an army of Redcoats. Here’s Luke Quinton with the story.

    13 November 2017, 5:00 am
  • 10 minutes 48 seconds
    Cosmic Ray Catchers

    Cosmic rays from outer space sound like science fiction. They’re not—invisible particles flung from outer space pass through our bodies every minute. But not all cosmic rays are equal; Some are immensely powerful and very rare. For decades scientists have wondered where they're coming from – and what could possibly be hurling them at Earth. Now, they're getting closer to finding out.  Ross Chambless has the story.

    30 October 2017, 4:00 am
  • 10 minutes 53 seconds
    Three Letters on Broom Bridge

    Every October 16th hundreds of people gather in Dublin to celebrate Ireland's greatest mathematician, William Rowan Hamilton. And get this – It was his act of vandalism on Broom Bridge in 1843 that put him in the history books – it actually changed mathematics forever. Samuel Hanson brings us the story.

    16 October 2017, 4:00 am
  • 9 minutes 42 seconds
    After A Flood

    Hurricanes Harvey and Irma left devastation in their wake all across the southern United States as unimaginable quantities of water swallowed up small towns and cities alike. But what happens to that water and how can cities better prepare ahead of time? Two years ago, reporter Jenny Chen followed two so-called flood hydrologists to learn more about the preparation.

    2 October 2017, 4:00 am
  • 10 minutes 58 seconds
    Bowl Tastes Delicious

    What if the size of our dinner plate, its color, the material of our cutlery - even background sounds - all affect how our food tastes? In other words, what if it’s not just about what we cooked for dinner, but the context of the meal itself?

    Reporter Quentin Cooper brings us this story.

    18 September 2017, 4:00 am
  • 10 minutes 50 seconds
    Hurry Up and Listen

    Underneath our vrooms, beeps, and rumbles, natural sound may be more important than we think.

    4 September 2017, 4:00 am
  • 10 minutes 38 seconds
    A Job for the Bee Team

    On May 2, 2015, beekeepers Pam Arnold and Kristy Allen got hit with a pesticide. They couldn't see it or smell it, but when they saw their bees writhing on the ground and dying they knew something was seriously wrong. They called a panel of scientists at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

    21 August 2017, 4:00 am
  • 11 minutes 18 seconds
    An Ovarian Transplant Between Twins

    Thirty-six-year-old twins Carol and Katy are physically identical in every way but one: Katy was born without ovaries, and wanted to start a family. The science and ethics behind ovarian transplants as a treatment for infertility.

    8 August 2017, 4:34 pm
  • 11 minutes 1 second
    Tick Tock Biological Clock

    The headlines are often full of advice for women about when they should have children. Marnie Chesterton goes digging into the fertility stats and myths for modern women. Prepare to be surprised.

    17 May 2017, 2:45 am
  • 10 minutes 31 seconds
    Owning the Clouds

    Humans have always been interested in controlling the weather. In the past we used raindances and sacrifices; today we turn to science. Cloud seeding is practiced all over the world, but there's still a lot we don't know about it. Delve into the surprising history, the controversial present, and the uncertain future of cloud seeding.

    28 April 2017, 1:08 pm
  • 7 minutes 37 seconds
    Spotting Fake Art -- with Math

    Visual stylometry is a branch of mathematics that can determine the style of a particular artist’s body of work.

    3 April 2017, 8:54 pm
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