Music and Science
What do the artists/groups They Might Be Giants, Brian Eno, Insane Clown Posse and Laurie Anderson have in common? They're all featured in this radio piece, where Rose and I discuss (and play) some science-infulenced pop music, from the 1970's to the present. (Originally aired on TDE*, Aug. 30th 2011)
The Mystery of the Missing Skull
This story deals with one of the most infamous crimes of 19th-century London: a crime which had some unusual (and gruesome) loose ends. These loose ends were finally resolved last year, and the resolution involves someone you might know of... (Originally aired on TDE, Apr. 10th 2012.)
Saving Face: Tasmanian Devils and Conservation
In recent years Tasmanian devil populations have been ravaged by a mysterious disease, a kind of transmissible cancer. In this piece, Rose tells me about it, and then we discuss whether or not we humans should actually do anything. (Originally aired on TDE, Feb. 22nd 2012.)
The Evolution of Music
Human beings, in every society or culture ever studied by anthropologists, make some form of music. This leads to an obvious question: why? (Originally aired on TDE, Oct. 25th 2011.)
*"TDE" refers to The Doppler Effect, where most of these pieces were broadcast on the "real" radio. TDE is WNYU's science-and-technology-themed radio show. Many of these pieces feature Rose Eveleth, who is responsible (culpable?) for getting me involved in radio. You should check out her website, it's great!
The Ashen Light of Venus
Does the night-time side of the Planet Venus produce a faint and mysterious glow? Scientists hold strong - but very far from united - views on this topic. To find out more, I spoke to two of them.
Meniscus-Climbing Insects
Water-lily leaf beetle larvae are caterpillar-like grubs that live and feed on water lily leaves, as their name suggests. Every so often, they fall from the pad they call home. This is a problem, since they can neither swim nor walk on water. How do they escape? Listen here to find out! (Hint: it's related to physics.) (Originally aired on TDE, February 2012.)
Jelle Atema's Prehistoric Flutes
After doing the evolution of music show (above), I became interested Jelle Atema, who is a professor of marine biology at Boston University. As a side project, he makes replicas of the most ancient musical instruments known, and plays those replicas. I took a trip to his home in Cape Cod to interview him. (Originally aired on TDE, Dec. 20th 2011.)
*"TDE" refers to The Doppler Effect, where most of these pieces were broadcast on the "real" radio. TDE is WNYU's science-and-technology-themed radio show. Many of these pieces feature Rose Eveleth, who is responsible (culpable?) for getting me involved in radio. You should check out her website, it's great!