Big Picture Science
@bipisci.bsky.social
A weekly science radio show hosted by astronomer Seth Shostak and journalist Molly Bentley | Linktree: http://bit.ly/3GAzFVo
The sun is the largest nuclear reactors we know. We now have momentum harnessing its power at scale. From Texas to Pakistan to China, hear how cheap solar is toppling fossil fuel with author @billmckibben.bsky.social bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...
November 10, 2025 at 10:13 PM
The sun is the largest nuclear reactors we know. We now have momentum harnessing its power at scale. From Texas to Pakistan to China, hear how cheap solar is toppling fossil fuel with author @billmckibben.bsky.social bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...
Want good news on the climate front? The world is making immense strides in harnessing solar energy. Some of the leaders might surprise you (we see you, Texas!) This week, author @billmckibben.bsky.social on our sunnier future: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...
November 10, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Want good news on the climate front? The world is making immense strides in harnessing solar energy. Some of the leaders might surprise you (we see you, Texas!) This week, author @billmckibben.bsky.social on our sunnier future: bigpicturescience.org/episodes/sol...
A project has returned 40 acres of abandoned area to its original wetland. The bioretention ponds in the Sankofa Wetland Park in the Ninth Ward have already provided a buffer against Hurricane Ida. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 7, 2025 at 4:28 PM
A project has returned 40 acres of abandoned area to its original wetland. The bioretention ponds in the Sankofa Wetland Park in the Ninth Ward have already provided a buffer against Hurricane Ida. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
New Orleans author Nathaniel Rich on facing climate change clear-eyed, “Why don't we think about cities as having lifespans like people? What's this illusion that cities last forever? No city has lasted forever.” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 7, 2025 at 1:29 AM
New Orleans author Nathaniel Rich on facing climate change clear-eyed, “Why don't we think about cities as having lifespans like people? What's this illusion that cities last forever? No city has lasted forever.” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
Journalist Boyce Upholt’s history, “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River,” describes what we're asking the levees to do when we build them to restrain a river that does not want to be restrained. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 6, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Journalist Boyce Upholt’s history, “The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi River,” describes what we're asking the levees to do when we build them to restrain a river that does not want to be restrained. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
The Mississippi River watershed drains water from 31 states. Journalist Boyce Upholt describes how the Big Muddy came to whip around across the country like an unchecked hose and how it earned that nickname. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 6, 2025 at 1:29 AM
The Mississippi River watershed drains water from 31 states. Journalist Boyce Upholt describes how the Big Muddy came to whip around across the country like an unchecked hose and how it earned that nickname. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
New Orleans resident and author Nathaniel Rich describes whether the land-building projects aiming to rebuilt the coastal wetlands are sufficient to protect a sinking New Orleans and disappearing Gulf Coast long term. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 5, 2025 at 4:28 PM
New Orleans resident and author Nathaniel Rich describes whether the land-building projects aiming to rebuilt the coastal wetlands are sufficient to protect a sinking New Orleans and disappearing Gulf Coast long term. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
The survival of the Big Easy depends on controlling a river that wants to be free. Can it keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system? Or is retreat the only viable option? bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 4, 2025 at 10:13 PM
The survival of the Big Easy depends on controlling a river that wants to be free. Can it keep up with the pressure that climate change is putting on this engineered system? Or is retreat the only viable option? bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. We consider how efforts to control the river are shaping the Gulf Coast 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 4, 2025 at 7:46 PM
“The Mississippi River will always have its own way; no engineering skill can persuade it to do otherwise,” said Mark Twain. We consider how efforts to control the river are shaping the Gulf Coast 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
Historian Andrew Horowitz describes why the canal levees in New Orleans collapsed dramatically during Hurricane Katrina, while the Mississippi River levees held firm. This week's episode is “Katrina and the River.” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 4, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Historian Andrew Horowitz describes why the canal levees in New Orleans collapsed dramatically during Hurricane Katrina, while the Mississippi River levees held firm. This week's episode is “Katrina and the River.” bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
“New Orleanians who experienced the Katrina flood firsthand said… that when they got a taste of that flood water on their lips, it was salty,” says historian Andy Horowitz describing how the canal, not river, levees failed during Katrina. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 4, 2025 at 1:29 AM
“New Orleanians who experienced the Katrina flood firsthand said… that when they got a taste of that flood water on their lips, it was salty,” says historian Andy Horowitz describing how the canal, not river, levees failed during Katrina. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
The future of the Big Easy depends on controlling a river that wants to be wild. Can engineering keep pace with climate change? The last in our series tied to the storm’s 20th anniversary: “Katrina and the River,” looks at the mighty Mississippi. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 3, 2025 at 10:13 PM
The future of the Big Easy depends on controlling a river that wants to be wild. Can engineering keep pace with climate change? The last in our series tied to the storm’s 20th anniversary: “Katrina and the River,” looks at the mighty Mississippi. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
Climate change may be outpacing our ability to deal with it using engineering. Our third episode tied to the 20th anniversary of the devastating hurricane, “Katrina and the River” looks at efforts to tame the mighty Mississippi. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
November 3, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Climate change may be outpacing our ability to deal with it using engineering. Our third episode tied to the 20th anniversary of the devastating hurricane, “Katrina and the River” looks at efforts to tame the mighty Mississippi. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/kat...
Death! Decay! Maggots! Our latest episode is "The Decomposers". Happy Halloween! bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 31, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Death! Decay! Maggots! Our latest episode is "The Decomposers". Happy Halloween! bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
Plants need phosphates in order to grow. Since our bones contain high concentrations of phosphates, fertilizer used to come from macabre sources, including graves. Modern fertilizer is made with phosphate mining, which is causing environmental issues. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 31, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Plants need phosphates in order to grow. Since our bones contain high concentrations of phosphates, fertilizer used to come from macabre sources, including graves. Modern fertilizer is made with phosphate mining, which is causing environmental issues. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
The element Phosphorus is necessary for all known forms of life, but it is also intrinsically linked to death and decomposition. Jack Lohmann's latest book, "White Light," explores how the natural cycle of phosphorus has been disrupted by human activity. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 31, 2025 at 12:29 AM
The element Phosphorus is necessary for all known forms of life, but it is also intrinsically linked to death and decomposition. Jack Lohmann's latest book, "White Light," explores how the natural cycle of phosphorus has been disrupted by human activity. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
Studying decomposition leads to important anthropological insights, including into populations that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. A longstanding question about Neanderthal diets was recently answered by studying the chemical composition of maggots. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 30, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Studying decomposition leads to important anthropological insights, including into populations that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago. A longstanding question about Neanderthal diets was recently answered by studying the chemical composition of maggots. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
Scientists who study Neanderthals have long been perplexed by a seemingly simple question - what did they eat? High levels of nitrogen couldn't be explained by an all-carnivore diet. But recent research has proposed a surprising - and squirmy - answer. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 29, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Scientists who study Neanderthals have long been perplexed by a seemingly simple question - what did they eat? High levels of nitrogen couldn't be explained by an all-carnivore diet. But recent research has proposed a surprising - and squirmy - answer. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
As a body decomposes, the microbiome of the soil around it changes, creating a sort of "decomposition island." Organic compounds containing nitrogen and phosphorus are released and recycled back into the environment. This week, the chemistry of death of decay bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 29, 2025 at 6:46 PM
As a body decomposes, the microbiome of the soil around it changes, creating a sort of "decomposition island." Organic compounds containing nitrogen and phosphorus are released and recycled back into the environment. This week, the chemistry of death of decay bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
On this week's episode: scientists study decomposition at the "Body Farm'; an ancient mystery turns out to have a wriggly solution; and an element accidentally discovered by alchemists turns out to be necessary for cells to function and matches to burn. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 29, 2025 at 3:28 PM
On this week's episode: scientists study decomposition at the "Body Farm'; an ancient mystery turns out to have a wriggly solution; and an element accidentally discovered by alchemists turns out to be necessary for cells to function and matches to burn. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
Many people donate their bodies for scientific research, including to the Anthropology Research Facility (commonly known as the Body Farm), where researchers study decomposition to make important insights into forensics and anthropology. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 29, 2025 at 12:29 AM
Many people donate their bodies for scientific research, including to the Anthropology Research Facility (commonly known as the Body Farm), where researchers study decomposition to make important insights into forensics and anthropology. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
It's natural to shy away from talking about death, but some scientists face it head on. Meet the forensic anthropologists who study what happens to our bodies after we die at the "Body Farm" at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 28, 2025 at 9:13 PM
It's natural to shy away from talking about death, but some scientists face it head on. Meet the forensic anthropologists who study what happens to our bodies after we die at the "Body Farm" at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
Death and decay are not only a natural part of life; they're also necessary for its continuance. All forms of life on Earth are still here, in one form or another. Learn more about the ultimate recycling program on this week's episode, "The Decomposers" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 28, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Death and decay are not only a natural part of life; they're also necessary for its continuance. All forms of life on Earth are still here, in one form or another. Learn more about the ultimate recycling program on this week's episode, "The Decomposers" bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
Death and decay are essential to life’s continuance. We consider what is involved in the ultimate recycling program with forensic anthropologists at the Body Farm when we meet The Decomposers bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 27, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Death and decay are essential to life’s continuance. We consider what is involved in the ultimate recycling program with forensic anthropologists at the Body Farm when we meet The Decomposers bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
Forensic anthropologists at the Body Farm at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville describe what happens to bodies after death; plus, maggots are key to solving a Neanderthal mystery when we meet The Decomposers bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...
October 27, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Forensic anthropologists at the Body Farm at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville describe what happens to bodies after death; plus, maggots are key to solving a Neanderthal mystery when we meet The Decomposers bigpicturescience.org/episodes/the...