We have a new podcast! It’s called Universe Of Art, and it’s all about artists who use science to bring their creations to the next level. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
In ‘The Pod Generation,’ Pregnancy Goes High-Tech
In the new movie The Pod Generation, a wife named Rachel, played by Emilia Clarke, and her husband Alvy, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor, want to start a family. In the movie’s near future, you don’t have to have a baby by getting pregnant, or using IVF, or going through a surrogate.
If you’re lucky, you can get a reservation at The Womb Center, where you can grow your baby inside a convenient, high-tech, egg-shaped pod. Pressured by her friends and her work’s HR department, Rachel decides to give The Womb Center a shot.
Science Friday producer and Universe of Art host D. Peterschmidt sat down with the film’s writer and director, Sophie Barthes, to talk about what inspired her to make the movie, and what may be lost in the thoughtless pursuit of technology.
The Rising Tide Against Deep Sea Mining
The ocean’s seabed is filled with minerals like copper, nickel, and cobalt—the very raw materials that tech companies use to make electronics and batteries. Some view it as fertile ground to mine and exploit, launching an underwater mining rush.
Last month, world leaders gathered in Kingston, Jamaica to hash out the future of deep sea mining. For years, the International Seabed Authority—the organization in charge of authorizing and controlling mineral operations on the seafloor—has been trying and failing to put together a set of guidelines for deep sea mining.
Ira talks with Dr. Diva Amon, marine biologist at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at the University of California Santa Barbara and director of the non-profit SpeSeas, based in Trinidad and Tobago. They talk through the science of deep sea mining, the policies being debated, and what the world risks losing. Then, Ira talks with Solomon Pili Kahoʻohalahala, Chairperson of the non-profit Maui Nui Makai Network and Native Hawaiian Elder of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Advisory Council.
August Skies Set To Dazzle
August is shaping up to be a great month for stargazing, with or without a telescope. Celestial wonders such as a Perseid meteor shower and a Super Blue Moon will take place soon. Saturn will also be lit up for the remainder of August, and should be visible to the naked eye on a clear night.
Joining Ira to talk about what we can see this month in the night sky is astronomer, author, and podcaster Dean Regas. Regas also talks about recently leaving his long tenure at the Cincinnati Observatory, and what’s next for his love for astronomy.
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Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.
683: To Get Ready For Mars, NASA Studies How The Body Changes In Space
682: Science Journalism Is Shrinking–Along With Public Trust In Science
680: (Part 2) Endangered Species Act At 50: Orchids And Red Wolves
679: (Part 1) Endangered Species Act at 50: Hawaiian Land Snails
681: Solar Activity Flares Up In 2024 | Underground Hydrogen Reserves And Clean Energy
678: SciFri Reads ‘The Alchemy Of Us’
677: SciFri Reads ‘The Kaiju Preservation Society’
676: Star Trek’s Science Advisor Reveals The Real Astrophysics On Screen
675: A Mathematician Asks ‘Is Math Real?’
674: Unmasking Owls’ Mysteries | Why It Feels So Good To Eat Chocolate
673: SciFri Reads ‘The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2023’
672: The Unseen World Of Seaweeds | Should 'Dark Fungi' Species Get Names?
672: How 'Panda Diplomacy' Led To Conservation Success
671: Music’s Emotional Power Can Shape Memories—And Your Perception Of Time
670: Top Science News Stories of 2023 | Solar Panels In Historic Cape Cod
669: Pennsylvania Drug Laws May Limit Syringe Services | These Romance Novels Represent Black Women In Science
668: Flame Retardant From Cocoa Pod Husks | The Oozy Physics Of Oobleck
667: The Military’s Carbon Footprint Is A Hidden Cost Of Defense
666: High Energy Cosmic Ray Detected | These Penguins Are The Masters Of Microsleeping
665: COP28 Climate Conference Ends | Why Are Some People Affected By Seasonal Affective Disorder?
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